[juliadcc]

Hello all,

We received a question about installing a charger for a 2021 Nissan LEAF:

"I recently purchased a 2021 Nissan Leaf Plus, and would like to install a 240V 50A 14-50 plug to receive the level 2 charger that came with the car. The building dept says that per NEC 625.54, the breaker has to be GFCI. Also, since it is to be installed in the garage, it has to be GFCI regardless of voltage or amperage. Very expensive. Some forums indicate that the Leaf charger has built-in GF protection, and plugging into a GF will result in tripping, and nothing but trouble. What to do??? I have prices from three electricians to install a wall mounted outlet, which is SOP for the Leaf. The problem is whether or not to use a GFCI breaker. Period. There must be hundreds installed, so I am hard pressed to understand why no one has an answer."

Does anyone have additional input into this question?

 

[Alan]

I doubt they need an inspection just to install an outlet in their garage. I would hire an electrician and tell them the 14-50 outlet will be for a welder or to plug in an RV. Don't mention an EV. A licensed electrician should tell you if you need an inspection or not. Hopefully they'll install a regular non-GFCI breaker. Worst case they do install a GFCI breaker and that causes problems with the EV charger. Then you could follow youtube videos with instructions for how to replace the GFCI breaker with a regular one. Another option is to see if you could hard-wire the EV charger since that won't require a GFCI breaker.

My electrician did not install a GFCI breaker when I told him I needed a 14-50 plug for my EV two years ago. The year before that he did install a GFCI breaker for our hot tub. So maybe it comes down to which electrician you hire. If you're in Durango I can give you my electrician's number.

 

[Arob]

My EVSE uses a GFCI breaker and I don't seem to have trouble with the charger. But AFCI circuits trip in my home whenever I am actively charging, not sure if that is coincidence, but I am having my electrician look at it as I am having other AFCI breaker issues.

Hardwiring does not require GFCI breakers, but restricts replacement or your ability to take the charger on trips, or if you move.

Sadly, NEC doesn't seem to understand that EVSE already have GFCI capability, but the presence of an outlet in an area that can get wet is what triggers the code requirement. Since the outlet could conceivably be used for other than EVSE, they probably err on the side of caution.

I did not have an inspection when an electrician initially installed my outlet for the EVSE.