EVSE wiring - 30a vs 40a

[QueenBee]

A few months back (before buying a Leaf) I did a home remodel and ran a 10 gauge wire to the garage for future EV charger. I then bought my Leaf and purchased the Schneider EV2430WS 30-amp EVSE. After I saw the EVSE required a 40amp breaker (and therefore 8 ga wire) I was worried. I talked to an electrician and given the 6.6kWh draw he suggested I just use a 30amp breaker to see if trips, he was sure it wouldn't be a problem. I have been using the EVSE for a couple of weeks now and have never had the breaker trip. Just wanted to let others know my real world experience.

Cutting it a little close, I assume this work was not permitted and inspected? I wouldn't say this was a safety issue as the 30amp breaker will protect the 10 gauge 30 amp rated wire but it's outside the required NEC design rules. In reality even if you had an EV that was able to use the full 30 amps the EVSE was advertising you'll probably not trip the 30 amp breaker. If the run isn't too long voltage drop probably isn't much of a concern either.