Gen 3 Wall Connector with Load Sharing

[matthewserta]

I have two Gen 3 wall connectors which I have setup using the load sharing feature. Both are on a single 60a breaker, so they are set to never pull more than 48a collectively.

This works great with my Teslas, but i may in the future want to charge a non tesla vehicle on these, and I'm just wondering if they will allow non Tesla's to charge while maintaining the Load Sharing limit?
I bought a Tesla to j1772 adapter for using with this, I do not yet have a non tesla to test, but i did put my J1772 adapter on the end to go back into my tesla, and it would NOT charge at all. I assume that could be because I adapted it too many times, but it was only for testing anyway.

Does anyone know if this is going to work like i think it will?

 

[RTPEV]

I would imagine it would work because each of the wall connectors essentially signal to the vehicles the amount of current available (and presumably enforce it by shutting down the connection if the car attempted to pull more) and Tesla uses the same protocol as J1772 to communicate max current available. When load sharing, the signal sent to the cars simply indicates something less than the max. The connector wouldn't work at all if it didn't have a way to communicate what the max draw was, and it doesn't matter if that is 48A or 24A or whatever.

That said, I've never tried it, so this is just speculation.

I'll also say that as a multi-EV owner with one Tesla and one non-Tesla vehicle, since both vehicles are both what I would consider long range (250+ miles), I've found that it's extremely rare that we ever need to charge both vehicles at the same time, and even though I have a setup that allows it (in my case it's a dual-headed J1772 EVSE), we could probably get by with just a simple single J1772.

 

[Jbmv]

It works, I have model y and e golf both charging at same time, no issues. Tesla tap j1772 connector.

 

[Jbmv]

It works, I have model y and e golf both charging at same time, no issues. Tesla tap j1772 connector.

 

[Jbmv]

One thing I have noticed is that the Tesla tap j1772 is “sensed” as a plugged in car, which means if no car is connected the wall connector will indicate blue and reserve 6amps even though no car.

A bit annoying, but for me the upside is greater and will up the circuit breaker to 100amps shared between the two connectors. Overnight charging you never notice in reality, both cars always ready to go in the morning. The beauty of ev ownership

 

[astonius]

I have two Gen 3 wall connectors which I have setup using the load sharing feature. Both are on a single 60a breaker, so they are set to never pull more than 48a collectively.

Curious how you wired two Gen 3s on the same breaker. The installation guide states each connector must be on its own dedicated breaker.

I would love to use a single 60A breaker and a 3-port Polaris connector, but the guide makes it sound like this either won’t work or isn’t to NEC spec.

 

[ATPMSD]

put my J1772 adapter on the end to go back into my tesla, and it would NOT charge at all.

The Tesla Wall Connector has a setting to restrict charging to only Tesla. Set the connector to commissioning mode then connect. Look at the bottom of the screen and note the option for “Access Controls” and make sure it is not set to only Teslas.

 

[ATPMSD]

Curious how you wired two Gen 3s on the same breaker. The installation guide states each connector must be on its own dedicated breaker.

I would love to use a single 60A breaker and a 3-port Polaris connector, but the guide makes it sound like this either won’t work or isn’t to NEC spec.

You can run a 60A circuit from the main breaker box to a subpanel, then from there run a circuit to each EVSE using a 60A breaker in the subpanel. In you have not run the first 60A circuit it will be better to make the circuit from the breaker box to the subpanel a 100A circuit.

 

[astonius]

You can run a 60A circuit from the main breaker box to a subpanel, then from there run a circuit to each EVSE using a 60A breaker in the subpanel. In you have not run the first 60A circuit it will be better to make the circuit from the breaker box to the subpanel a 100A circuit.

Yeah, I don’t want to run a sub-panel. I’d rather just splice the connectors on a single circuit. I know you can’t do this with NEMA receptacles, but others have reported doing this with Wallbox or Juicebox, which is apparently in spec since they are hardwired. Would it work with Tesla connectors?

 

[ATPMSD]

Yeah, I don’t want to run a sub-panel. I’d rather just splice the connectors on a single circuit. I know you can’t do this with NEMA receptacles, but others have reported doing this with Wallbox or Juicebox, which is apparently in spec since they are hardwired. Would it work with Tesla connectors?

I see no reason why it would not work. Most of the electrical questions / issues revolve around the electrical code. So it is really your call.

 

[Rocky_H]

Yeah, I don’t want to run a sub-panel. I’d rather just splice the connectors on a single circuit. I know you can’t do this with NEMA receptacles, but others have reported doing this with Wallbox or Juicebox, which is apparently in spec since they are hardwired. Would it work with Tesla connectors?

There is a technical reason why this change came along going from the Tesla wall connector Gen2 version to the Gen3.

On the Gen2, the installation manuals said you could pick either way you wanted to hook them up: subpanel with individual breakers, or just a junction box with Polaris connectors to split the power feeds. That was because the Gen2 all had to run at the same amp level. You set that level only in the one unit designated as "master", and then all of the others were just designated "slave", and they got their sharing information from that main one. You had to run the same size wire to all of them.

On the Gen3, they changed it some, where you can configure them for different amp levels and therefore run different sized wire to each, and therefore each does need its own breaker for these different levels. So let's say you are taking a main circuit that's 100 or 120 amps and dividing it out among 6 or 8 units or something. You can have one or two of them set on 60A circuits and then several more on smaller ones, like 30 or 40A or whatever to save some wiring cost.

It's a little weird and not something most people would care about, but that option is there, so the recommendation is for the separate breakers. Granted, it should still work fine with the Polaris connectors if you set them all for the same amp level, but that's the explanation why it's not what they recommend for this new configuration style.

 

[astonius]

There is a technical reason why this change came along going from the Tesla wall connector Gen2 version to the Gen3.

On the Gen2, the installation manuals said you could pick either way you wanted to hook them up: subpanel with individual breakers, or just a junction box with Polaris connectors to split the power feeds. That was because the Gen2 all had to run at the same amp level. You set that level only in the one unit designated as "master", and then all of the others were just designated "slave", and they got their sharing information from that main one. You had to run the same size wire to all of them.

On the Gen3, they changed it some, where you can configure them for different amp levels and therefore run different sized wire to each, and therefore each does need its own breaker for these different levels. So let's say you are taking a main circuit that's 100 or 120 amps and dividing it out among 6 or 8 units or something. You can have one or two of them set on 60A circuits and then several more on smaller ones, like 30 or 40A or whatever to save some wiring cost.

It's a little weird and not something most people would care about, but that option is there, so the recommendation is for the separate breakers. Granted, it should still work fine with the Polaris connectors if you set them all for the same amp level, but that's the explanation why it's not what they recommend for this new configuration style.

Thanks for this! I would definitely have both connectors set at 48A. If it will work and isn’t a code violation it seems like a more efficient and cost-effective solution.

 

[Rocky_H]

Thanks for this! I would definitely have both connectors set at 48A. If it will work and isn’t a code violation it seems like a more efficient and cost-effective solution.

I don't know how much money it really saves though. And I personally just wouldn't go against how the installation instructions say, because there's kind of a catch-all in NEC that says you must install an appliance according to the manufacturer's instructions. And it says to breaker each one, so not doing that is a code violation. Just so you're aware.

 

[kayak1]

Thanks for this! I would definitely have both connectors set at 48A. If it will work and isn’t a code violation it seems like a more efficient and cost-effective solution.

It's a clear code violation. Panels and breakers for this can cost less than a tank of gas.

Square D Homeline 100 Amp 6-Space 12-Circuit Indoor Flush Mount Main Lug Load Center with Cover No Door HOM612L100FCP (I wouldn't pick this panel for my house as I am not a fan of Homeline, breakers as QO are much better, but it's an example).


QO version:

Square D QO 100 Amp 6-Space 12-Circuit Indoor Main Lug Load Center with Surface Mount Cover with Door QO612L100DS - The Home Depot

The Square D QO 100 Amp 6-Space 12-Circuit Fixed Main Lugs Indoor Load Center is UL listed for residential, commercial and industrial power distribution. This load center is built with a rugged themoplastic

www.homedepot.com

60 AMP breaker:

Square D QO 60 Amp 2-Pole Circuit Breaker(QO260CP) QO260CP - The Home Depot

The QO 60 Amp 1-1/2 in. Double-Pole Circuit Breaker has a common trip with a maximum load of 240-Volt. The breaker features Qwik-Open and a Visi-Trip indicator to easily identify a tripped circuit in the load center. This circuit breaker uses a thermal-magnetic tripping mechanism and has a...

www.homedepot.com

Better 60 AMP Breaker:

Square D QO 60 Amp 22kA 2-Pole Plug-In Circuit Breaker QO260VH - The Home Depot

This two-pole thermal magnetic circuit breaker provides overcurrent protection and switching on ac and dc systems. It has an over center, trip-free toggle mechanism with quick-make, quick break action

www.homedepot.com

As it's a sub-panel you will need a ground bar:

Square D 9 Terminal Ground Bar Kit for QO/Homeline Electrical Panel/Load Center PK9GTACP - The Home Depot

The Square D by Schneider Electric Ground Bar Kit is an important accessory in your home or business electrical load center. This 9 Terminal Ground Bar Kit is used in load centers. CSED devices and NQOD

www.homedepot.com

.....

Please be safe and follow code.

 

[astonius]

It's a clear code violation. Panels and breakers for this can cost less than a tank of gas.

Square D Homeline 100 Amp 6-Space 12-Circuit Indoor Flush Mount Main Lug Load Center with Cover No Door HOM612L100FCP (I wouldn't pick this panel for my house as I am not a fan of Homeline, breakers as QO are much better, but it's an example).


QO version:

Square D QO 100 Amp 6-Space 12-Circuit Indoor Main Lug Load Center with Surface Mount Cover with Door QO612L100DS - The Home Depot

The Square D QO 100 Amp 6-Space 12-Circuit Fixed Main Lugs Indoor Load Center is UL listed for residential, commercial and industrial power distribution. This load center is built with a rugged themoplastic

www.homedepot.com

60 AMP breaker:

Square D QO 60 Amp 2-Pole Circuit Breaker(QO260CP) QO260CP - The Home Depot

The QO 60 Amp 1-1/2 in. Double-Pole Circuit Breaker has a common trip with a maximum load of 240-Volt. The breaker features Qwik-Open and a Visi-Trip indicator to easily identify a tripped circuit in the load center. This circuit breaker uses a thermal-magnetic tripping mechanism and has a...

www.homedepot.com

Better 60 AMP Breaker:

Square D QO 60 Amp 22kA 2-Pole Plug-In Circuit Breaker QO260VH - The Home Depot

This two-pole thermal magnetic circuit breaker provides overcurrent protection and switching on ac and dc systems. It has an over center, trip-free toggle mechanism with quick-make, quick break action

www.homedepot.com

As it's a sub-panel you will need a ground bar:

Square D 9 Terminal Ground Bar Kit for QO/Homeline Electrical Panel/Load Center PK9GTACP - The Home Depot

The Square D by Schneider Electric Ground Bar Kit is an important accessory in your home or business electrical load center. This 9 Terminal Ground Bar Kit is used in load centers. CSED devices and NQOD

www.homedepot.com

.....

Please be safe and follow code.

Appreciate the call-out! I meant to update this thread, but long story short I did decide to go the sub-panel route.

 

[matthewserta]

Curious how you wired two Gen 3s on the same breaker. The installation guide states each connector must be on its own dedicated breaker.

I would love to use a single 60A breaker and a 3-port Polaris connector, but the guide makes it sound like this either won’t work or isn’t to NEC spec.

Sorry it took me so long to reply, I didn't get notifications to this thread, and forgot about it..
I did the same thing we use to do with Gen 2 connectors. I used a Wire Combiner rated for 100 Amp, But only on a 60 amp breaker. I programmed the power sharing to never pull more than 60A.
It worked for Gen 2, So i didn't see any reason why it wouldn't work on Gen 3. and so far, no issues