In their marketing Kia Australia promises that the Kia Niro EV GT-Line electric car is capable of 11kW AC charging rate.
I tested whether this was true at my local shopping centre AC charging station, using a 7m Type 2 to Type 2 EV Charging Cable (22kW, 32 amp) cable lent to me by EVSE for review and a Kia Niro EV GT-Line (which I had on loan for 11 days to review).
I plugged one end of the cable into the car charger port.
I plugged the other end of the cable into the Ocular brand AC charging station.
After a few seconds charging started and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Kia Niro EV GT-Line was charging at a rate of 11.5kW which is slightly faster than the promised 11kW.
Leaving the car to charge I walked into the shopping centre.
Returning just under an hour later the car battery had been topped up by 10.7kWh for free.
Type 2 to Type 2 Cable Buying Tips
I recommend buying your Type 2 to Type 2 cable from an Australian retailer like EVSE or Jetcharge so you have a good warranty and are supporting the local EV accessory industry.
You could get a shorter, cheaper 5m cable but I find the 7m length is handy as you never know how far the charging station will be from your car charging port.
There are slower slightly cheaper cables available for purchase such as the Type 2 to Type 2 EV Charging Cable (7kW, 32amp) for cars like the BYD Atto 3, MG ZS EV 2021 and Hyundai Kona EV 2021 that don’t support 11kW AC charging.
Some electric vehicle (EV) owners buy a 7kW charge rate Type 2 to Type 2 cable to save a little bit of money.
However if they later buy a newer electric car that is capable of 11kW AC charge rate like the Kia Niro EV GT-Line or rent an EV capable of 11kW AC charge rate (eg common rental models Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2) then this wastes an opportunity to charge that EV much faster at an AC charging station.
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