Planning Ahead for an EVSE and a Charging Question

Been doing level 1 charging over 3 years on my PiP. The GFI has tripped before. The circuit breaker has tripped before. I lived in an older home with old wires and the trip happened because of overload. On the newer home I just moved into the GFI tripped and wouldn't set with any kind of load. I'm not an electrician so I can't say for certain but I think the GFI was faulty.

In short, all trips happened due to overload, i.e. 2 EVSE on one circuit or 1 EVSE and 1 room heater on one circuit. When used properly, there were no issues. When used improperly, the safeguards in place prevented disaster.

 

My charging at home takes place under a 16A 230V breaker, and never any irregularity occurred in more than 3 years almost daily charging. But I use the circuit only for the charging, not for other things at the same time.

Note that the Prime will take a higher power level during charging, so 16A may not be sufficient in that case.

 

Just to clarify, 110v and 220v are legacy specifications in the US. The standard residential mains voltage has been 120v and 240v for some time now.

The only time I have tripped a GFCI was on a 120v garage outlet when using a laptop that had a malfunctioning ground, and I could feel about 20v DC bleed through me.

Changing loads should not be a problem for a properly functioning GFCI because it compares outgoing current to the return current, and breaks the circuit if they are not very close to the same (meaning some of the current is returning to ground through some other means than the wire).

I'd install a 50A 14-50r breaker and outlet, just to future proof. 5ft of cable is cheap enough, and breakers are nearly the same price regardless of amperage.

As to your specific question, I don't have GFCI on the 50A 240v outlet I wired myself, so I cannot comment on personal experience with charging causing problems with the protection circuitry.

You might consider installing a more tamper-resistant EVSE so that you don't have to worry about quickly charging and then putting things away. I would think a unit mounted to a steel pole and set into concrete would greatly reduce the likelihood of theft or tampering. Or, mount the unit as high up as possible and secure with tamper resistant fasteners.

 

If you're doing an external installation (no garage), I would look into a hardwire EVSE instead of an outlet. I'd also recommend a 50 amp breaker for future proofing, and a 6.6 kW EVSE also for future proofing. I got lucky on a clearance 6.6 kW GE Wattstation a few months after buying my PiP, which made it a lot easier when I purchased a Leaf a year later (got home and plugged in for full charge speed right away). When I charge both cars simultaneously, I use a 120v outlet on the same breaker as my garage door, and have never had an issue with it. I would consider a security camera as well to deter mischief for an outdoor setup.

 

The GFCI circuit that the EVSE is on has never tripped. However the EVSE that I have (Clipper Creek) trips from noise on the line caused by our Keurig. Whenever we brew a cup of coffee with the Keurig and it is less than 3/4 full the EVSE shows a Line Fault. It resets after 15 minutes. Odd but I appreciate the EVSE sensitivity. Better than replacing the EVSE circuitry or worse, the charger in the car.

 

probably why they recommend a dedicated circuit. coffemakers require an amazing amount of wattage to heat water.

 

Not on the same circuit as the EVSE. The EVSE has it's own dedicated GFCI 50 Amp circuit. Just shows how noisy Keurig coffee makers are. Nothing else causes the EVSE to trip. Not my drills, 2 air compressors, compound mitre saws, 2 refrigerators, freezer, coffee grinders, a real coffee maker with a broken switch, vacuum cleaners, 3 different shop vacs, microwave, fans, electric razors, hair dryers, dishwasher, washer and dryer or the central air conditioner/furnace. Just the Keurig.

 

that's crazy.

 

Sorry to bump up an old thread. I formally had a prius plugin and now a BMW i3. After a lot of trouble shooting I narrowed my power fault issues on my clipper creek down to my Keurig also. I thought i was the only one. Were you ever able to find a solution?

 

wait until charged, then drive to starbucks?

 

Are you sure about needing a 240 V GFCI outlet? Have you priced one of these breakers?

 

I have a Clipper Creek 14-50, 9.6 kW plug-able in my garage. I seem to remember (but perhaps incorrectly) that the EVSE specified that NO GFCI be used. The manual tells the tale, and the support folks at the company are quite helpful.

 

Kind of. Just keep the Keurig full. Apparently the motor must not have to work as hard when it has a little gravity assist. I put a ferrite core around the cord close to where the power cord comes out from the coffee maker but that only dampened it a little. I'm thinking maybe I should put another one closer to the plug.


Unsupervised!

 

It looks like a 240 volt GFCI breaker is in the $100 price range, while a non-GFCI breaker is in the $10 range. But, if code calls for it, you gott'a do it.

 

Old post, but it brought me back to when I was an electrician in Ohio working at a beverage can making factory. We had probably hundreds of Toshiba A/C inverters providing variable speeds to almost all our conveyors and lots of other machines. Suddenly, the drives started shutting off randomly with various faults. We started to wonder if it was a design problem. We soon discovered it was hash on the power lines but it took a while longer to learn that it was coming from a new welder at a factory on the other side of the railroad tracks. I decided that rule #1 when weird things happen is to check the neutral. If that's OK, put a scope on the power lines.

 

I kinda doubt the code calls for it, but it's best to check with the local building inspection department to be sure.