Renault Zoe Blog

The special ‘top up’ cable for the ZOE

47 Comments
ZOE Domestic Charging Cable (Image: Surya)
ZOE Domestic Charging Cable (Image: Surya)

Today I received my ‘top up’ cable, or the granny charging cable as it is being called by some. Not only does this mean that yes, the cable does indeed exist, but it also means I have an extra charging option when I make my trip to the UK starting tomorrow.

In Belgium the cost was €737. Not cheap for a cable that you will use as little as possible, but especially not cheap if you consider that the cable is supposed to come standard with every ZOE in the future.

In the box you will find
– The cable with on one side the domestic socket, on the other side the Type 2 connector and in between a control unit with 3 indicator LEDs.
– An extra cable storage bag (identical to the one that comes with the car)
– An instruction manual in English, French, German and Spanish.

ZOE Domestic Charging Cable waiting to be unboxed (Image: Surya)
ZOE Domestic Charging Cable waiting to be unboxed (Image: Surya)

In the manual there are a lot of things they tell you to look at before using a socket, but of course on the road this will not always be possible. I hope the control unit is smart enough to detect problems and prevent damage, because I will not always be able to check the thickness of the cable the socket is attached to, or the kind of differential used among other things.

Complete ZOE Domestic Charging Cable (Image: Surya)
Complete ZOE Domestic Charging Cable (Image: Surya)

I also wish the control unit (or the car) had a way to control the amount of current drawn to prevent problems.

I have yet to test the cable, but there you have it: it exists, and if you want one, contact your Renault dealer, they might be able to help you out, just as mine was.

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This topic contains 47 replies, has 16 voices, and was last updated by  reboot 11 years, 5 months ago.

Viewing 8 posts - 41 through 48 (of 48 total)
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  • August 12, 2014 at 10:04 #9531

    Anonymous

    That’s great info, thanks very much!

    August 12, 2014 at 14:42 #9533

    steffensen
    Participant

    Craig. You need a very long night if your UK cable can only charge at 10 A like my Danish Renault (non!!) Flexi Charger. It takes 20 hours for a full charge and a lot of energy are wasted.

    August 12, 2014 at 15:48 #9534

    andyfras
    Participant

    Although the Zoe predicts a long charge time when using the Granny cable, in practice it’s much shorter; I’m getting almost 8% per hour. I’ve never used the cable to charge from flat, but from 60% it takes about 5 hours to get to 99% (I do this almost every week when visiting MiL).

    August 12, 2014 at 16:52 #9535

    Anonymous

    Thanks Steffen and Andy. That real-world info is incredibly useful!

    August 22, 2014 at 13:01 #9651

    Anonymous

    Hey all.

    I had one of the granny cables on order from NuWorldEnergy for a camping trip we’re doing this weekend. They had a delay getting stock from their supplier and weren’t able to get it to me in time. I’ve cancelled the order and they’ve given me a refund.

    Made me think, though… £400 is a lot of money for an ‘ occasional’ use cable…

    Would any of you guys be interested in some kind of cable timeshare scheme? Pay a deposit, rent per day, it needs to be shipped next day delivery… Any takers?

    February 3, 2015 at 15:52 #12386

    reboot
    Participant

    At the risk of crossing threads, but tying it into the Solar thread I wondered if the Granny cable would accept a smaller current than 10A.? For example in a small Solar installation, 12V battery storage with an inverter, 230 ac out,into Granny cable/limiter,or whatever is in there? Doesn’t really make financial sense but could be a project for some.

    February 3, 2015 at 16:52 #12392

    andyfras
    Participant

    Some EVSE cables have a 6A option, but I don’t know if the Zoe would accept it.

    May 30, 2015 at 06:52 #18785

    reboot
    Participant

    As andyfras says, the car will draw a charge current of 10 Amps. As long as the supply the Granny cable is plugged into can deliver at least this current the only other problem may be if something else on the property is plugged in at the same time and drawing a large current too.The renault engineer thought this might be why this little charger came and went over the last two years.Although a very similar granny cable arrived by mistake for my Zoe, but was for the Kangoo van,available from day one I think.The other danger with this charger as discussed may be the use of extension leads and coiling cables, which seem to have caused plugs to melt due to excess heat?

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