The original Tesla 120 Volt Yellow Charge Cable supplied with the Tesla Roadster has a Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI) 15 amp plug. Modern homes already provide GFI protection upstream, so the bulky inline plug isn’t needed anymore.
Bulky cord-end GFI plugs cram a full GFCI board into a tight shell. Loose/compacted conductors raise resistance, heat soaks the PCB, cooks solder and plastic, and the relay/triac fails—leading to nuisance trips or burn-up. That poor connection creates heat, which damages the GFI circuitry and leads to intermittent charging or outright failure. These failures are a common cause of bricked Roadsters (packs rendered dead when left uncharged).
Additional reasons why the GFI plug is a weak link
Daisy-chained household outlets and shared circuits run hot at 15 A continuous.
Heat browns the GFI board and causes intermittent, hard-to-diagnose failures.
Many units limp along delivering sub-standard current until they silently stop.
What our upgrade solves
Eliminates the GFI plug: Removes the failure-prone GFI module and replaces it with a rugged molded plug (no internal PCB to overheat).
Extends length 12 ft → 25 ft: Added reach without resorting to extension cords that trigger “Extension cord found” warnings.
What our upgrade solves
Service guidance
