The interaction of energetic ions with partially ionized plasmas is of central relevance in warm dense matter physics and fast-ignition fusion schemes. We present a detailed theoretical study of the energy loss and charge evolution of 0.6MeV u−1 C4+ ions traversing carbon plasmas under the conditions of a recent experimental campaign at the GSI-LIGHT beamline. Plasma hydrodynamic profiles are obtained with Multi2D, projectile charge-state dynamics with cross section model 2, and plasma stopping calculations of free and bound electrons with, respectively, the T-Matrix and PLASTOP models. Non-equilibrium effects result in a distinct temporal evolution of the projectile energy loss compared to equilibrium charge-state models, establishing a quantitative benchmark for interpreting forthcoming projectile-plasma interaction measurements.