Tesla EV charger/eaton breakers

yo_ryco said:
I'm reluctant to blame the breakers because the breakers all function properly until the Tesla charging is introduced. I believe there is something in the relationship between the Tesla charging and the afci, GFCI, and GFCI breakers that is causing a problem. And if Eaton is not aware of it, they should be. If Eaton was aware of it, the consumers should have also been aware of it. I sincerely appreciate all the feedback and attention this has gotten. Hopefully at the very least it will help someone else in the future
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As I said at the beginning, there are many thousands of homes where a Tesla EV is coexisting peacefully with Eaton AFCI breakers. And so especially if the breakers are replaced with new ones, that means it's likely something with the car that is making the difference.

Look, there's a difference between narrowing down "what's going on" and providing a practical solution. As far as solutions...

The AFCI detractors on this thread are surely correct that if you replaced the AFCIs with regular breakers, you'd have no more issues. Upside: easist and cheapest. Downside: you're out of code compliance, liability, blah blah blah.

You can replace the whole Eaton panel with a different brand with different AFCIs. Upside: likely to solve issue, 100% code compliant. Downside: more expensive, small chance you still have issue.

I've suggested repeatedly to test with a different car. If the problem only occurs with a particular car, then asking Tesla to look at the car, which is under warranty, makes sense. Upside: might solve the issue cheaply without being out of code compliance. *Necessary if your interest is to understand "what's going on".* Downside: whoever you get at Tesla might not be competent or diligent enough to find it, might shift blame, might be a big waste of time. Owner probably doesn't want to replace car (but maybe they do? 😄).

There's a possibility the EVSE is to blame. You could replace it. Upside: not as expensive as replacing the Eaton panel, let alone the car. Downside: arguably least likely to fix problem, pontential waste of time and money.
 
Install a line reactor on the charger.

Buy a three phase AC reactor, just use two poles for your charger. This one should be big enough. Need charger amperage rating.

www.ato.com

50 hp (37 kW) AC Line Reactor, 3 Phase Input

Affordable price AC line reactor for sale, 3 phase input, power 37kW, 90 Amp rated current, voltage can choose 220V, 240V, 400V, 415V and 480V, the frequency of 50Hz/60 Hz. High insulation and rust resistance make it ideal for loads used to connect VFD.
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yo_ryco said:
I'm reluctant to blame the breakers because the breakers all function properly until the Tesla charging is introduced. I believe there is something in the relationship between the Tesla charging and the afci, GFCI, and GFCI breakers that is causing a problem. And if Eaton is not aware of it, they should be. If Eaton was aware of it, the consumers should have also been aware of it. I sincerely appreciate all the feedback and attention this has gotten. Hopefully at the very least it will help someone else in the future
Click to expand...
Anything electronic causes issues with AFCIs. My hands on troubleshoots involved some power tools with soft starts, a Hitachi compound miter saw and a Bosh router, a new Samsung fridge and a big screen TV. Funny thing about the power tools, I plugged in an ancient Skill Saw that would draw a blue arc halfway around the armature and not trip, it was the switch mode power supplies in the tools with the soft starts that would cause the trip.

They trip on all sorts of random things. They trip when a policeman keys his radio mic in the neighborhood. Eaton, and all the other manufacturers are aware of problems. I posted an article from Electrical Contractor magazine about ten years ago where Eaton admitted they were beta testing AFCIs on the public. This isn't Tesla's fault. All you can do is swap them out with a newer generation and hope.
 
ActionDave said:
They trip on all sorts of random things. They trip when a policeman keys his radio mic in the neighborhood. Eaton, and all the other manufacturers are aware of problems. I posted an article from Electrical Contractor magazine about ten years ago where Eaton admitted they were beta testing AFCIs on the public.
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I am stil waiting for a bunch of people to go to prison for this. I want to see manufacturer people, listing people, and CMPs held acountable and in orange jump suits. Round 'em up.....
 
jaggedben said:
Look, there's a difference between narrowing down "what's going on" and providing a practical solution. As far as solutions...
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Arrgh, my head hurts! It only costs a few dollars to put a Siemens AFCI breaker in the panel to see if it trips. Get a known current manufactured Eaton breaker and see if that trips. That will tell you how to proceed, whether to just replace the breakers or the whole panel with a different brand. Forget the damn car. Tesla will have no idea what you are talking about and your customer isn't going to get a new one. It's on you dude, not Tesla or Eaton to figure this out.

-Hal
 
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