Mercedes Citan Charging Cable

Quick recommendation

The Mercedes eCitan needs a Type 2 to Type 2 cable at 32A, and the version you buy depends on the electricity supply at your depot rather than on the van. Take the 32A single phase in 5m or 10m for a standard site. The eCitan, sold from 2023 as a panel van and crew van in L1 and L2, carries a 45 kWh battery and a 22 kW onboard charger as standard. That is the highest AC rating of any Mercedes van we supply cables for.

Whether that 22 kW does anything for you is the real question. Britain wires houses and most small commercial units on a single phase supply, and a single phase supply tops out at 7.4 kW no matter what the van will accept. Plug the 22 kW three phase cable into a single phase post and you get 7.4 kW, exactly the same as the cheaper cable. The rating only comes alive on a three phase post.

If your yard does have three phase, this is one of the few vans where the upgrade genuinely earns its keep. A 45 kWh pack fills in about two hours fifteen minutes at 22 kW against six hours forty five at 7.4 kW. On a site turning vans round between shifts rather than overnight, that difference decides whether a van goes back out. Check with whoever maintains your distribution board before ordering, because three phase is common on industrial estates and rare on a domestic driveway.

For overnight depot charging, the plain 32A single phase cable is enough. Six hours forty five minutes fits inside any normal shutdown with hours to spare, even if a driver brings the van back nearly flat. A 16A cable does not: it stretches the same fill to thirteen hours forty five, which starts eating into the morning. That is the one specification mistake worth avoiding on a working vehicle.

On length, think about how the van actually parks rather than how the bay is drawn. 10m covers reversing in, a post shared between two bays, and the days the yard is full. Our Type 2 cables are IP55 rated, the 3 pin units IP67, and everything ships with a 2 year manufacturer's warranty and same-day dispatch on working-day orders placed before 2pm.

Mercedes eCitan Charging Times

eCitan panel van and crew van, L1 and L2, 2023 onwards, 45 kWh

Mercedes Citan Charging Cable FAQs

Which cable does the Mercedes eCitan need?

A Type 2 to Type 2 cable at 32A. Choose the single phase version for a normal 7.4 kW post, which fills the 45 kWh battery in about six hours forty five minutes. Choose the three phase version only if your depot has a three phase supply, where the van's 22 kW charger cuts that to roughly two hours fifteen.

Is the 22 kW charger any use on a UK supply?

Only on three phase. The eCitan takes 22 kW as standard, but a single phase supply, which is what almost every house and many small units have, caps delivery at 7.4 kW. The van, the supply and the cable each set a limit and you get the lowest of the three. Ask your electrician before paying extra.

How long does an eCitan take to charge overnight?

About six hours forty five minutes from empty on a 32A single phase cable at 7.4 kW. That leaves margin inside a twelve hour depot shutdown even when a driver returns nearly flat. On a 16A cable the same fill takes thirteen hours forty five, which will not reliably finish before the first run.

What length works best across a depot yard?

10m for most yards. Charge posts rarely sit where the vans end up parking, and a 5m cable forces drivers to reverse into one exact spot every night. 10m tolerates a full yard, a shared post between two bays, and the van being left at an angle by whoever came back last.

Is it worth keeping a second cable in the van?

For a vehicle that leaves the yard all day, yes. A 3 pin cable stored behind the seats lets a driver pull 2.3 kW from a socket at a customer site or an overnight stop. It will not fill 45 kWh, but it buys enough range to get the van home rather than recovered.

Does the diesel Citan need a charging cable?

No. Only the eCitan has a charging inlet. A diesel Citan of any year and any trim has no port, no onboard charger and nothing to plug in. If you are ordering for a mixed fleet, check the badge and look for the inlet flap before adding a cable to the purchase order.