US Porsche PMC+ Tripping GFCI Breaker on 120v outlet

[AaranZombot]

Just plugged in my new Macan to the same 110 outlet that I charged my Tesla (with no issues). It won't charge at all and immediately trips the GFI outlet. Any suggestions? Why would this be different than the Tesla 110 charging?

 

[Greenmachine]

If it’s anything like the Taycan the car is simply pulling as much power as it can hence tripping the circuit. You have to use the wall charger itself to set the available current to match the breaker.

in the Taycan at least there is no way of setting the maximum current draw

 

[Greenmachine]

If I’m charging off an outlet 220 or 110 I always look at the breaker max for that circuit and set my portable charger to draw a couple of amps below that to ensure that it doesn’t trip and then stop charger while I’m asleep.

 

[daveo4EV]

Just plugged in my new Macan to the same 110 outlet that I charged my Tesla (with no issues). It won't charge at all and immediately trips the GFI outlet. Any suggestions? Why would this be different than the Tesla 110 charging?

not enough info

what EV charger are you using
what power supply cable/plug are you using on the EVSE
and what does the car show inside the car before the breaker trips

 

[bennksy]

I am also curious what is the best and most versatile home charging solution for the Macan.

 

[AaranZombot]

not enough info

what EV charger are you using
what power supply cable/plug are you using on the EVSE
and what does the car show inside the car before the breaker trips

the one that came with the car
the standard 110
the shows the green lights like it is starting to charge and then the GFI outlet breaker pops and then the screen says "error cannot charge"

 

[Greenmachine]

I have an 11kw ChargePoint solution at home which has been bulletproof for the last 3 years and when I’m traveling I use a Muetux which has proven to be very versatile and good with all sorts of 110 and 220 outlets because you set the current draw at a range of levels.

https://a.co/d/0oB2A5C

 

[AaranZombot]

If I’m charging off an outlet 220 or 110 I always look at the breaker max for that circuit and set my portable charger to draw a couple of amps below that to ensure that it doesn’t trip and then stop charger while I’m asleep.

How do you set the pull on the portable charger? Is that on the box part of the charger its self? I don’t see any settings on it.

 

[byebye]

RTFM
on a portable charger, it’s not always possible to do it, and the only way to setup that is inside the car. Or through the App.
For instance, in a Tesla, you can setup max amp in the car app or in the app. You can’t on the mobile charger.
With the Tesla wall box first gen, there is an inside switch to setup the max amp.

 

[daveo4EV]

the one that came with the car
the standard 110
the shows the green lights like it is starting to charge and then the GFI outlet breaker pops and then the screen says "error cannot charge"

ahhh yes - the Porsche EV chargers are sh*t - you can try pressing the 50% (1/2 button at the top of the charger) - but it's well known the Porsche chargers have very very sensitive ground - I doubt it's the AMP it's pulling - it's just messing with the GFI circuit is my guess/bet/speculation - diagnosing this is going to be tricky - it could be: the charger, the GFI plug, the breaker, the car - isolating which is causing the problem will take time/effort - you could for example see if the Porsche charger can charge your Tesla with out tripping the breaker…if it works with the Tesla that would point to a fault wiht the Macan itself - at least isolating the problem to the Macan (good news/bad news)

good luck working with Porsche to actually diagnose this issue - they will be no help - but will waste a lot of your time.

also for the Taycan Porsche doesn't recommend using 120V for daily charging…

https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...-related-porsche-ntsb-article-analysis.13902/
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10222530-0001.pdf

General Precautions on (125V) Supply Cable Use
The “domestic” (125V) supply cable is provided for emergency use only, and should not be used by
customers for daily home charging. Please discuss installation and use of a suitable 250V circuit with
all customers.

I recommend getting another EVSE - or if you get a TeslaTap you can simply use yoru Tesla's EV charger (EVSE)

see here for the gory gory history of the PMC+/PMCC with the Taycan community - it's very very very likely this is simply a problme with the Porsche EVSE that will never be resolved but a different EV charger will probably work fine.

https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...uide-to-the-porsche-evse-pmc-pmcc-pwcc.13886/

ultimately you'll be better served by getting a 240V non-Porsche EV charger - continuing to mess with the Porsche EV chargers and you'll simply go mad wtih frustration.

there is a history here - I doubt it's going to go differently for you. You can admit defeat and move on with a non-Porsche charger - or you can swim upstream and may be prove me wrong - good luck.

my $0.02

 

[daveo4EV]

to see if you're circuit for example you can take the EV/EVSE-charger to another plug at a friends house and see if it works there with out tripping the breaker

basically to isolate anything in life - you need to debug it - you debug things by swapping the one thing that may be the problem with another thing and see if the same problem occurs - there are 5 things that could be a problem here

1. the EV charger (EVSE) could be the problem - you need to try another non-Porsche EVSE to see if it's the Porsche charger that is the problem
2. the EV itself - can the Porsche EVSE charge a different EV - you can charge any EV with any EVSE - can your Porsche EVSE charge a different EV on the same ciruict/outlet?
3. the actual GFI plug in the wall (GFI plugs are notoriously finicky)
   1. I'd try another GFI plug
      1. NOTE: on some 120V circuit there are multiple GFI plugs (more than one plug served by the same breaker) - with GFI a weak/broken/finicky GFI plug _ANYWHERE_ on the same circuitcan cause a fault and the plugs to "trip" - this one of the hardest things about GFI it may not be the plug you're using that's the problem.
   2. I'd try a non-GFI plug - it may just be an interaction with GFI and the Porsche EVSE.
4. the circuit breaker could be problem (possible but unlikely)
5. the wiring on this circuit could be bad -try an entirely different 120V circuit (different breaker) in your home

with out isolation of the 5 elements and trying each different element in a controlled fashion you can not diagnose root cause of wht is the problem - this is a fact.

if I was a betting man the two most likely problems are:

1. the Porsche EV charger (the EVSE) - they are known to be finicky
2. the GTI outlet might be finicky and swapping it for a new one might

the other 3 elements are possible problems, but not typical and would be a surprise outcome.

start with getting the Macan to charge with another non-Porsche EVSE on the same outlet in your home _OR_ get the Macan to charge with the Porsche EVSE at a different 120V outlet (friends house or work) or even other breaker/outlet in your home (non-GFI is where I'd start).

good luck - but you'll need to test each element to find out what is the likely cause.

but remember Porsche really really doesn't like customer using 120V charging for daily use their own technical bulletin recommends against it…

 

[daveo4EV]

if I had to rank the likely problem(s) from most likely (#1) to least likely (#5) it would be as follows

1. 65% chance - Porsche EVSE
2. 25% chance - actual GFI outlet itself
   1. another GTI outlet on the same circuit if there are multiple outlets sharing the same breaker
3. 4% chance - the circuit breaker on the circuit in the breaker panel
4. 3% chance - the Macan EV itself
5. 3% chance - the circuit's wiring

it could be _ANY_ of the elements listed above - but my engineering back ground - DIY electrical knowledge - 10+ years of EV ownership - 4+ years with Porsche EVSE's those are my "guess" as to where the problem lies…

YMMV - my $0.02

 

[daveo4EV]

RTFM
on a portable charger, it’s not always possible to do it, and the only way to setup that is inside the car. Or through the App.
For instance, in a Tesla, you can setup max amp in the car app or in the app. You can’t on the mobile charger.
With the Tesla wall box first gen, there is an inside switch to setup the max amp.

to date no Porsche/Audi/VW vehicle allows adjust "AMPs" from inside the vehicle via PCM/Vehicle software - I've not spent enough time with Macan to see if this is true for Macan as well.

for my Cayenne eHybrid and my 2020 Taycan Turbo the _ONLY _way to adjust amps was via the external EVSE. Porsche makes 3 EVSE's for North America

1. Porsche Mobile Charger (PMC), Porsche Mobile Charger Plug (PMC+), Porsche Universal Charge (PUC) - each of these mobile EVSE's have a "1/2" "50%" button on the top which allow you to "adjust" the provided charging capacity to the vehicle to 50% of the rated load for the type of power supply cable currenlty attached.
2. Porsche Mobile Charger Connect (PMCC) - this EVSE has WiFi and an LCD screen - and via the LCD screen or Webportal on the unit you can adjust the provided AMPS in 1 amp increments up/down based on the currently connected power supple cable
3. Porsche Wall Charger Connect (PWCC) - this EVSE is a non-mobile hardwired home EVSE for 15-100 amp breakers - it has internal settings to "match" the circuit breaker it's using (15 amp to 100 amps) - and also has an LCD screen - I'm guessing it has the same +/- 1 amp controls than the PMCC has via the LCD screen - but having not owned one or played with one I don't honestly know - I welcome correction.

to date you can not adjust the charging rate via the vehicle with VW/Audi/Porsche EV's - YMMV - this could of course change with software updates and newer vehicle's I've not owned or experienced.

I welcome factual correction(s)

 

[daveo4EV]

Just plugged in my new Macan to the same 110 outlet that I charged my Tesla (with no issues). It won't charge at all and immediately trips the GFI outlet. Any suggestions? Why would this be different than the Tesla 110 charging?

I'd also recommend adjusting the title of this thread to the likely culpret…it's very very unlikely to be a problem with the actual vehicle - rather the supplied EVSE - but until we get it diagnosed it could be an actual problem with the car - but that would be a very very surprising outcome IMHO.

US Porsche PUC Tripping GFI Breaker on 110 outlet

 

[Rocket Roger]

daveo4EV
has the right idea; if the actual circuit breaker is not tripping it is not an over current and is probably a issue with the GFCI itself or how the charger is interacting with the GFCI. If the GFCI is old or an off brand try changing it out for a Leviton.