Will my EV charger work during load shedding?

A normal grid-tied wallbox stops when the grid drops. Only a hybrid system with enough battery — and the charger intentionally placed on the backup bus — can continue, which most homes should not attempt with a small pack.

Do I need load management on a home EV charger?

Yes whenever the DB already runs geyser, oven and other large loads, or when more than one charger shares a feeder. Dynamic load management is cheaper than an unnecessary service upgrade in many homes.

EV charging

How does EV charger load management work with load shedding in South Africa?

A wallbox without load management will fight your geyser and oven for amps — and during load shedding a grid-tied charger simply stops unless your hybrid and battery were sized to feed it (most homes should not). Dynamic load management and sane backup priorities matter more than buying the biggest kW sticker.

Answer first: Fit a wallbox that can throttle itself from a CT or site meter on the main feed. Keep the EV off the essential-loads battery circuit unless you deliberately oversized storage.

What load management actually does

Measures house demand in real time.
Caps the charger so main breaker + municipal NMD are respected.
Optionally shares a fixed amp budget across several wallboxes (apartments, workplaces).

Without it, a 7.4 kW charger (~32 A) plus a 3 kW geyser plus a hob will nuisance-trip many suburban DBs.

Load shedding interaction

Setup	What happens when the grid drops	Practical advice
Grid-tied wallbox only	Charging stops	Normal — resume when power returns
Hybrid + small home battery, EV on non-essentials	House essentials stay up; EV stays off	Correct default for most homes
EV on essential bus with small battery	Battery empties fast or inverter trips	Avoid unless 20–30+ kWh usable and intentional
Battery-buffered public / depot DC	Can keep serving from on-site BESS	Commercial pattern (e.g. SAEV + Solar MD claims)

Home batteries exist first for lights, Wi-Fi, fridge and selected plugs. An EV can drink 40–60+ kWh for a “full” charge — that is a different design problem. See sizing solar + EV together and essential vs non-essential loads.

Settings that save money and trips

Schedule charging for off-peak / solar surplus windows where your tariff and inverter allow.
Set a house reserve so the charger yields to kettle and geyser automatically.
On prepaid or tight NMD supplies, start at 16–20 A and raise only after a week of clean logs.

Hardware with local support and load-management options includes SAEV Charge’s listed Victron and Teltonika wallboxes — still compare peers (Wallbox, Zaptec, Schneider, ChargePoint SA) on CT kits and app behaviour.

How does EV charger load management work with load shedding in South Africa?

What load management actually does

Load shedding interaction

Settings that save money and trips

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