Can anyone help me diagnose what I have done with my EV charger?

[Amps]

Defective logic board

@Basis0439 never answered whether they looked for a small cartridge fuse on the board.

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[Basis0439]

@Basis0439 never answered whether they looked for a small cartridge fuse on the board.

I'm going to open it up today and look. I'm a little out of my element opening up something like this. I guess this is my last hope! Will report back.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Yeah, that's an old unit and it only supplies 16A. That's small for an EV truck like the Lightning. Of course, to install an EVSE that can output more current might require a wiring upgrade. Chances are that EVSE is on a 20A breaker with 12 gauge wire, which can't support anything larger/faster.

If your wiring is 10 gauge somehow, then you could upgrade to a 30A breaker and charge at 24A, but that seems unlikely.

If you are going to rewire, I'd seriously consider installing a 60A circuit so that you can charge at 48A.

As to which EVSE to buy, I'm partial to Tesla third generation models since they are inexpensive for what you get. Among other things, they allow you to load share among multiple Tesla EVSEs in your house if you were to get a second EV down the road. The current model that works with the Lightning is their Universal Wall Connector that can charge both J1772 cars and Tesla cars with their NACS plug: https://shop.tesla.com/product/universal-wall-connector

Says, available in October, but it is shipping now.

Since you're in Canada, you might want to check out this Canadian manufacturer of EVSEs: https://grizzl-e.com/home-products/

 

[RickLightning]

Not that it helps today, but that unit has an off-on switch. Turn the switch OFF, then turn the breaker OFF. Turn the breaker ON, then turn the switch ON. This might have alleviated the issue.

 

[Basis0439]

Thanks all. I have 10awg wire going to it. It is a 30amp unit. My electrician set me up with only a 30amp breaker which is... Odd? Been using it steady for 4 years.



Opened it up. Not sure what I'm looking at. Don't see any fuses or toggles of any sort. Nothing looks glaring as a problem.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Oh wow, that unit does output 30A (two different versions, one outputs 16A, one outputs 30A). The 30A version should have been installed on a 40A breaker with 8 gauge wire. 10 gauge is NOT big enough for that charge rate since there is an 80% rule for continuous loads. Maybe the electrician just didn't realize that EVSEs are considered continuous loads and need bigger wires/breakers.

Personally, I'd rewire for a bigger output because right now, you should only be charging at 24A with that wire gauge.

Possible that your 30A breaker got partially fried since it had been running beyond spec for quite a while, I personally would throw that 30A breaker in the trash to be on the safe side.

 

[Heliian]

Those 2 white items that are labeled "Eaton made in India" in the top left are the main fuses.

Have your electrician check it out.

 

[Pioneer74]

Those 2 white items that are labeled "Eaton made in India" in the top left are the main fuses.

Have your electrician check it out.

This. Need a continuity checker to see if the fuses are blown. Other than that, it would probably cost more to diagnose and fix than it is worth.

 

[RickLightning]

With breaker off, use continuity meter on either side of fuse.

 

[Cosmacelf]

With breaker off, use continuity meter on either side of fuse.

Yes.

 

[djwildstar]

Also, what looks like a big crack in component KA5 (white rectangle in the left center) doesn’t seem promising.

 

[Maquis]

Also, what looks like a big crack in component KA5 (white rectangle in the left center) doesn’t seem promising.

“K” designates that the component is a relay. A crack in the case may or may not indicate a problem. Having said that, if it were mine, I’d feel better if it wasn’t cracked!

 

[Basis0439]

That's not a crack - just some sticky stuff prob from the manufacturer.

I have decided to just replace the entire thing with a Grizzl-E 40amp charger that I will have output 24amps, acknowledging that my line is only a 30amp line!

I would troubleshoot the Bosch more, but honestly, I'd feel better just getting something new and not risking 30amp output on a 30amp breaker.

I'll take the advice of one of you folks here and swap out the breakers while my electrician is at it with the new EV charger install.

Thanks for all the troubleshooting - you all are a smart bunch.

In the end, my thought is that it is probably a fuse, but I don't have the tools to test it. Even if it is, the fact that something so catastrophic happened as a result of me merely flipping a breaker... I'm not rolling any dice with this thing moving forward.

 

[Cosmacelf]

All sounds great and what I would do too. Older EVSEs are first generation power products (EVSEs as a product category have only existed for around 8 years) and as such I wouldn't expect them to survive much longer than 5 or 6 years without needing a replacement. The current generation of product should last longer as they've had a few product generations to learn from.

 

[Adventureboy]

Did you verify you are getting full 240v at the charger? I flipped my breaker off once and had to replace the breaker. The charger was fine, breaker was toast. Worked fine until I turned it off never to work again. It appeared to click on but one side would no longer connect.

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