What to Do When a Public Charging Station Is Blocked or Broken

What Do You Do When the Charger Is Broken or Out of Service?

You arrive, plug in, and nothing happens. Or the screen shows an error. Or the connector is physically damaged. This is more common than it should be, and it is not your fault.

Before you give up on the station entirely, try a few things. If the station has multiple stalls, try a different one. Sometimes only one unit is down while the others work fine. If the charger has a screen, check for error messages or restart instructions. Some chargers have a reset button or can be restarted by unplugging, waiting 30 seconds, and plugging back in.

If the charger requires an app to start a session, make sure the app is not showing a maintenance notice for that location. Some networks flag known outages in the app before you even try to start.

If none of that works, the charger is genuinely broken. Report it and move on. Spending 15 minutes troubleshooting a dead charger is time you could spend driving to one that works.

What Do You Do When the Charger Is Blocked by Another Vehicle?

This comes in two forms. An ICE vehicle (petrol or diesel car) parked in a charging spot, sometimes called "ICE-ing." Or a fully charged EV that is still plugged in and occupying the stall long after its session ended.

For ICE vehicles blocking chargers, your options depend on where you are. Some countries and cities have laws or fines specifically for parking in EV charging spots. In those areas, you can report it to parking enforcement or the property owner. In places without specific rules, there is not much you can do beyond finding another charger. Never leave a note that could escalate the situation. It is frustrating, but not worth a confrontation.

For fully charged EVs still connected, the situation is a bit different. Some charging networks automatically stop the session when the car is full and may even charge idle fees to discourage overstaying. A few networks allow you to unplug a cable that has finished its session, but this varies. Check the network's app or the charger screen to see if the session is complete.

The practical answer in both cases is the same. If you cannot charge here, find another station. Do not wait around hoping someone will move.

How Do You Find an Alternative Charger Quickly?

Having more than one charging app on your phone is the single best thing you can do to prepare for this situation. Different apps cover different networks, and no single app shows every charger. When your planned charger is down, open a second app and search for the nearest available station.

• → Check real-time availability. Many apps show whether a charger is currently in use, available, or offline. Filter for "available now" to avoid driving to another broken station.
• → Look beyond your usual network. If you normally use one network, this is when having accounts with two or three others pays off. Set them up before you need them.
• → Use your car's built-in charger map. Most EVs have a charger finder in the navigation system. It may show stations that third-party apps miss, and it factors in your current battery level and range.
• → Plan for this before it happens. On any trip where you depend on a specific charger, identify a backup station within a reasonable distance. It takes 30 seconds and saves real stress when things go wrong.

How Do You Report a Broken EV Charger?

Reporting matters. When you report a broken charger, you help two groups: the network operator who needs to know about the problem, and every other driver who might drive to that same station today.

Most charging networks let you report faults directly in their app. Look for a "report issue" or "charger status" option on the station's page. Some networks also have a support phone number printed on the charger itself. If the app does not have a reporting feature, a quick message on social media tagging the network can sometimes get a faster response than you would expect.

Be specific in your report. Include the station name, which stall is affected, and what happened (screen error, connector damaged, no power at all). The more detail you give, the faster the repair team can diagnose the issue. Even if it feels like shouting into the void, these reports are how networks prioritize maintenance.

Frequently Asked Questions