When a charging network’s back-office system goes down, the chargers usually still have power — what they lose is their instructions. The system is what authorises your card, starts the session and records the bill, so app-started charging typically fails while it is down. Chargers the operator has set up with local authorisation or a fallback mode can keep working on their own. Sessions already running when the system drops generally continue and are billed when it returns.
Key Takeaways
- A system outage removes the network’s permission, not the site’s power — chargers fail together while staying lit.
- Chargers with local RFID lists or an operator-set fallback can start sessions on their own; app-only units cannot.
- Sessions already running generally continue and are billed when the system returns.
- NEVI corridor rules make uptime a specification: 24/7 access, contactless payment, above 97% average uptime.
The Charger Is Not the Network
A public charger is two things: power hardware on the site, and a connection to the operator’s back-office system. The hardware converts and delivers electricity; the system checks who you are, gives permission to start, and keeps the record that becomes your bill. Most networked chargers talk to that system over OCPP, the standard protocol for the conversation.
That split explains the signature of a system outage: every charger on one network fails at the same time, in the same way, while the lights stay on. One dead unit among working ones points to that unit’s hardware; a whole network failing together points to the system behind it. It is also different from a power cut, where the site has no electricity at all — here the power is there and the permission is not.
Three Ways a Charger Behaves When the System Drops
| How the charger is set up | New session during an outage? | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Local authorisation (stored list of valid RFID cards) | Usually yes, for known cards | The charger checks the card against its own memory and bills the session when the system returns |
| Fallback (“free vend”) mode enabled by the operator | Yes | The charger delivers energy without live authorisation; the operator accepts the session unbilled or reconciles it later |
| App-only start, no local list, no fallback | No | The charger waits for the system; it has no way to say yes on its own |
Which applies is the operator’s configuration choice — which is why two networks behave completely differently on the same bad day.
If You Arrive During an Outage
- Try the RFID card if you carry one. A charger with a local card list can start for known cards with the system down; the app cannot reach the back office.
- Try the contactless reader if one is fitted. On many units the card terminal is a separate path from the app. Whether stations take credit cards at all varies by site, so check the unit in front of you.
- Look for the operator’s own notice. A network-wide fault usually comes with a status message in the app or on the operator’s channels.
- Move to a different network’s site. An outage follows the operator, not the town. Where to find charging stations covers the map options.
- If your session is already running, leave it running. Authorisation happened at the start; ending early rarely helps.
Uptime Is Written Into the Rules
For US corridor stations built under the federal NEVI program, reliability is a specification, not a hope: stations must stay open 24/7, accept contactless payment with no membership, and average above 97% uptime over a year. That is the context for whether charging stations are open 24/7 — “open” only counts if the system behind the charger answers.
Operators build for that number when they choose hardware. Stations such as the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station combine RFID authorisation with OCPP 1.6J, and the EV-ACT3204E wallbox offers RFID control too — the combination that gives an operator local-start options on the day the cloud does not answer. The full arrangement is set out in how EV charging stations work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my session stop mid-charge if the system goes down?
Typically not. Authorisation and metering happen at your charger; in most setups the energy keeps flowing, and the session record passes to the back office when the connection returns.
Is charging free during a network outage?
Only where the operator has switched on a fallback that dispenses without billing. Everywhere else the charger simply cannot start — free energy is a configuration choice, not a default behaviour.
How is this different from the network closing down completely?
An outage is temporary: systems return, sessions reconcile, accounts carry on. A permanent shutdown is an operator going out of business — chargers orphaned, accounts closed — a different event with different consequences.
Related Reading
- How Do EV Charging Stations Work?
- Are EV Charging Stations Open 24/7?
- Where to Find EV Charging Stations: Maps, Apps and Tips
- Do EV Charging Stations Take Credit Cards?
