Mercedes E-Class PHEV charging cable

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Plug-in Hybrid (W214 Saloon, S214 Estate) is Mercedes' current executive PHEV, on UK roads since summer 2023 and built at Sindelfingen on the MRA II platform. Petrol and diesel variants are on sale: the E 300e (230 kW / 313 PS, rear-wheel drive, 0-100 km/h in 6.4 seconds for the Saloon and 6.7 seconds for the Estate), the E 300e 4MATIC (same output, all-wheel drive, 6.5 seconds), the E 400e 4MATIC (280 kW / 381 PS, all-wheel drive, 5.3 seconds), and the diesel E 300de 4MATIC (313 PS combined, 700 Nm). All share a 25.4 kWh gross (19.5 kWh usable) lithium-ion battery integrated into the vehicle floor, an 11 kW three-phase onboard charger, and a WLTP electric range of up to 115 km for the rear-drive E 300e or around 109 km for the 4MATIC and E 400e variants. A 55 kW DC rapid charging option takes a completely empty battery to full in around 30 minutes at a CCS point. Electric-only running is possible up to 140 km/h. The Type 2 charging port sits on the left rear flank on both bodystyles, opposite the fuel filler cap on the right rear.

The right Type 2 cable for a UK installation

A UK home installation typically supplies single-phase 230 V at 32 amperes on a fitted wallbox, delivering 7.4 kW real-world. On this kind of connection the Voldt® Type 2 cable rated at 22 kW is the correct choice, because its 32-ampere-per-phase conductors carry the full 7.4 kW the wallbox delivers, filling the 19.5 kWh usable battery in around three hours, comfortably managed during an evening at home or a working day at the office. An 11 kW cable, with 16-ampere-per-phase conductors, becomes the bottleneck on the same wallbox and throttles the session to 3.7 kW, doubling the charge time to around five and a half hours. At a public three-phase 11 kW post the 22 kW cable delivers the E-Class's full 11 kW rate and completes a charge in around two hours, matching the car's onboard charger exactly. The 22 kW rating also protects the investment: if the next company car or family replacement is a BEV or PHEV with genuine 22 kW three-phase AC capability, the same cable unlocks the full rate without repurchase.

Cable length matters more on an executive saloon than a smaller car, because the port on the left rear flank means either reversing into a home bay or pulling forward past the wallbox, depending on the geometry of the drive. The Voldt® Type 2 range is available in 6, 8, 10 and 15 metres. Six metres suffices for a home driveway or garage where the wallbox is mounted just behind the car's parked position. Eight and ten metres handle office car parks, hotel destination chargers and workplace installations where the bay layout was decided by the building rather than by the vehicle. Fifteen metres reaches the awkwardly placed posts at older motorway service areas, hotel car parks where the charger sits the wrong side of the bay, and venues where an EV bay was added as an afterthought to an existing layout.

Portable charging away from the wallbox

The Voldt® portable EV charger with 16 A red Commando plug operates at up to 11 kW three-phase, matching the E-Class PHEV's onboard charger rate exactly. From a red 16 A CEE socket in a workshop, farm outbuilding or holiday cottage with an industrial connection, the car draws its full 11 kW three-phase and completes a charge from empty in around two hours: the same speed as a home wallbox, without any fixed installation. A practical addition for company-car drivers whose overnight destinations don't always offer Type 2 wallboxes but often do have a CEE outlet in the workshop or garage block.

For campsites, marinas and rural cottages equipped with the blue 16 A CEE socket, the Voldt® portable cable with blue Commando plug delivers 3.7 kW single-phase. On a 19.5 kWh usable battery a full charge takes around five and a half to six hours, which fits neatly into a Friday evening plug-in and a Saturday morning departure with a full battery, adding around 100 km of pure-electric range to the drive home. When no CEE socket is available, the Voldt® three-pin granny charger draws up to 2.8 kW within the limits of what the domestic ring main can sustain, adjustable in one-amp steps between 8 and 13 amperes so the load can be dialled down if the circuit is shared with the kettle or the tumble dryer. A full charge takes around seven and a half hours from a UK three-pin socket, which slots naturally into an overnight stay at a country hotel or B&B without demanding anything special of the property. A built-in thermal sensor monitors the plug temperature throughout the session and automatically reduces the current if the connection begins to warm, a practical safeguard on older domestic wiring.

Voldt® build and warranty

Every Voldt® charging cable and portable charger is CE, UKCA and TÜV certified, manufactured to automotive industry quality standards. Connectors are single-piece moulded units with no glue or mechanical fasteners. The housing is rated IP67 for full dust and water ingress protection, tested for operation between −30 °C and +50 °C. Conductors are 100% copper with silver-plated contacts, rated beyond 10,000 connection cycles. Three-year warranty, 100-day returns, free shipping across Europe.