What Happens If My EV Charger Stops Working? Troubleshooting Guide

A home EV charger that stops working is a genuine inconvenience, but most of the time the fix is straightforward. Before calling an electrician, there are a handful of checks you can run yourself in under five minutes that resolve the most common issues. This guide works through the full EV charger troubleshooting sequence: from the first things to check when the charger is not responding, through the most common fault causes for Zappi, Ohme, and Easee units, to the scenarios where you do need to pick up the phone and call Faithful Spark.

Step 1: Check the consumer unit

The first place to look when a home EV charger stops responding is the consumer unit (fuse board) inside the house. EV chargers are protected by a dedicated RCD (Residual Current Device) or RCBO (combined RCD and overcurrent protection) on their own circuit. If this device has tripped, the charger loses power entirely.

Open your consumer unit and look for any breaker that is in the middle position (half tripped) or fully in the off/down position. The EV charger circuit will typically be labelled on the consumer unit door card. If you find a tripped breaker:

1. Switch it fully to the off position first.
2. Wait 10 seconds.
3. Switch it back to the on position.
4. Return to the charger and check if it has power.

If the breaker immediately trips again when you reset it, do not continue resetting it. A repeated immediate trip indicates a genuine fault in the circuit or the charger that needs investigation by an electrician. Call Faithful Spark.

If the breaker resets successfully and the charger powers up, monitor whether it trips again on the next charging session. An occasional trip (once every few weeks or months) can be caused by a momentary grid disturbance or a voltage spike. Repeated trips during normal charging indicate a fault worth investigating.

Step 2: Check the car, not just the charger

A surprising proportion of EV charger troubleshooting calls turn out to be car issues rather than charger issues. Before assuming the charger is at fault, verify:

• Is the car’s scheduled charging set correctly? Most EVs have a built in charge scheduling feature that tells the car to begin charging at a specific time (often set to coincide with an off peak tariff window). If you plug in at 18:00 but the car is set to begin charging at midnight, the charger will appear to do nothing for 6 hours. Check the car’s infotainment screen or manufacturer app for any active schedule. Cancelling or overriding the schedule allows immediate charging.
• Is the car’s charging limit reached? Most EVs allow you to set a maximum charge percentage (commonly 80 percent for daily use, to reduce battery wear). If the battery is already at or above that limit, the car will not accept charge even when plugged in.
• Is the charging port locked or the cable not fully seated? An improperly seated Type 2 connector will not make the latching contact that initiates charging. Remove the cable and reinsert it firmly until the latching click is felt or heard. Check whether the car’s charging port LED (where fitted) shows a connection.
• Is there an active fault on the car’s BMS? Some battery management system faults prevent charging. Check the car’s dashboard for any warning lights or messages in the charging related menus.

Step 3: Check the charger’s status indicator

Every smart home charger uses a LED or display to communicate its current state. Learning what your specific charger’s status lights mean takes 2 minutes and saves a call to a helpline.

Zappi v2 status lights

The Zappi uses a colour coded LED ring around the central display button:

• Green solid: Ready, connected to WiFi, no vehicle plugged in.
• Blue pulsing: Vehicle connected, waiting to charge (often due to scheduled charging or eco mode waiting for solar).
• Green pulsing: Actively charging.
• Yellow: Boost mode active.
• Red flashing: Fault. The Zappi display will show a fault code. Common faults: CT clamp not reading (check the CT clamp is clipped correctly to the main incoming cable), WiFi connection lost (not a charging fault, just a connectivity issue), or a ground fault detected.

If the Zappi shows a red fault LED, consult the myenergi app first: it will describe the fault code in plain English. Most connectivity faults resolve by pressing and holding the menu button to initiate a WiFi reconnect.

Ohme Home Pro status lights

The Ohme Home Pro uses a smaller indicator light and communicates primarily through the Ohme app:

• White pulsing: Charger online, no vehicle connected.
• Blue solid: Vehicle connected, schedule active or waiting.
• Green: Actively charging.
• Amber: Charger offline or updating firmware. If amber persists for more than 10 minutes, a router reboot often restores connectivity.
• Red: Fault. The Ohme app will provide a diagnostic code and suggested action.

Easee One status lights

The Easee One uses a circular LED panel:

• White breathing: Online and ready.
• Blue: Vehicle connected.
• Green: Charging active.
• Yellow: Firmware update in progress. Do not unplug the charger during this state.
• Red: Error. Open the Easee app for the error description.

Step 4: Check the WiFi and app connection

Smart chargers communicate with their cloud platforms over your home WiFi. If the WiFi router has been restarted, if the router’s IP address has changed, or if a firmware update on the charger is in progress, the charger may appear unresponsive even though it is physically functional.

To rule out WiFi as the cause:

• Check whether the charger app shows the unit as “online” or “offline”. If offline, the issue is connectivity, not the charger hardware.
• Restart the charger by switching off its breaker in the consumer unit for 30 seconds, then switching it back on. Most chargers reconnect to WiFi automatically within 2 minutes of restart.
• Check that the WiFi router has not changed its network name (SSID) or password. If you recently changed your WiFi settings, the charger will need to be reconnected to the new network through the app’s WiFi setup process.
• Check signal strength at the charger location. If the router is at the opposite end of the house from the garage or driveway, the WiFi signal may be marginal. A WiFi extender or mesh network access point near the charger location often resolves persistent connectivity issues.

Connectivity loss does not prevent the charger from charging in most cases. The charger will fall back to a local schedule or charge immediately on plug in, depending on its configured fallback mode. But connectivity loss does prevent remote monitoring and schedule updates from working correctly.

Step 5: Check for power cuts and firmware updates

After a power cut or grid interruption, EV chargers sometimes require a manual reset before resuming normal operation. If you have experienced a power cut recently and the charger has not resumed charging:

• Switch the breaker off for 30 seconds and back on.
• Unplug the car, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in.
• Check the charger app for any pending firmware update that may have been triggered by the restart.

Firmware updates on smart chargers are pushed automatically by the manufacturer and typically take 2 to 10 minutes. During an update, the charger may be temporarily unresponsive and should not be unplugged. The Zappi, Ohme, and Easee all indicate an active firmware update through their status LEDs (typically a flashing amber or yellow pattern). If you encounter this state, simply wait for the update to complete.

Zappi solar mode not working

A specific troubleshooting scenario for Zappi owners with solar panels: if the Zappi is in Eco or Eco+ mode but is not diverting solar generation to the car (or is showing incorrect generation readings), the most common cause is the CT clamp.

The Zappi uses a CT clamp fitted to the main incoming cable at the consumer unit to measure the flow of electricity in and out of the property. If the CT clamp has been moved, if its orientation has reversed, or if it has come partially loose, the Zappi will receive incorrect generation data and the solar diversion will not work correctly. Check that the CT clamp is securely clipped to the incoming supply cable and that the arrow on the clamp body faces toward the property (away from the meter). This orientation check resolves the majority of Zappi solar diversion faults without an engineer visit.

When to call Faithful Spark

After running through the steps above, the following situations warrant a call to us rather than further self diagnosis:

• The consumer unit breaker trips immediately on reset and will not hold.
• There is a burning smell, scorch marks, or signs of heat damage on or around the charger unit or the cable.
• The charger makes unusual noises during charging (buzzing, clicking, or crackling).
• The cable connector or the car’s charging port shows signs of physical damage, melted plastic, or discoloured pins.
• The charger has been physically impacted by a vehicle or has fallen from the wall.
• The charger is showing a fault code that the app describes as requiring engineer attention.
• The charger has never worked correctly since installation (this is a commissioning issue, not a user serviceable one).

All Faithful Spark installations carry a 12 month workmanship warranty. If your charger was installed by us and develops a fault within that period, we will attend and rectify at no charge. The charger units themselves carry a 3 year manufacturer warranty. We handle warranty claims on behalf of our customers as part of the post install support we include with every job.

Temporary fallback while you wait for a repair

If your home charger is out of service for any period, most EVs can be charged using a standard Type 2 to 3 pin granny cable (Mode 2 cable). This charges at approximately 2.3 kW from a standard 10A socket, which delivers around 16 to 18 miles of range per hour of charging. It is not fast, but for a typical Aberdeen commute of 30 to 40 miles per day, an overnight granny charge of 8 hours delivers 130 to 145 miles of range: enough for 3 to 4 days of normal driving from a single overnight session. The granny cable is typically supplied with the EV and should be kept accessible for exactly this kind of emergency.

For a deeper look at what a standard installation involves and how a fault free install is set up from day one, see our guide on EV charger installation in Aberdeen.

Frequently asked questions

My charger shows as charging but the battery percentage is not increasing. Why?

This usually indicates the car’s schedule is overriding the charger session. Check the car’s charging menu for any active time schedule or departure time settings. On some vehicles, the car accepts the connection but queues the charge to begin later. Cancelling the schedule on the car side should allow immediate charging without changing anything on the charger.

The cable clicks in but the charger does not start. What should I check?

First, confirm the car is unlocked (some vehicles require the car to be unlocked before the charging session can begin). Second, check the charger app to see whether it shows the vehicle as connected. If the app shows connected but charging has not started, check for any active schedule or pause command on the charger. If the app shows no vehicle connected despite the cable being plugged in, the cable or cable connector may have a fault and should be inspected.

The charger worked for months and suddenly stopped. Is it likely to be a hardware fault?

Sudden faults after a period of normal operation are most often caused by a software or connectivity issue (firmware update stalled, WiFi credential change) rather than hardware failure. Run through the consumer unit check and the router restart steps before assuming the unit needs replacement. Hardware faults do occur but are less common than connectivity issues on well installed units.

Is my charger covered if it is damaged by a storm or flooding?

Your home insurance policy may cover weather damage to fixed electrical installations. Check your policy wording. The chargers we install are IP65 rated, meaning they are sealed against driven rain and dust. Storm level flooding that submerges the unit is a different matter: if a charger has been submerged, do not attempt to restart it. Contact us for a replacement assessment before re energising the circuit.

Contact Faithful Spark for EV charger faults in Aberdeenshire

If you have worked through this guide and the fault persists, get in touch. We respond quickly to fault calls from our existing customers across Aberdeen, Peterhead, Ellon, and Fraserburgh. We carry the most common replacement parts for Zappi, Ohme, and Easee units and aim to resolve faults in a single visit.

Report an EV Charger Fault

Faithful Spark Electricians. NICEIC approved. OZEV listed. Local Aberdeen team. Serving Aberdeen, Peterhead, Ellon, Fraserburgh and across Aberdeenshire.