So, GFCI is an impediment to getting a Quick240 device to work; I get that. But I have two other points about this Quick240 device.Yes. I’ve tried to use Quick240 devices in the past and they usually don’t work. Major hassle finding non GFCI circuits on opposite phases. In this era of ubiquitous Superchargers, it just isn’t worth it to save 20 minutes at a Supercharger.
- It violates the KSS principle: Keep it Simple, Stupid. Complexity is the enemy of reliability. I'd rather have something relatively simple like a breaker than some complex current-measuring widget with a lot more parts and possible failure mechanisms. And, for what it's worth, breakers themselves are the kinds of things that can die with age and manufacturing defects. I've messed with breakers (mainly, with sizing them) but one gets the impression that there are lots of standards about how they work and how reliable they are. This Quick240 device.. think that it's gotten the same attention over decades?
- There is a reason to have a home charging system: It's a heck of a lot more convenient and probably cheaper over time than using a Supercharger. Superchargers tend to cost around 3X the cost of electricity at a house, since, beyond the cost of electricity, they need maintenance, repair, and the cost of financing Even More Superchargers. So, fine: Put a 240 VAC charger in one's house if one can swing it. But if one is going to do that, following the KSS principle and Doing It Right is the way to go.
Tesla does a pretty good job trying to shut things down with software; we all know that if there's an excessive voltage droop, or there's not a proper connection to ground/neutral, etc., the software will shut down charging.
But there's always stuff that software simply can't touch. Serious people with PhDs and such have had at the problem when insulators don't, conductors don't, stuff breaks, and so on, and from this comes things like the NEC and what seems to be the near-infinite number of standards on things people wouldn't normally consider as a potential problem.
Were you guys aware of nifty things like Y and X rated capacitors? Y rated capacitors are designed to go between a hot and ground/neutral. One of their defining characteristics: When they fail, they fail open. Repetitively, even. That.. isn't trivial to do. X rated capacitors are designed to go across a power feed; they don't necessarily fail open, but they are designed to Not Catch On Fire if they fail short. That last, of course, being something that capacitors do.
So: Electricians get trained on electrical safety. They don't take short cuts, or are sure not supposed to. (One can find somebody flinging $BS in every profession.) Homeowners can do electrical work, too, and can do it right, given the chance. But all of this leads to Why Building/Electrical inspectors and permitting: Another pair of eyes to look for mistakes. Since mistakes can kill people, this is a Good Thing.
And that's enough for the day.