Mains ‘control box’?

[twosout]

Well, I’ve just got my PHEV and the handover was less than informative so I guess I’ll just have to work my way through the handbook, slowly, to discover what I’ve got.
My first question concerns the ‘brick’ that is attached to the mains charging cable that comes with the car: What is it for/What does it do?
I think it’s referred to as a ‘CCID Control Box’, so what does CCID stand for ( - that may answer my primary question)?
I thought it might be a charger but don’t think that’s the case because there doesn’t seem to be an equivalent on any other of the connecting cables I’ve seem and I’d expect the charging circuitry to be within the car. The whole thing seems to be hugely over-engineered: the cable is twice as thick as I’d expect it to be, to carry only 10A. It’s nice and flexible, but a bit short: I’ll need to get a socket installed for the purpose.

 

[Regulo]

What you have is the control box that "speaks" to the car, and initiates charging if all safety conditions are met. The car has an on-board charging circuit which tells the box when it wants charge. That's about all you need to know. Just plug it in, and let the clever stuff happen! The box you have can only supply 10 amps (about 5 hours to charge), but other charging equipment can supply up to 32 amps. However the car will only draw 16 amps maximum, taking about 3½ hours to charge. Welcome, by the way.

 

[twosout]

Thanks, Ray.
That makes sense.
I was hoping that the MY19 might take more than 16A. It hardly seems worthwhile getting a 7kW point installed for such a marginal increase.

 

[ThudnBlundr]

It would be if you never bought another electric vehicle again. However most (?all) new EVs coming out can accept 7kW charging, so it would be silly to not to future-proof your charging for the sake of saving a few pounds today. Certainly in the UK, it's unlikely ever to go above 7kW unless you rewire your house to take 3-phase (22kW).

You say the cable seems over-engineered, but it has to cope with hard use, people running over it and 2-way communication with the car, as well as a continuous 10A. Normal extension cables have been known to melt and fail at that current if they're not unwound, so it's not something to be taken lightly...