Why do EVs not use the full 3.12kW from a mains socket?

[Commander Kinsey]

In the UK, "most vehicle manufacturers limit the current drawn from a standard domestic 3 pin socket to 10A or less, which equates to a maximum of 2.3kW."

Why? A UK socket is 13A, or 3.12kW.

[Commander Kinsey]

ROFL! "The typical cost of a home charge point is around £800."

Er.... £100 2nd hand on Ebay plus a bit of cable to connect it to the fusebox. Not £800.

[danny burstein]

I'll play the stright cow here. In the USofA, a "continous load" on a circuit is generall maxed at at _80 percent_ of the rated wire/circuit carrying capcity.

Reason: heat buildup.

I suspect, with no foundationwhatsever, the UK uses the same concepts.

[Commander Kinsey]

No idea what that's supposed to mean.

It does not, we wire things properly as we're a 1st world country. You can buy 3kW fanheaters for example. I've run one for several hours without anything bursting into flames.

We also have switches on our sockets, and sleeved pins. I guess that's why you still have the wimpy 120V in most circuits.

[Sylvia Else]

Commonality with other 230/240V markets? The UK is unusual in having standard sockets rated at more than 10A.

Sylvia.

[Martin Brown]

Although they are nominally rated at 13A modern sockets are seldom happy with anything much beyond 10A as a continuous load. I have seen plenty of extension sockets destroyed by having a fan heater plugged in.

In a cold room a 3kW fan heater doesn't switch it off until the thermostat is satisfied which can be a few hours by which time the plastic around the socket has melted.

At full 13A load current for an extended period plugs can also get uncomfortably hot due to the UK having a mains fuse in them.

Short term 3kW loads are OK like kettles for a few minutes (but even that is now deprecated all modern kettles are 2.4kW aka 10A).

I suspect that they use less beryllium in the spring contacts than they did in the old days when nominally 13A sockets were real 13A sockets.

[Commander Kinsey]

Actually, most of Europe use "Type E" sockets which are 16A x 220V = 3.52kW.

[Commander Kinsey]

That's because your extension was shit. I've never had that happen. The only one I ever saw melted was one with two washing machines and two tumble dryers plugged in at once.

So.... see the plug on the actual fanheater, that can take 13A continuously....

Only if you decide to see if you can hold onto the pins afterwards.

BULLSHIT! Decent kettles are 3kW. A Dualit Lite for example. Why the f*ck would you want to take longer to make your coffee?

Irrelevant, it's the fuse which makes the heat. Can't they make fusewire of something which creates less heat, but melts easier? Then again, plugs used to sensibly have a little vent at the top. Probably removed for some health and softy reason.

In the old days they were 15A at 250V and had big juicy round pins, which was 3.75kW. People had hobs running off sockets.