Yes — a charger can lose track of the time after a power cut, and a daylight-saving change can shift it by an hour. Many chargers take the time from the internet or a phone app rather than keeping it themselves, so an outage, a lost connection, or a wrong time-zone setting leaves the clock off. Every schedule then fires early, late, or outside the window you planned.
Key Takeaways
- A charger takes its time from the internet, an app, or an internal clock — an outage can leave any of them wrong.
- Exactly one hour out almost always means a time-zone or daylight-saving setting, not a fault.
- After fixing the time, re-save the schedule and watch the next session start.
- Check the clock after any power cut.
Where a Charger Gets the Time
There is no single design. A connected charger usually syncs its clock over the internet each time it comes online. A simpler unit may keep time on an internal clock with no battery backup, so any outage resets it. The app can add a third version of “now” if the phone’s time zone and the charger’s stored zone disagree. Wallbox display and scheduling features vary by model here, so your manual is the authority.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Charging starts exactly one hour early or late | Daylight-saving change not applied, or time zone set wrong | Fix the time zone in the app, then re-save the schedule |
| Display shows a clearly wrong time after an outage | Internal clock lost the time while power was off | Reconnect the charger to Wi-Fi so it can re-sync, or set the time as the manual describes |
| Schedule works some nights, drifts on others | Clock drifts between syncs, or the connection drops often | Improve the Wi-Fi signal at the charger and check the time weekly |
| App shows one time, the display another | Phone time zone and charger time zone differ | Set both to the same zone; travel and manual phone settings are the usual culprits |
| Times are right but charging starts at the wrong moment | Not a clock problem — a second schedule is also running | Check the car’s own timer and any utility program window |
Fixing the Clock, Step by Step
- Read the charger’s clock first. Compare the display or app time with your phone. Exactly one hour out means time zone or daylight saving; a random time means the clock was reset or never synced.
- Get the charger back online. Time sync normally happens over Wi-Fi; restore the connection and give it a few minutes.
- Check the time-zone setting in the app. Look for a zone stored against the charger, separate from the schedule itself, and set it to your actual zone.
- Re-save the schedule afterward. Some chargers only apply a corrected clock to newly saved schedules. Delete and recreate the schedule once the time is right.
- Watch the next session start. The one reliable test is seeing charging begin inside the intended window — the same advice that applies to any off-peak charging setup.
If the Power Went Out Mid-Charge
An outage also raises a separate worry — the session that was running. For that side, see whether EV chargers should have surge protection. The clock issue is quieter: the charger comes back healthy, charges on demand, and only betrays the wrong time at 11 p.m., when the cheap-rate session starts an hour into peak pricing. So check the clock whenever the power has been off.
Chargers That Keep Their Schedules Straight
App-connected wallboxes such as the EV-ACT5006T 48A Level 2 wall charger and the EV-ACT3204PE 22 kW wallbox manage schedules through the app, where time and time zone are easy to inspect and correct. Whichever charger you own, treat a power cut like a mini recommissioning: clock, connection, one watched scheduled start. If the clock will not hold time while the charger stays powered and online, that is no longer a setting — contact the manufacturer’s support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all EV chargers lose the time when the power goes out?
No. Models that sync from the internet recover the correct time as soon as they reconnect. The ones that drift are typically offline units with an internal clock and no backup.
Will a wrong clock stop my car from charging at all?
Instant, plug-in charging is unaffected — the clock only matters to schedules. The car still charges the moment you plug in; only timed sessions fire at the wrong hour.
Daylight saving changed and my charging moved by an hour. Do I need to redo everything?
Usually only once: correct the time zone or let the charger re-sync, then re-save the schedule and check the first session.
Related Reading
- Wallbox Home Charger Features Explained: Display, Scheduling, and Load Management
- Smart Charging and Time-of-Use Tariffs: How Scheduling Cuts EV Charging Costs
- Should EV Chargers Have Surge Protection?
- Can You Leave an EV Charging Overnight?
