EV charging guide

Generally it's not a big deal to charge your electric car – just plug in and wait for your battery to fill up. However, the variety of connectors, cables and power supplies can be confusing. Depending on your current location, and your car, you may require different charging kits.

There are four main types of electric vehicles:

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)
Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)
Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)
Mild Electric Hybrid Vehicles (MHEV)

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) will need a charging cable.

For more information on the types of EV go here.

PHEV	BEV	HEV	MHEV
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle	Battery Electric Vehicle	Hybrid Electric Vehicle	Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle
Require charging cables		No charging cables required

What's the right EV charging solution for you?

There are several types of charging cables for electric vehicles and not all will work with every electric car.

There are four main points to keep in mind when choosing your charging cable:

1 – Which connector fits to the EV charging station?

2 – Which connector fits to my car?

3 – What kind of cable do I need?

4 – Which power supply will I use to charge?

Do I need a type 1 or type 2 connector?

An EV cable has two connectors - one that connects to the power source and one that connects to your car.

1 – Connection to the charging station

All EV charging stations in Europe require a type 2 plug.

This is standard on all OSRAM EV charging cables used with a charging station.

Type 2, standard in Europe

2 – Connection to your car

Your car needs one of these connectors:

Type 1: Found on older electric vehicles or cars from America, Japan or Asia. They have 5 pins and can only charge using a single phase (domestic) power supply.

Type 2: Most newer electric vehicles have a type 2 connector. These have 7 pins, are suitable for single and three-phase charging (domestic and commercial) and have capacity for faster charging.

Please ensure that each cable you purchase has the correct connector to connect to your car.


Type 1, pre 2017, e.g. Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi Outlander	Type 2, all new cars in Europe

3 – What kind of cable do I need?

Just as there are different connectors, there are also different types of cables for charging your electric vehicle. Different amp cords are compatible with different power sources and will affect whether you can use slow, fast, or fast charging.

When choosing your cable, you need to consider whether you want the fastest charging options. If you want, investing in a 32A cable gives you more charging options. However, if you find yourself working with a low kW load, you can get a cheaper 16A cable.

Go to the OSRAM EV charging cables range

4 – Which power supply will I use to charge?

Different charging points have different power supplies.

The household power supply that most of us have in our homes is referred to as single phase - this provides 3kW from a standard household plug.

Commercial power supplies are known as three-phase and have an output of 22kW – making charging from a three-phase power source about 3x faster. Public charging points often have a three-phase supply, which means they can charge faster than a home charger.

OSRAM's range of EV cables covers all electric/hybrid vehicles and is durable and waterproof to withstand many weather and road conditions.


Wall box at home	Public charging point on the go

Charging at home

If you charge at home, you can use a standard 3-pin plug as the power supply. However, this takes a very long time due to the energy requirements of the battery - up to 36 hours in a larger vehicle. Also, it may damage the socket if used to charge the car for a long period of time.

Instead, installing a charging wall box is the best option and will significantly reduce charging time. Most supply alternating current (AC) at a maximum of 7.2 kW, while a standard three-pin plug is limited to 3 kW. These boxes are weatherproof and can therefore be installed outdoors. Choosing the right cable for your wallbox is crucial to get the most out of the available charging speeds.

To use the faster 7.2kW charging at home, you need a 32A cable.

If you do need to charge from a 3-pin socket, you can get a portable charger that plugs directly into a standard 3-pin household plug - so if you need to charge at a friend's, no problem!

Go to the OSRAM EV charging cables range

Charging when you're on the go

There are many electric car charging points available across the country: you've no doubt seen them in car parks near you. Many of these offer fast charging with three-phase power supplies. Typically any charging station above 22kW is direct powered (DC) which has an additional 2-pin plug that will work with your car plug. Most DC charging points have tethered cables. Your car's Battery Management System (BMS) determines whether your car can use the various fast charging options. The OSRAM range of cables and portable chargers are designed for AC charging up to 22 kW.

There are two types of charging points:
- Tethered: This type of charging point comes with a cable. This is handy as you don't have to have your own, but you do need to make sure it has the right plug for your car before you can start charging.
- Untethered: There is no cable included with this type of charging station, so you will need to connect your own. It's important to be armed with the right cable.

Go to the OSRAM EV charging cables range

Charging with friends or family

If you're staying with friends or family, your only option for charging may be a standard 3-pin household socket. So it's handy to have a portable charging cable ready, too. These cables plug directly into a household outlet, so no installation is required, and feature an LCD screen that shows charging progress. It takes longer to charge than from a wallbox or station, but is invaluable when you need to charge from a household outlet.

Go to the OSRAM EV charging cables range

Charging at home

Charging when you're on the go

Charging with friends or family

How long does it take to charge my electric vehicle?

This is usually an important question for EV owners, although the answer is: it depends on the type of car and the size of the battery, connectors, cable and available power source. Some modern electric vehicles and charging stations can charge up to 80% in just 20 minutes – but this type of charging is not yet widespread.

However: You can get an idea of typical loading times. In the table below you can see an example of the charging times from different power sources for a KIA EV6 with a 77.4 kWh battery.

Charging from empty to full

Power source	Charging time	Typically found at
3KW	36 hours	Home, domestic 3-pin plug
3.6KW	21 hours	Home wallboxes/ workplaces
7KW	11 hours	Home wallboxes/ workplaces/public charging points
22KW	7 hours	Workplaces/public charging points

Charging from 20% to 80% at rapid charging sources

Power source	Charging time	Typically found at
50KW	60 min	Public charging – rapid charge
150KW	20 min	Public charging – rapid charge

EV charging guide

There are four main types of electric vehicles:

What's the right EV charging solution for you?

Do I need a type 1 or type 2 connector?

1 – Connection to the charging station

2 – Connection to your car

3 – What kind of cable do I need?

4 – Which power supply will I use to charge?

Charging at home

Charging when you're on the go

Charging with friends or family

Charging at home

Charging when you're on the go

Charging with friends or family

How long does it take to charge my electric vehicle?

Power source

Charging time

Typically found at

Power source

Charging time

Typically found at

Further information

EV charging cable buyers guide

Further information

Types of electric vehicles

Back to EV cables overview