Because EL tape has more surface area than wire, it requires a more powerful inverter for the same length. This tape is about 4 times more capacitive (per length) than our high-brightness EL wire and 8 times more capacitive than 'standard' EL wire. For that reason, we are shipping the EL tape in 100cm lengths with two EL connectors soldered on, one on each end. You can cut it into two pieces of any length and use both halves!