Gen2 Wall Connector made obsolete by Tesla with car software update

[Doug Nolin]

Hi all.

I have a Model S Built in Dec 2016.. I also have a Gen2 Wall Connector/Charger. My wall charger stopped working over the weekend. I come to learn from Tesla support that a software update to my car has made my car incompatible with my wall charger and now my wall charger is obsolete and useless to me.

Not only is Tesla telling me that I have to pay for the new wall charger but that the wiring is different so I have to have a licensed electrician install it. I will be out of pocket probably $2000 and who knows how long it will take an electrician to get here and do the work after I get the wall charger.

So by giving me no notification and offering no assistance in the change Tesla has really screwed me badly here. WTF!

Am I wrong or is this fu*&ing insanity?

Has anyone else found themselves in this situation?

Doug

 

[jjrandorin]

Hi all.

I have a Model S Built in Dec 2016.. I also have a Gen2 Wall Connector/Charger. My wall charger stopped working over the weekend. I come to learn from Tesla support that a software update to my car has made my car incompatible with my wall charger and now my wall charger is obsolete and useless to me.

Not only is Tesla telling me that I have to pay for the new wall charger but that the wiring is different so I have to have a licensed electrician install it. I will be out of pocket probably $2000 and who knows how long it will take an electrician to get here and do the work after I get the wall charger.

So by giving me no notification and offering no assistance in the change Tesla has really screwed me badly here. WTF!

Am I wrong or is this fu*&ing insanity?

Has anyone else found themselves in this situation?

Doug

I have seen people post that tesla employees have told them some silly stuff in my time here, but this is right near the top.

No, a software update did not make your tesla wall connector stop charging your car. Thats not why it isnt working. 1000s of people still have gen 2 wall connectors happily charging their teslas.

As for " you need new wiring" that would only be the case if you had your gen 2 wall connector setup on a 100amp circuit, and charging at 80 amps, which it seems that you left out.

Your wall connector could have stopped working but it isnt because of a software update, regardless of what they said.

 

[airborne spoon]

that sounds like some BS and its likely just a coincidence it stopped working around an update.
I have a gen2 HPWC at my moms house and ill be visiting her this weekend so i can see if my car has any issues but it seems very unlikely an update could mess with the connection to the level 2 charger.

 

[Doug Nolin]

Thanks for the insight, I thought that it made no sense. The wall connector is on a 100amp circuit. One of 2 units (i don't recall what they are called) are down on my car so my wall connector was only charging up to 47 AMPs and I was getting only about 18 miles of charge in an hour.

I just tried the mobile connector with the basic 3-prong outlet and my car won't charge on that either. I am starting to suspect the issue is with my car, maybe the 2nd unit failed.

 

[ATPMSD]

the wiring is different so I have to have a licensed electrician install it

Assuming you are wired as a single phase 100-amp circuit all you would need to do is replace the 100-amp breaker with a 60-amp.

 

[Muzzman1]

I have 2 Gen 1 wall connectors, one for my Plaid and one for our 2016 MX
Both set to 80A
Both charge both cars no issues.
Whoever told you about a software update disabling a Gen2 is blowing smoke

 

[Marty3SR+]

Thanks for the insight, I thought that it made no sense. The wall connector is on a 100amp circuit. One of 2 units (i don't recall what they are called) are down on my car so my wall connector was only charging up to 47 AMPs and I was getting only about 18 miles of charge in an hour.

I just tried the mobile connector with the basic 3-prong outlet and my car won't charge on that either. I am starting to suspect the issue is with my car, maybe the 2nd unit failed.

I hope I don't sound too dumb, as I don't really know anything about the chargers or the car... But because sometimes people forget the obvious, did you make sure none of the breakers were tripped?

 

[Doug Nolin]

I hope I don't sound too dumb, as I don't really know anything about the chargers or the car... But because sometimes people forget the obvious, did you make sure none of the breakers were tripped?

yup. I also tried a number of outlets with the mobile charge and nothing is charging the car. So I am currently thinking its my car. My mother has a tesla and is going to stop by to see if my wall connector will charge her car. So that will tell me for sure if my car is the problem as its unlikely that both my mobile charger and wall charger arent working.

 

[Doug Nolin]

Assuming you are wired as a single phase 100-amp circuit all you would need to do is replace the 100-amp breaker with a 60-amp.

How can I check if this is how I am set up? Sorry, I am not electrically savy. Thanks for the advice.

 

[ATPMSD]

How can I check if this is how I am set up? Sorry, I am not electrically savy. Thanks for the advice.

In a home it should be since phase, 3-phase wiring in a home is somewhat rare. Without opening things up, check the breaker panel and see if the breaker is a 2-pole or 3-pole breaker.

Here is what a 2-pole looks like (single phase)

And a 3-pole (3-phase)

In your case the breakers should be labeled as “100”

 

[Doug Nolin]

In a home it should be since phase, 3-phase wiring in a home is somewhat rare. Without opening things up, check the breaker panel and see if the breaker is a 2-pole or 3-pole breaker.

Here is what a 2-pole looks like (single phase)

View attachment 827814

And a 3-pole (3-phase)

View attachment 827815

In your case the breakers should be labeled as “100”

It is 2 pole, thank you!

 

[ATPMSD]

It is 2 pole, thank you!

Great. One more thing just as a 2nd check, make sure your circuit breaker box does not have any of the 3-pole breakers.

 

[Doug Nolin]

I told the rep at the time her explanation was crazy but she was insistent. She told me she would escalate the issue and have someone reach back out.

So I am pretty sure it's my car. Which sucks even harder.

 

[Doug Nolin]

Great. One more thing just as a 2nd check, make sure your circuit breaker box does not have any of the 3-pole breakers.

No 3 pole breakers at all!

 

[tga]

Assuming you are wired as a single phase 100-amp circuit all you would need to do is replace the 100-amp breaker with a 60-amp.

The WC installation manual says that the terminals of the Gen 3 are rated for 4AWG max, so existing 2 (or 3) AWG for a 100A circuit won't fit. You'd need to replace the wire with 4AWG, or connect a short stub of 4AWG to the existing wire to be code compliant (NEC requires you to follow equipment manufacture's installation instructions).

This required 4AWG wire would require a smaller breaker.

IMHO, somebody at Tesla screwed up on this. The Gen3 should be able to take 2AWG wire - there's a bunch of old HPWC's wired to 100A circuits out there. These undersized terminals unnecessarily complicate their eventual replacement.