GEN 2 Tesla EV Charger

Post Reply
Slovett
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Apr 13, 2020 9:26 pm
Has thanked: 36 times
Been thanked: 1 time

GEN 2 Tesla EV Charger

Post by Slovett »

Hi,

I have a Customer with a Gen. 2 Tesla EV Charger that we are disconnecting from their old House and reconnecting at their new House. Existing RCD protection was a Type A. I can't find any offical information from Tesla at tis stage as to what is required, but a quick google search says it needs a Type B RCD - which are around $530 +gst. You can buy a gen 3 Charger that only requires a Type A RCD for $850.

Those that have installed Gen.2 Chargers in the past, what RCD protection did you Install?

Thanks
AlecK
Posts: 945
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2020 11:24 am
Answers: 5
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 369 times

Re: GEN 2 Tesla EV Charger

Post by AlecK »

It's not about what the charger manufacturer calls for; it's about what Worksafe and NZ Standards call for
So - regardless of what the charger manufacturer may say (apparently , for Tesla,different things at different times) ; you should be following Clause 7.9 of "3000" (2018 edition) and the Worksafe EV charging safety guidelines

While neither of these documents is mandated by ESRs; they are the accepted practice.
Both call for protection of the final subcircuit by either Type B RCD or Type A plus RDCDD (Residual direct current detection device).

That's because EV charging is likely to have d.c. in the fault current waveform.
A Type A RCD can operate on pulsing d.c. as well as on an a.c. fault current waveform; but levels of straight d.c above 6 mA can "blind" the device; causing it not to trip when it should.

Some EV chargers include RCD protection, but these documents require RCD protection not just of the charger output but of the entire subcircuit.
The fact that your present task is to re-locate a charger from one installation to another illustrates why.
Post Reply