How to Wire an EV Wall Charger – Hardwired and Plug-in

Electrical Technology

Wiring a 7.7kW Level 2 EV Wall Charger using Hardwired and Plug-in Connections for Electric Vehicle Charging

Green Motion EV Wall Charger

As electric vehicles (EVs) continue to gain popularity and capture a larger share of the market, more homeowners are looking to install a dedicated EV charging station. Among the various charging solutions available, a Level 2 EV wall charger remains one of the simplest, most practical, and cost-effective options for residential charging.

The Green Motion EV Wall Charger by Eaton is a fast AC 7.7 kW, 32A Level 2 EV charging station equipped with a 25-ft charging cable. It can be installed either as a hardwired unit directly connected to the electrical panel or as a plug-in unit connected to a properly rated receptacle. The charger integrates a 40A thermal-magnetic circuit breaker, GFCI protection, automatic fault-reset functionality, and an SAE J1772 charging connector into a single compact enclosure.

The EV wall charger can be remotely monitored and controlled through a smartphone app. This way, it can be used to schedule charging sessions and manage charging operations from virtually anywhere.

Wiring Wall Charger for EVs (Plug-in & Hardwired)

In this EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) wiring series, we will demonstrate the installation and wiring procedures for the Green Motion Level 2 EV Wall Charger by Eaton.

Electrical Ratings & Specifications

Good to Know: These wiring tutorials applies to Eaton Green Motion EV Wall Chargers (GMEV32BR-WC & GMEV32BR-WCPL) for both hardwired and plug-in installation. The wall charger include built-in EV Smart Breaker Chargers (BREVEM2040 & BABEVEM2040) by Eaton.

Good to Know: 40A Breaker / 32A Charging:

Because EV charging is considered a continuous load (operating for more than 3 hours), the branch circuit must be sized at 125% of the charger output current as per 210.19(A)(1). For a 32A charger:

32A × 125% = 40A

This way, the charger delivers 32A continuously and is designed to be supplied by a 40A branch circuit.

Method 1: Hardwired EV Wall Charger (Direct Connection)

In this wiring method, the EV wall charger is permanently hardwired to the load center (panelboard). This installation method is preferred when the charging cable can easily reach the parked vehicle directly from the panel location.

To install the hardwired wall charger (GMEV32BR-WC), verify that a dedicated 40A, 2-pole circuit breaker is installed in the panel. If one is not already present, install a compatible 40A, 2-pole breaker in two adjacent spaces on the panel busbars.

The charger includes built-in ground-fault protection through its integrated 40A, 2-pole smart breaker charger. Therefore, an additional GFCI breaker is generally not required for a hardwired EVSE installation. In this case, the  40A branch circuit can safely support 32A continuous EV charging.

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Wiring Installation of Hardwired EV Wall Charger

To hardwire the wall charger for EVs, follow the following steps:

Step 1 – De-energize the Circuit

  1. Turn OFF the main breaker supplying the panel.
  2. Turn OFF the dedicated 40A double-pole breaker intended for the EV charger.
  3. Remove the EV wall charger from its packaging, and carefully remove the cover.
  4. Remove one of the two knockouts on the charger base for your conduit fitting.
  5. Install an approved conduit fitting (clamps, conduit and UL Type 3R outdoor rating)

Note: For this installation method, use a dedicated 2-pole, 40A overcurrent protective device for branch circuit protection.

Step 2 – Mount the Charger Base

  1. Mark the wall location using the provided mounting template.
  2. Mount the EV wall charger base to the wall using the supplied #14 x 2″ screws and anchors (4 each), fastened through the surface mounting holes.

Good to Know: According to NEC Article 625, the installation height recommendation for:

Step 3 – Install Conduit

  1. Route your conduit to the knockout you opened in Step 1 and .
  2. Run branch-circuit conductors through the conduit.
  3. Connect the conduit to the charger enclosure.

Step 4 – Wire the Charger (Main Wiring Step)

This unit supports two electrical service types:

Neutral (with ground) is required for both systems.

Wire Size:

Connect four conductors to the terminal block:

Terminal Wire Color Function
L2 BLACK Line 2 (Hot 2)
L1 RED Line 1 (Hot 1)
N  WHITE  Neutral
G GREEN Ground
  1. Install the two line (hot) conductors, the neutral, and the ground wire into their respective terminals.
  2. Torque the wire pressure screws to the exact value printed on the wiring label inside the cover.
  3. Plug in the two wiring harness connectors running from the base into the circuit board on the cover. These carry low-voltage control/communication signals between the base and the cover electronics – they’re keyed, so they only seat one way.

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How to Install a Hardwired Wall Charger for EVs

 

 

Good to Know: Grounding: This is a permanently connected product. It must be connected to a grounded, metal, permanent wiring system, or an equipment grounding conductor (EGC) must run with the circuit conductors back to the panel’s grounding terminal.

Step 5 – Reinstall the Front Cover

  1. Align the two bottom tabs on the cover with the slots in the base.
  2. Fasten using the tamper-resistant screws provided, torqued to 15 in-lb using the supplied T25 Torx bit.
  3. Secure the remaining two mounting holes under the lid with tamper-resistant screws, also torqued to 15 in-lb.

Step 6 – Restore Power to Energize the charger

  1. Before energizing, re-check every electrical connection.
  2. Reconnect power to the upstream circuit by switching the 40A breaker to ON.
  3. Energize the loadcenter/panelboard by switching ON the main breaker in the panel. The charger’s electronics should power immediately; the BlinkUp status LED will begin blinking, and the EV connector LEDs will start blinking as well.
  4. Move the EV smart breaker charger handle from OFF to ON to fully energize the unit.
  5. Proceed to Wi-Fi Commissioning below.

Method 2: Plug-In EV Wall Charger Installation with NEMA 14-50

In this method, the EV wall charger is plugs into an EV rated NEMA 14-50 receptacle. This installation method is preferred when the vehicle parking location is farther away from the panel.

To install the plug-in wall charger (GMEV32BR-WCPL), make sure a NEMA 14-50 receptacle wired through a dedicated 2-pole 40A/50A circuit breaker is already installed near the parking or where you want to install the charger. If one is not already present, install a compatible EV rated NEMA 14-50 receptacle supplied by a 2-pole, 40/50A breaker.

Since the charger has a built-in Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) protection, so no need to install another GFCI breaker in the panel. Instead, the 40A / 50A breaker is enough to support the 40A wall charger for 32A EV charging.

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Wiring Installation of Plug-In EV Wall Charger

For plug-in wall charger installation, follow the following steps:

Step 1 – Disconnect the Power and Install the NEMA 14-50 Receptacle

  1. Confirm the dedicated 40A or 50A, 2-pole upstream breaker feeding the receptacle is OFF.
  2. Confirm receptacle mounting height before proceeding:
    • Indoor: NEMA 14-50R receptacle must be at least 18 inches above the floor.
    • Outdoor: NEMA 14-50R receptacle must be at least 24 inches above grade.

Good to Know: Eaton recommends a BR240H (40A) or BR250H (50A) circuit breaker, or an equivalent 240V-rated two-pole device.

To wire the NEMA 14-50 receptacle, connect the four wires as follow:

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How to Install a Plug-In Wall Charger for EVs

 

Good to Know:

Warning: Do not plug the charger in yet as the installation is not completed yet – wait until Step 5 below.

Step 3 – Mount the Charger Base

  1. Mark the wall location using the mounting template and make holes.
  2. Remove the front cover from the wall charger.
  3. Mount the EV wall charger base using the supplied #14 x 2″ screws and anchors (4 each).

Step 4 – Wire the Internal Connectors

Unlike the hardwire version, the plug-in unit arrives with its pre-installed NEMA 14-50P plug and cordset. Hence, there is no need to installed the NEMA 14-50 plug in this setup.

Plug in the two wiring harness connectors from the base into the circuit board on the cover (same keyed connectors as the hardwire version – they only fit one way).

The harness connectors inside the wall charger are connected to the smart breaker charger as follow:

3-Wire Connector

2-Wire Connector

Step 5 – Install the Cover and Plug In

  1. Align the two bottom tabs with the slots in the base; fasten with the tamper-resistant screws, torqued to 15 in-lb.
  2. Fasten the remaining two mounting holes under the lid the same way, torqued to 15 in-lb.
  3. Now plug the NEMA 14-50P plug into the NEMA 14-50R receptacle.

Step 6 – Re-energize and Test

  1. Re-check all connections before energizing.
  2. Reconnect power to the upstream breaker (ON position).
  3. Energize the panel. The charger electronics should power immediately; BlinkUp status LED and EV connector LEDs will begin blinking.
  4. Move the EV smart breaker charger handle from OFF to ON.
  5. Proceed to Wi-Fi Commissioning below for smart control and scheduling.

Configuration and Wi-Fi Network Setting

The wall charger can be controlled remotely through a Wi-Fi network. The wall charger operation such as start, stop, monitor, and manage charging sessions can be controlled from anywhere. Moreover, it can be configured for schedule charging sessions based on Time-of-Use (TOU) utility rates to help reduce overall charging costs.

In addition, the wall charger cab be added to your preferred charge-management solution. To do so, download the EM Install app.

Once either installation method is completed and the circuit is energized:

  1. Ensure a Wi-Fi signal is available at the install location.
  2. Download the Brightlayer Home app (iOS or Google Play).
  3. In the app: name your charger, enter your Wi-Fi credentials, and follow the BlinkUp pairing steps (hold your phone screen against the charger’s status LED as prompted).
  4. For integration with a third-party charge management system, see Eaton’s developer portal (eaton.com/developer) for API documentation, then use the EM Install app to commission the unit.

For Wi-Fi setup, app pairing, and advanced smart-control features, follow the step-by-step instructions in the guides below:

Note: Only the GMEV32BR-WC model (hardwired) can be controlled through the app. In other words, the mobile app connectivity feature in not available in the The GMEV32BR-WCPL (plug-in) model.

Troubleshooting

LED Status Indication and Causes
LED bar completely off Check the harness cable between base and front cover – improperly seated connectors cause this.
Red LED blinking half-second on/off Loss of line-side power – turn breaker off and recheck line wiring.
Red LED blinking one-second on/off Active fault condition – clear via 3 presses of the smart breaker display button (if applicable).
Breaker tripped, won’t reset Push handle fully to OFF, then back to ON – it behaves like a standard Eaton BR thermal-magnetic breaker.
“NO INTERNET” in app Verify both the phone and the charger have active internet/Wi-Fi connectivity.

Instruction and Precautions

Disclaimer:

The author will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information or if you try any circuit in wrong format. So please! Be careful because it’s all about electricity and electricity is too dangerous. If you are unsure, contact a licensed electrician to do it according to the local area codes.

Resources:

EV Charger Wiring Series

Smart Devices Wiring Series

Wiring Standard GFCI & Breakers

Main Panels Wiring Tutorials

Wiring General Outlets & GFCI/AFCI Receptacles

Sizing Breakers, Wires & Panels

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