Yes, at many European campsites — this is the job a portable Type 2 charger is built for. The hook-up post usually offers a blue CEE socket; some sites offer a domestic Schuko socket instead. Two rules decide every stay: the rating marked on the post is the ceiling for your session, and your charger’s plug version decides which socket you can use.
Key Takeaways
- The rating marked on the hook-up post is the ceiling for your session — set the charger at or below it.
- Confirm your charger’s plug version for the sockets you will meet — the car side is Type 2 throughout.
- Ask at reception first: permission and any electricity charge are the site’s call.
- If the post is limited below the charger’s 10 A floor, it is not a match — do not charge from it.
What a European Hook-Up Post Offers
The standard campsite hook-up is a blue CEE socket on a post at the pitch — the industrial socket family explained in our CEE plugs guide. Some smaller or older sites offer a domestic Schuko socket instead. The post is the site’s equipment, built for the pitch’s own loads, and its rating is marked on the post or its breaker. Read that marking first: it, not the charger, sets how much current is on offer.
The car side is the easy half. Across Europe the inlet is Type 2 (see our guide to Type 2 in Europe), so a Type 2 portable plugs straight in. Only the wall side varies: socket and current.
Step the Charger Down to the Post
Charging is a continuous load: the car draws the set current for hours, not in a kettle’s short bursts. The post’s breaker protects the site’s wiring, and if your session plus the pitch’s other loads exceed what the post offers, it trips — usually at night, and site staff reset it. So set the charger at or below the post’s offer, and start lower when anything is shared.
| What the post offers | Setting on the charger | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A CEE socket marked 16 A, the pitch to yourself | 16 A, or one step lower | Matches the session to the marked supply; overnight, that is plenty |
| A post shared with a caravan’s own loads | A lower setting | Leaves headroom for the lights, heating and fridge the post already feeds |
| An older post, or one whose marking you cannot read | The lowest setting, 10 A, for the first night | A gentle first draw; step up next night if all stayed cool and untripped |
| A post marked or limited below 10 A | Do not charge from it with this unit | Its lowest setting is 10 A; a supply below that is not a match — ask the site for alternatives |
Permission and Pitch Manners
- Ask at reception. Whether EV charging is allowed, and whether electricity is included, metered or charged separately, is the site’s call — ask before the first session.
- Keep the cable on your own pitch. Route it along the edge, out of walkways, connections out of puddles.
- Report trips instead of resetting repeatedly. A breaker that trips twice is saying the combined load is too much for that post. Tell reception and step the charger down.
The Charger for This Job
The EV-ACS3210E is a 32 A Type 2 portable: single-phase, about 7 kW at its top setting, adjustable from 10 to 32 A — that adjustment is the feature a campsite uses, because the post decides the pace. Its app and energy monitoring show the session and the kWh added, the record that matters on a metered pitch. IP66-rated, with a 7.5 m cable that reaches from a pitch post to the car beside it. The unit comes in plug versions for different sockets, so confirm which version — CEE or Schuko — you are ordering; our explainer on charging from a normal socket covers the domestic case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the campsite charge me extra for the electricity?
There is no standard practice: some sites include hook-up electricity in the pitch fee, some meter it, some offer none. Ask at reception or when you book — the site’s answer is the only reliable one.
The post’s breaker tripped overnight. What now?
Step the charger down before the next session and tell reception. Tripping usually means the draw plus the pitch’s other loads exceeded the post’s offer; a slower session that finishes beats a fast one.
There is no free hook-up post. Can I use a socket in the wash block?
Only with the site’s permission, a matching plug version and a sound socket. A socket meant for a hairdryer is not an invitation to charge — if the site has no option, our guide to where to find EV charging stations covers the public fallback.
Related Reading
- CEE Plugs Explained: Choosing 16A or 32A for a Three-Phase Portable EV Charger
- Charging a Tesla: Type 2 in Europe, NACS in North America
- Can I Charge an Electric Car From a Normal Socket?
