WiremanWireman · EV charger won’t charge: troubleshooting for electricians · 2023 NEC ·
EV charger won’t charge
Power to the charger, ground, receptacle condition, the charger’s fault light, and the car’s own settings.
Before you start
How much electrical experience do you have?
This sets how much detail each step shows. You can change it any time.
Showing detail
How it works
A Level 2 EV charger is really a smart switch (EVSE). It doesn’t charge the battery itself; it checks for power, a good ground and a safe connection, tells the car how much current it may draw, and then closes its contactor. The car’s onboard charger does the actual charging and decides whether to start. So a “won’t charge” can be no power, a fault the EVSE detected, or the car choosing not to charge.
Every question and answer in this guide. Tap “Step by step” to walk through it.
- What does the charger show?
- No lights at allIs the charger’s breaker on, and is it a plug-in or hardwired charger?
- Breaker was trippedCharger breaker tripped
- Breaker on, plug-in chargerTest: Inspect the receptacle and plug
- Browned, melted or looseOverheated receptacle or plug
- Looks fineTest: Measure voltage at the charger’s supplyExpect: About 240 V L1–L2 (208 V on many apartment and commercial services) and about 120 V each leg to ground.
- Zero or one leg missingPower not reaching the charger
- Normal L1 to L2 but a leg reads 0 V to groundMissing or broken equipment ground
- All normalCharger internal failure
- Breaker on, hardwiredTest: Measure voltage at the charger’s supplyExpect: About 240 V L1–L2 (208 V on many apartment and commercial services) and about 120 V each leg to ground.
- Zero or one leg missingPower not reaching the charger
- Normal L1 to L2 but a leg reads 0 V to groundMissing or broken equipment ground
- All normalCharger internal failure
- Fault or error indicatorWhat kind of fault?
- Ground fault or GFCIGround-fault protection tripped
- No ground or ground fault in the supplyTest: Measure voltage at the charger’s supplyExpect: About 240 V L1–L2 (208 V on many apartment and commercial services) and about 120 V each leg to ground.
- Zero or one leg missingPower not reaching the charger
- Normal L1 to L2 but a leg reads 0 V to groundMissing or broken equipment ground
- All normalCharger internal failure
- Over-temperatureCharger over-temperature
- Internal, relay or self-test faultCharger internal failure
- Looks normal or ready, car isn’t chargingDoes the car charge on a different charger, or does another car charge on this one?
- Car charges elsewhere, not hereCharger connector or its handshake with the car
- Car won’t charge anywhereThe car isn’t accepting a charge
- Haven’t triedCheck the car’s schedule and limit first
- No lights at allIs the charger’s breaker on, and is it a plug-in or hardwired charger?