EV charging cables are often overlooked when considering how the UK is going to transition to electric, according to Graham O’Reilly (pictured, left), co-founder of Wottz and evcables.com.
On the latest episode of the Automotive Business Podcast (ABP), Adrian Simpson (pictured, right) sat down with O’Reilly to discuss how EV charging cables are supporting fleets toward electrification.
evcables.com wanted to build a cable that could be opened up and tested, so that when something went wrong, drivers would not need to throw them away and get a replacement, according to O’Reilly.
He also discusses the physicality of the charger cables, where the weight of them means they are too heavy for people to carry around.
He said: “The three-phase cable can be extremely heavy, especially over 10 to 15 meters.”
He added: “Weight is really important in terms of accessibility…it is frustrating to carry around a heavy object.
“The way it coils is really key too, you want to make sure that it actually works with you when you are putting it away and storing it.”
Portable chargers are also good for range anxiety, especially for fleets, because where there are just a few wall chargers, longer and more powerful portable chargers can be implemented to support EV charging, O’Reilly added.
He explained that while fleets and businesses are testing electrical equipment, EV cables do not seem to be a part of this testing.
evcables.com is developing a service to test cables for fleets every year, so that EV cables can be included in the electrical testing, he added.
O’Reilly said that the EV sector is evolving as EVs are fundamentally a better product, and the UK has hit a tipping point where manufacturers are committed to electrification.
Listen to this episode, and the rest of Automotive Business Podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
