The Wiring Mistake During Installation

EV’s are becoming more of a commodity and with that comes a boom in EV Charging adoption which are a staple in most households nowadays. One aspect of installation that is often overlooked is proper wiring management in which ties very close to enable an EV Charger to feed the EV power.

What aspect of the wiring should be accounted for?

Having the correct wire size at 6mm stands to be a good indicator to following it by the book in terms of EV Charger installation. But another aspect, which is the bending of the wire, is often overlooked. Furthermore, there are multiple reasons as to why this shouldn’t be overlooked in the first place.

However, Energielite includes this as part of the process, ensuring that the E2 EV Charger is safe to use

The Issue With Bending of The Wiring

Electrical cables are designed to be flexible, and this also accounts for the diameter of the wire itself to be appropriate for such lengths of bending. The general rule of thumb, however, is that the bigger the size of the wiring, the less likely the case for the wire to bend. For 6mm² copper wires, bending beyond a 45-degree angle may result in:

• Damage to the Insulation: Repeated or sharp bends result in extra tension cracking at the cover or insulation of the wire, allowing the live conductors to be exposed.
• Core damage – The insides of the 6 mm² copper core may break over time will resulting in a reduction of current carrying capacity due to the additional resistance.
• Heat Buildup – Over time, the heat will have to dissipate due to the resistance, causing degradation to the insulation, which raises the risk of an electrical fire.

Why 45-degrees is the safe limit?

Under international standards depicted from the IEC 60204-1 in which emphasises avoiding sharp bends to maintain wiring integrity. Additionally, a fixed installation such as an EV Charger with 6mm² copper core wiring should maintain a minimum bend radius.

Concurrently, the radius is reflected to be 5 to 6 times the wire’s diameter, hence for a 6 mm² the bend angle of 45-degrees prevents kinking.

Conclusion

The wiring during installation should be accounted for, from proper sizing to variations in the bending. Excessive wire bending may seem like an insignificant issue and might not pose as an immediate problem but the 6 mm² is the backbone to your charging system.