Tethered or Untethered qn
Discussion
Hey Folks,
About to purchase a new Car (Leaf) and have been researching chargers. I think I plan to get a PodPoint, based mainly on recommendations from local friends.
I've read the previous posts here on Tethered vs. Untethered and still am confused about the rationale between choosing one or the other (particularly as one person says 90% of their customers go for untethered which seems a little counter intuitive to me. )
Please feel free help me with the flaws in my thinking per the below - for reference, my inkling is to go for tethered.
- The main advantage of tethered is security as far as I can see; you can't steal the cable.
- Advantage of U/T is that I could swap the cable in the future without needing to replace the charger
- I assume if I have U/T I can still leave the plug in the wall unit in and just coil it up as I would do tethered.
in my mind, 99.9% of the time, I'm going to use my charger at home, and when I am done charging, I'll just coil the cable up around/near the pod. If I went somewhere overnight, I'd put the 3 pin cable in the car, and if I did need to use a public charger, then I'm using their cable, not mine anyway.
I am coming at this from a position of knowing nothing, so please feel free to educate me.
Thanks, Ace
About to purchase a new Car (Leaf) and have been researching chargers. I think I plan to get a PodPoint, based mainly on recommendations from local friends.
I've read the previous posts here on Tethered vs. Untethered and still am confused about the rationale between choosing one or the other (particularly as one person says 90% of their customers go for untethered which seems a little counter intuitive to me. )
Please feel free help me with the flaws in my thinking per the below - for reference, my inkling is to go for tethered.
- The main advantage of tethered is security as far as I can see; you can't steal the cable.
- Advantage of U/T is that I could swap the cable in the future without needing to replace the charger
- I assume if I have U/T I can still leave the plug in the wall unit in and just coil it up as I would do tethered.
in my mind, 99.9% of the time, I'm going to use my charger at home, and when I am done charging, I'll just coil the cable up around/near the pod. If I went somewhere overnight, I'd put the 3 pin cable in the car, and if I did need to use a public charger, then I'm using their cable, not mine anyway.
I am coming at this from a position of knowing nothing, so please feel free to educate me.
Thanks, Ace
Hi, I chose untethered with an EO unit, based solely on the aesthetics of a simple box on the front wall of our house versus something which looks more like a hose wheel. If my charger had been in the garage, then I would probably have chosen tethered, and I think I would have regretted it.
In practice the only 'hassle' factor is having to take the cable from the boot of the car and plug it in at both ends, and then pack the cable away after use. That can be irritating if the cable is wet from rain but I keep a bin liner in the car just in case.
The cable is 'locked' to the car when plugged in and in use; there probably is a way it could be pulled out but it would cause damage and/or be a hassle, so I think it unlikely.
On balance I'd say the untethered is worth the minor hassle for both its appearance and the flexibility of being able to choose a longer cable / different plug type in future.
In practice the only 'hassle' factor is having to take the cable from the boot of the car and plug it in at both ends, and then pack the cable away after use. That can be irritating if the cable is wet from rain but I keep a bin liner in the car just in case.
The cable is 'locked' to the car when plugged in and in use; there probably is a way it could be pulled out but it would cause damage and/or be a hassle, so I think it unlikely.
On balance I'd say the untethered is worth the minor hassle for both its appearance and the flexibility of being able to choose a longer cable / different plug type in future.
I think it depends on your driveway / garage layout.
If I were always going to park within tethered reach I would probably go for that.
I have a large-ish driveway and want to be able to drag a cable wherever I want it, so preferred to go untethered and buy a 15m cable which in practise I tend to leave uncoiled around the edge of the drive.
If I were more bothered about theft risk I would clamp the cable to the wall as securely as possible.
Tethered didn't give me such flexibility - I think the max I could get was 7.5m
If I were always going to park within tethered reach I would probably go for that.
I have a large-ish driveway and want to be able to drag a cable wherever I want it, so preferred to go untethered and buy a 15m cable which in practise I tend to leave uncoiled around the edge of the drive.
If I were more bothered about theft risk I would clamp the cable to the wall as securely as possible.
Tethered didn't give me such flexibility - I think the max I could get was 7.5m
Untethered is about flexibility. You can charge anything with the right cable, and if your driveway layout means a second or third car won’t reach then you can get a longer cable.
Tethered probably better for most people though, particularly if you’ll charge regularly (PHEVs or higher mileage drivers). If your car is type 2 and you don’t expect visitors with (or to buy later) older type 1 cars, then it’s pretty futureproof too.
Tethered probably better for most people though, particularly if you’ll charge regularly (PHEVs or higher mileage drivers). If your car is type 2 and you don’t expect visitors with (or to buy later) older type 1 cars, then it’s pretty futureproof too.
Edited by sjg on Monday 15th March 13:23
Our i3 came with a 3 pin charging cable and the untethered cable, so they live in the car, we then had a tethered unit fitted in the bin cupboard next to the drive, works perfectly, never worries about cable theft etc, the only thing I wish I had done is fitted the cable on a reel for ease of recoiling and putting away.
I chose untethered and bought an extra cable on the grounds that in 5 years time I may not be using a type 2 cable, it could be something different, might be a bit OTT though, I don’t think there’s a wrong answer unless the car companies change to a “type 3” in the near future
Edited to add that the cable I bought stays plugged in - it was about flexibility and future proofing
Edited to add that the cable I bought stays plugged in - it was about flexibility and future proofing
Edited by IAINSMITH on Monday 15th March 20:39
We went with podpoint tethered, because we thought it look the neatest and most convenient.
Three years later, when we upgraded the Leaf to the Ioniq we replaced the tethered cable with a type 2. We also took the opportunity of going for a 10 metre cable as the Ioniq charging port is in a less convenient place. £100, fitted by local electrician.
Just go for whichever you prefer. Changing later isn’t an issue.
Three years later, when we upgraded the Leaf to the Ioniq we replaced the tethered cable with a type 2. We also took the opportunity of going for a 10 metre cable as the Ioniq charging port is in a less convenient place. £100, fitted by local electrician.
Just go for whichever you prefer. Changing later isn’t an issue.
Tethered is a lot less hassle. No need to get your cable out every time you want to charge, it's just there ready and waiting.
If you bought a new Leaf then it will have type 2, which is the standard type that all new cars have and you won't need to change it when you buy a new one. It was mainly the old Leaf that had a different type of cable where people needed to upgrade when they bought a new car.
If you bought a new Leaf then it will have type 2, which is the standard type that all new cars have and you won't need to change it when you buy a new one. It was mainly the old Leaf that had a different type of cable where people needed to upgrade when they bought a new car.
Untethered will be cheaper as you’re not paying for the attached cable - if you go tethered would also need to buy a separate cable if you think you might use public 7kW chargers (rapid chargers already have the cable attached but 7kW don’t).
Main reason I went untethered was because our Leaf back then was type2, and I wanted to future proof it (as well as paying extra for 7kW). The later Leaf is type1 so this wouldn’t be an issue with them.
Our charger isn’t visible from the road, so hopefully unlikely the cable will get pinched so I just leave it pretty much permanently attached.
Another advantage with untethered (for me) is that I could buy a longer cable for it - 5m was fine for the Leaf but with the i3 the charge port is in a different place (on the side), so longer would be handy.
Main reason I went untethered was because our Leaf back then was type2, and I wanted to future proof it (as well as paying extra for 7kW). The later Leaf is type1 so this wouldn’t be an issue with them.
Our charger isn’t visible from the road, so hopefully unlikely the cable will get pinched so I just leave it pretty much permanently attached.
Another advantage with untethered (for me) is that I could buy a longer cable for it - 5m was fine for the Leaf but with the i3 the charge port is in a different place (on the side), so longer would be handy.
Edited by danp on Tuesday 16th March 10:16
Back in the day, universal was desirable because you could easily change your car without needing to change your charge point. The European standard for EV charging is now Type 2 so you'll be pretty safe getting something tethered. I'd argue that tethered is more convenient as you just un-coil the cable and plug in (unless you have a universal charger with a dedicated cable). If you're worried about security, you can spec a Pod Point Solo with a lock which enables you to turn it on and off using a key.
I'm going for untethered I think. I assume if you always charge at home, you can leave your cable plugged in and achieve the same convenience? And then either by a spare for the car, or take it with you if there is any chance of pushing range?
Am I missing some other advantage of tethered? It would be good to keep the flexibility.
Am I missing some other advantage of tethered? It would be good to keep the flexibility.
danp said:
Untethered will be cheaper as you’re not paying for the attached cable - if you go tethered would also need to buy a separate cable if you think you might use public 7kW chargers (rapid chargers already have the cable attached but 7kW don’t).
If your car didn't come with the cable you got ripped off.fancyabevy said:
I'm going for untethered I think. I assume if you always charge at home, you can leave your cable plugged in and achieve the same convenience? And then either by a spare for the car, or take it with you if there is any chance of pushing range?
Am I missing some other advantage of tethered? It would be good to keep the flexibility.
You can leave it plugged in but it won't be locked in. Depending on where you live you might be worried about it being stolen.Am I missing some other advantage of tethered? It would be good to keep the flexibility.
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