What is the reason for undervoltage at the charging station and how can I correct this?

There may be many reasons for an undervoltage error. According to the guidelines, the voltage may deviate 10% from 230Vac, with 207Vac as the lower limit and 253Vac as the upper limit. A number of vehicle brands may also be negatively affected (e.g. stop charging) if the voltage is too low.

The most common causes of undervoltage:

  • If a charging station is at a large distance from the distribution box and thin cabling has been used, the voltage will drop considerably. For example, if the voltage in the distribution box is 230Vac and a vehicle is going to charge, the voltage may drop below 207Vac and the charging station will give a message of undervoltage (error code 212).
  • The electricity grid will also be able to cause the voltage to drop slightly (approximately 4 to 5 Vac) during peak hours (7:00-9:00 and 17:00-19:00). This can make all the difference if 212Vac is available during the day when the charging station is loaded.
  • With a 3-phase charging station that is currently connected to 1-phase, but is prepared for 3-phase (i.e. where the cables are already connected). The operation on the cables (capacitive and inductive) can cause voltage to be measured and the charging station will report this. As a side note: a Renault Zoë cannot be connected to the charging station in this situation because this vehicle will return approximately 160Vac on phase 2, to which the charging station will respond with a message of undervoltage.

In rare cases, the kilowatt-hour meter may be defective, causing it to give wrong values, creating the illusion of undervoltage. In such a situation, the electricity meter will have to be replaced. To do this, you can submit a 'Request for Service' ticket on the Alfen Service portal.

There may be many reasons for an undervoltage error. According to the guidelines, the voltage may deviate 10% from 230Vac, with 207Vac as the lower limit and 253Vac as the upper limit. A number of vehicle brands may also be negatively affected (e.g. stop charging) if the voltage is too low.

The most common causes of undervoltage:

  • If a charging station is at a large distance from the distribution box and thin cabling has been used, the voltage will drop considerably. For example, if the voltage in the distribution box is 230Vac and a vehicle is going to charge, the voltage may drop below 207Vac and the charging station will give a message of undervoltage (error code 212).
  • The electricity grid will also be able to cause the voltage to drop slightly (approximately 4 to 5 Vac) during peak hours (7:00-9:00 and 17:00-19:00). This can make all the difference if 212Vac is available during the day when the charging station is loaded.
  • With a 3-phase charging station that is currently connected to 1-phase, but is prepared for 3-phase (i.e. where the cables are already connected). The operation on the cables (capacitive and inductive) can cause voltage to be measured and the charging station will report this. As a side note: a Renault Zoë cannot be connected to the charging station in this situation because this vehicle will return approximately 160Vac on phase 2, to which the charging station will respond with a message of undervoltage.

In rare cases, the kilowatt-hour meter may be defective, causing it to give wrong values, creating the illusion of undervoltage. In such a situation, the electricity meter will have to be replaced. To do this, you can submit a 'Request for Service' ticket on the Alfen Service portal.