An overcurrent error means the session drew — or tried to draw — more current than a limit in the charging chain allows, and the charger stopped it. Usually that limit is a setting: the charger’s set current, or the allowance of the circuit feeding it, and the two no longer match. Your model’s manual defines the exact message; the causes fall into three classes.
Key Takeaways
- An overcurrent error means a limit in the chain was crossed — usually a mismatch between the charger’s setting and its circuit’s design.
- Circuits are sized at 125% of charger current (NEC continuous-load concept); settings must live inside that design.
- Fix by comparing figures on paper — never by upsizing a breaker or by trial.
- Heat, smell, or damage makes it a stop: electrician or manufacturer, no retry.
Two Limits, One Chain
A session is governed from both ends. The charger advertises a maximum, set by its design and by the setting chosen on adjustable models. The circuit behind it — breaker, wiring, socket — was designed for a specific continuous load. Under the NEC concept, the circuit is sized at 125% of the charger’s current: a 32 A charger belongs on a 40 A breaker, 40 A on 50 A, 48 A on 60 A. Our guide to breaker sizes for EV chargers works through that step.
An overcurrent error is what you see when reality crosses one of those limits. It is a different event from the breaker tripping — the subject of our guide to a charger that keeps tripping the breaker — though the two can arrive together.
The Three Classes of Cause
| Class | What it looks like | First check |
|---|---|---|
| Settings mismatch | The set current sits above what the circuit was designed for — often after a setting was raised, or the unit moved sockets | Compare the setting with the installation’s design, on paper |
| Vehicle request | The car asks for more than the agreed limit, or a vehicle-side fault distorts the draw | Does the error follow the car to another charger? |
| Fault in the chain | A failing charger, damaged cable or connector, or a deteriorating connection corrupts the draw | Damage, warmth at the plug, a smell: stop conditions |
The settings class is the most common and the most fixable — on paper. The mistake is treating the setting as a free choice: a top step is only legitimate on a circuit designed for it. Raising it because the car can accept more manufactures this error — or worse, a hot connection that reports nothing until it fails.
How to Respond
- Record first: the exact message, the setting in use, and when the error appears — at plug-in or mid-session.
- Compare, do not experiment: check the set current against the circuit — its breaker rating and designed load. If you do not know the design figure, ask the installer; never discover it by trial.
- Run the follow test: if the error follows the car or the charger across known-good partners, that side owns the next step.
- Stop conditions end the session: heat at the plug, a smell, or visible damage means no retry — an electrician or the manufacturer takes it.
Never respond by raising the breaker size or choosing an undesigned setting. Those moves silence the messenger while the mismatch keeps heating the chain.
The Setting, Stated on the Product Page
Adjustable current is a stated feature on some EVDANCE models, and its steps are the figures this error is about. The EV-ACS4005T portable charger is stated with 16/24/32/40 A settings at up to 9.6 kW on a NEMA 14-50P plug. The EV-ACT5006T wall charger runs up to 48 A, hard-wired or on a NEMA 14-50P. A listing states what the unit can be set to — not what your circuit allows. Matching the two, with the installer if needed, is the whole fix for the settings class. Repeating errors go to our team via the contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I just lower the charger’s current setting to clear the error?
If the cause is a settings mismatch, setting the charger to its circuit’s designed level is the fix — decided from the design figures, not by stepping down until the message stops. If it persists at a correct setting, the cause sits in another class.
Is an overcurrent error the same as the breaker tripping?
No. The breaker is the circuit’s own protection acting at the panel; the error is the charger reporting that a limit in the chain was crossed. They can happen together, but each points at a different place.
Why did the error start after I changed the setting?
Because the setting is one side of the match. A higher step asks the circuit for a continuous load it may not have been designed to carry. Restore the designed setting; the installer confirms before a higher one is used.
Related Reading
- What Size Breaker Do I Need for an EV Charger?
- Why Does My EV Charger Keep Tripping the Breaker?
- Why Is My Electric Car Charger Not Working? A Driver’s Checklist
