Wall Connector Power Sharing
Power Sharing is a firmware feature that allows up to six Gen 3 Wall Connectors to share power and charge multiple vehicles at once. Charge power is intelligently distributed across multiple Wall Connectors to minimize charge time for each vehicle and increase energy throughput, while always ensuring that limits imposed by the individual electrical installation are not exceeded.
What Power Sharing Does
By intelligently managing available power on a given circuit, Power Sharing allows a single electrical circuit to support multiple Wall Connectors while still ensuring your electric vehicles get a sufficient charge.
How It Works
Power Sharing manages the total amount of power used by multiple Wall Connectors over Wi-Fi between connected units. For a given Power Sharing system, there will always be one Wall Connector that is considered the “leader.” Any additional Wall Connectors are considered “followers.” It is the responsibility of the leader to control how much electrical current each follower is allocated at any given time.
Why It’s Useful
This functionality is ideal for locations that need to charge more than one electric vehicle at the same time but may not have enough power for multiple electrical circuits.
When installing Wall Connectors in a Power Sharing network, consider hiring a Tesla Certified Installer. For details on the physical installation, view the Gen 3 Wall Connector Installation Guide.
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Identify and configure the lead Wall Connector.
One Wall Connector will be designated the leader and provide the configuration and controls for all the followers. Install and configure the leader first. Follow the process for connecting to the leader’s Wi-Fi to connect and configure the leader.Note: Power Sharing with up to six Wall Connectors is only available on firmware versions 21.36.6 or higher. Download the latest firmware file.
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Add up to five additional followers from the lead Wall Connector.
Click on the Power Sharing card in the commissioning interface and add additional Wall Connectors to form a Power Sharing network by wirelessly pairing them to the leader. Currently, up to five follower Wall Connectors can be paired to one lead unit for a total Power Sharing network of six Wall Connectors.Note: When pairing followers, the leader will restart, and you will lose Wi-Fi connection. If your connection does not automatically return, ensure you are still connected to the leader’s Wi-Fi connection and refresh the page.
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Set network limits.
Once all followers have been added, set the network limit. This is the total current that will be intelligently distributed between all devices that have vehicles charging.The minimum current limit is 6 amps per Wall Connector. A six-unit network will have a minimum limit of 36 amps.
The maximum network limit is the sum of the nameplate ratings of all units in the network. A six-unit network of Wall Connectors could have a maximum network limit of 287 amps (per phase). If 288 amps or more electrical service is available in this scenario, then all units can charge at full power and Power Sharing is not needed. Chat with your installer for further understanding of the maximum network limit.
Note: In the event that your leader and followers have different circuit breakers, you have to individually connect to each of the followers on different breakers via the Wi-Fi broadcast, and then set the correct breaker limit.
For example, in a four Wall Connector network with two 32 amp breakers, one 25 amp breaker and one 20 amp breaker where the leader has a 32 amp breaker, individually connect to the Wall Connectors with 25 amp and 20 amp breakers and set their current limit in the commissioning interface by following the process for connecting to the leader’s Wi-Fi.
- Enable the Power Sharing network.
Once your Power Sharing network is fully established (followers paired and network limit set), you will have the ability to enable the network.
- Note: No units in the network will be able to charge the connected vehicles if the Power Sharing has not been enabled.
If you are experiencing issues with a Power Sharing network, the most common issue is a loss of communication between the leader and follower units. This can be due to a loss of power (a follower Wall Connector has been removed, the circuit breaker is open, etc.) or a loss of communication over Wi-Fi.
When a Wall Connector in a Power Sharing network is not available, the overall network will operate at reduced rates to ensure it does not exceed the current limit. To resolve loss of communication, connect to the leader and follow the set-up procedure. This will indicate which units in the network are unavailable.
Review the typical steps to resolve communication issues:
- Confirm all Wall Connectors are powered on.
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If your Wall Connectors are connected to the home Wi-Fi, then ensure that the signal strength between participating Wall Connectors and the home Wi-Fi network is adequate. This can be verified by looking at signal strength in the configuration wizard of the leader.
This is important for Power Sharing stability since any reconnection attempts or channel hops will momentarily interrupt the network. If your home Wi-Fi network is spotty, the leader will have to frequently reconnect to the network, which will disrupt the followers for a brief period.
- Verify the home Wi-Fi network is not on a crowded channel. Most Wi-Fi equipment will automatically change channels in response to interference, but manual adjustments may be needed. All Wall Connectors in a Power Sharing network will operate on the same Wi-Fi channel as the home network.
- Power cycle the Wall Connectors by resetting the circuit breaker.
- If a follower has been removed or replaced, remove it from the Power Sharing network on the leader.
In rare instances, Power Sharing issues could also be due to a circuit breaker trip. If this is the case, please ensure the current limit of each unit is set up properly.
Can I use Power Sharing between Tesla Wall Connectors and another EV charging connector?
No. Power Sharing is only compatible between Gen 3 Wall Connectors.
Can I connect Gen 2 and Gen 3 Wall Connectors together in a Power Sharing network?
No. This configuration is not currently available.
Is an internet connection and/or Wi-Fi network required to use Power Sharing?
No. Power sharing can be set up completely offline with no external connectivity. A Wi-Fi connection is required to receive firmware updates, new features and advanced support.
The charge current available to my vehicle keeps changing - is this normal?
Yes. Power Sharing works by allowing all available current to be distributed as efficiently as possible based on the actual current drawn by each vehicle.