New Ford Lightning Owner Stranded Without Ford Home Charging Station

[PA Lightning]

Year end is fast approaching. Have an electrician throw in a 50amp breaker and a Nema 14-50 so you can use your mobile charger.
You should be able to get a tax credit for up to $1,000, which should be close to the cost to install.

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[ericpullen]

I personally have started to think more in miles per kWh instead of relying on the range predicted (what most of us refer to as the guess-o-meter). In the winter time, I would not be surprised to get down in the 1.6 kWh range depending on how you drive and what accessories you use. During the summer, I was getting 2.1-2.3 kWh without breaking a sweat.

The other thing to know is that during the winter time, it is more critical to pre-condition the battery before departure. Unfortunately you can’t do that if you are plugged in with a regular 110v outlet, so until you can get a 50AMP 14-50 plug installed and start using that with your mobile charge, you will continue to suffer range loss.

Also, the Sync system has a screen that will show your current power consumption for all variables such as driving motors, cabin temperature, outside temperature, etc. and it can give you a better feel for how the weather is changing your battery consumption.

Hope that helps and ask away, those of us that have our trucks are here to help!

 

[Tomwilli2025]

I do like the truck overall and it is very luxurious but just have to get over the inability to charge efficiently at home. Hopefully, when Spring time rolls around, I will see an expanded range (closer to what was advertised and sold). I will also look forward to Spring so we won't be advised by Ford to only use the steering column and seat warmers to stay warm in order to extend the range of the vehicle.

Since you are a hunter and have been extremely helpful, I will be happy to create you some topographic relief maps with aerial photography and parcel/land ownership if you want to take me up on the offer.

That's very kind of you. I may send you a DM sometime.

FYI, my FCSP took about 3 weeks to arrive. I had my electrician go ahead and wire for the FCSP but we temporarily installed a 14-50 so I could charge using 240 volts and 32amps with the Ford Mobile charger. I also de-rated my FCSP to 64amps (80 amp breaker) in the unit because of capacity of my panel.

Many Thanks,
Tom

 

[geographer]

I personally have started to think more in miles per kWh instead of relying on the range predicted (what most of us refer to as the guess-o-meter). In the winter time, I would not be surprised to get down in the 1.6 kWh range depending on how you drive and what accessories you use. During the summer, I was getting 2.1-2.3 kWh without breaking a sweat.

The other thing to know is that during the winter time, it is more critical to pre-condition the battery before departure. Unfortunately you can’t do that if you are plugged in with a regular 110v outlet, so until you can get a 50AMP 14-50 plug installed and start using that with your mobile charge, you will continue to suffer range loss.

Also, the Sync system has a screen that will show your current power consumption for all variables such as driving motors, cabin temperature, outside temperature, etc. and it can give you a better feel for how the weather is changing your battery consumption.

Hope that helps and ask away, those of us that have our trucks are here to help!

Thank you @ericpullen and the rest of the community for your responses. They all have been helpful.

 

[chl]

I personally have started to think more in miles per kWh instead of relying on the range predicted (what most of us refer to as the guess-o-meter). In the winter time, I would not be surprised to get down in the 1.6 kWh range depending on how you drive and what accessories you use. During the summer, I was getting 2.1-2.3 kWh without breaking a sweat.

The other thing to know is that during the winter time, it is more critical to pre-condition the battery before departure. Unfortunately you can’t do that if you are plugged in with a regular 110v outlet, so until you can get a 50AMP 14-50 plug installed and start using that with your mobile charge, you will continue to suffer range loss.

Also, the Sync system has a screen that will show your current power consumption for all variables such as driving motors, cabin temperature, outside temperature, etc. and it can give you a better feel for how the weather is changing your battery consumption.

Hope that helps and ask away, those of us that have our trucks are here to help!

Do you have a tonneau cover on it or drive with the tailgate down? Those things generally improve efficiency by reducing drag/wind resistance.

Yes, 1.6kwh/mile would be pretty poor, even 2.3kwh/mile isn't great for an EV, but then it's a big truck, not a Tesla or little hatch-back like my Leaf (around 4.1m/kwh on averagesometimes as high as 5) or a more stream-lined SUV EV, so I guess that is probably typical for an EV pickup at this point.

 

[chl]

yes... volts not amps. we currently have two (2) 200 AMP panels and one (1) 100 AMP sub panel in the basement. I have the utility provider coming out to get me setup with another dedicated 200 AMP panel in the garage bringing me to a total of three (3) 200 AMP panels so we can dedicate the one in the garage to my truck and possibly my wife's EV in the future.

You should be set then.
But do you really need all those sub-panels and another one?
When I upgraded to a 200A panel it had plenty of space for the extra breaker for my EVSE and more to spare.
Depends on the locality rules, but in my area the attached garage did not require a separate sub-panel.

BTW, I got on a time of day rate with my utility (Dominion VA Power) specifically designed for EV owners called EV Plus - didn't need to install a second meter but they did change the existing meter but at no cost,
Charging my Leaf overnight (1 am to 6 am) is at a discounted rate about 5 cents per kwh vs the usual 11 cents. I run my dryer and hot tub at that time as well - it reduced my electric bill noticeably.
The on-peak rate is higher so have to try to minimize that usage.
Worked for me anyway.

 

[chl]

@Henry Ford thank you for responding. I have a 57-minute and 34-second recording of my conversation with Sunrun this morning. Since I was being recorded, I also informed them that I would be recording for my records. This is my first Ford. I would love to be a champion customer but it is hard to do under the circumstances.

I see that you are in Michigan. When did you take possession of your truck and what is the highest range you have seen? I have read that Ford warranties the batteries to a 70% degradation over the 100K miles or 8 years life span whichever comes first. This is pretty Alarming when the outside temperatures were above mid-50's and only hit 230ish range... already close to that 70% number (210 miles). Guess we will see.

The charge curve is such that the most capacity increase happens early and then it slows down as one approaches the top percent, for battery protection. So if you mean you only hit the 70% mark while using the mobile charger it could be that it takes longer for the last percentages.

The 70% battery degradation is not the same as 70% charged or 70% of the stated range.
The range loss is due to other factors, the temperature mostly.
The charge percentage depends on percent was requested and how long it was plugged in charging. When it is cold, it could take a lot longer to reach the requested percentage.

Is there a indicator that tells you the battery capacity as a percentage?
The Leaf has one with 12 bars for full capacity.
Something like that tells you in theory if the battery itself has degraded which is what you would worry about under warranty.
That said, it is really also a bit of a guesstimate based on the cell voltage, the most accurate way to determine Li battery capacity is to do a full charge discharge charge cycle to see how much the energy the battery can hold (capacity).

SunRun:
Sounds to me like the typical SNAFU with 3rd party providers and Ford.
Poor planning.
Bummer.

Before I got my 2012 Leaf in Dec 2011, I was supposed to have a third party EVSE installer (AeroVironment) selected by Nissan come to give me an estimate for installing their preferred EVSE equipment. Took them a long, long time to get to me (from Aug to Oct as I recall), and the estimate was ridiculously high. over $3,500 - the EVSE equipment itself was only $700 of the total price so I bought one elsewhere.

The Ford Pro Siemens makes the Pro I believe. It's an 80A bi-directional EVSE priced at $1300 or so? Not really going to find a better alternative at that price I suspect so your stuck with SunRun, as you probably already figured out.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I'm in the exact same situation. I bought a Mannequin Platinum on December 12. I've called Sunrun, Ford, and my dealer multiple times and can't get an answer as to when I'll get the Charging Station Pro. Sunrun says they need to know when the dealer reported the sale to Ford, the dealer sent them confirmation it was reported sold to Ford. Sunrun has all the information they need in their "escalation file" but there is still a hold-up somewhere. It's super frustrating.

@Ford Motor Company do you see trend with the sale of mannequins in this and various recent threads, please get to the bottom of the issues with the dealer network doing the correct steps to close the sale and get these customers their FCSP!!

 

[Henry Ford]

@Henry Ford thank you for responding. I have a 57-minute and 34-second recording of my conversation with Sunrun this morning. Since I was being recorded, I also informed them that I would be recording for my records. This is my first Ford. I would love to be a champion customer but it is hard to do under the circumstances.

I see that you are in Michigan. When did you take possession of your truck and what is the highest range you have seen? I have read that Ford warranties the batteries to a 70% degradation over the 100K miles or 8 years life span whichever comes first. This is pretty Alarming when the outside temperatures were above mid-50's and only hit 230ish range... already close to that 70% number (210 miles). Guess we will see.

I think the best range prediction I ever saw was when I took delivery from the dealer and it was at 100%. I want to say it was 180ish miles. I took delivery on December 12 and I don't think the truck has seen 40 degrees since then.

I'm not concerned about range as long as I can plug in at home...which I can't right now because Ford's ridiculous delivery process for the FCSP. Right now it's at 90% and 161 miles at 25 degrees outside. That works out to about 1.4 mpkwh if my math is right. Honestly, I think that's a bit conservative. Most of my driving has been on the highway and I can't recall an efficiency of less than 1.7 mpkwh.

Predicted range probably isn't a great measure of battery degradation. Actual range varies wildly based on driving conditions, speed, wind, temperature, etc. I suppose EV manufacturers could publish a range of expected max range but there are so many variables I'm not sure it would be helpful.

We are early adopters and are learning as we go. A Lighting will do 99% of what I ever asked my ICE F150 to do. The one exception is towing a boat to Northern Michigan, which I did precisely once 10 years ago. Even that would probably work with a planned charging stop.

Anyway, the use case for a Lightning only works if I can charge it at home. Ford's process for uniting mannequin buyers with chargers is causing unneeded stress to what should be an fun, exciting time. A friend of mine compared my experience buying a $90k+ Ford and his buying a $25k certified used BMW. BMW treats all of it's customers like they are important. I can't get anyone on the phone at Ford who has the wherewithal or power to arrange for a charger to be sent to my house. Ford is in the luxury segment but based on my experience they aren't treating their customers like they are.

 

[geographer]

I think the best range prediction I ever saw was when I took delivery from the dealer and it was at 100%. I want to say it was 180ish miles. I took delivery on December 12 and I don't think the truck has seen 40 degrees since then.

I'm not concerned about range as long as I can plug in at home...which I can't right now because Ford's ridiculous delivery process for the FCSP. Right now it's at 90% and 161 miles at 25 degrees outside. That works out to about 1.4 mpkwh if my math is right. Honestly, I think that's a bit conservative. Most of my driving has been on the highway and I can't recall an efficiency of less than 1.7 mpkwh.

Predicted range probably isn't a great measure of battery degradation. Actual range varies wildly based on driving conditions, speed, wind, temperature, etc. I suppose EV manufacturers could publish a range of expected max range but there are so many variables I'm not sure it would be helpful.

We are early adopters and are learning as we go. A Lighting will do 99% of what I ever asked my ICE F150 to do. The one exception is towing a boat to Northern Michigan, which I did precisely once 10 years ago. Even that would probably work with a planned charging stop.

Anyway, the use case for a Lightning only works if I can charge it at home. Ford's process for uniting mannequin buyers with chargers is causing unneeded stress to what should be an fun, exciting time. A friend of mine compared my experience buying a $90k+ Ford and his buying a $25k certified used BMW. BMW treats all of it's customers like they are important. I can't get anyone on the phone at Ford who has the wherewithal or power to arrange for a charger to be sent to my house. Ford is in the luxury segment but based on my experience they aren't treating their customers like they are.

I am on hold with my second Ford representative. I got transferred to the Marketing Dept. to answer my question on whether the dealership reported the vehicle as being sold since they told me they did but Sunrun says the vehicle isn't being shown as sold on their end. Not sure why I am getting transferred to Ford's Marketing dept. but let's go with the flow. The lady said she doesn't have access to that information and couldn't help me. She said I should contact the Dealership (head banging against a wall). I politely interrupted her and told her I was going to record our conversation. I paraphrased everything and then she said, "Let me put you on hold and see if I can get more information."

I agree... this should be an exciting time but noting by anxiety and anger.

 

[LUXMAN]

Year end is fast approaching. Have an electrician throw in a 50amp breaker and a Nema 14-50 so you can use your mobile charger.
You should be able to get a tax credit for up to $1,000, which should be close to the cost to install.

Just to be clear. The tax credit, if actually renewed (there is still a debate on this language), for this is 30% of the cost of the charger and installation (up to $1000). So if he just has a plug installed for say $500, he will only see a tax credit of $150.

 

[RickLightning]

@Henry Ford thank you for responding. I have a 57-minute and 34-second recording of my conversation with Sunrun this morning. Since I was being recorded, I also informed them that I would be recording for my records. This is my first Ford. I would love to be a champion customer but it is hard to do under the circumstances.

I see that you are in Michigan. When did you take possession of your truck and what is the highest range you have seen? I have read that Ford warranties the batteries to a 70% degradation over the 100K miles or 8 years life span whichever comes first. This is pretty Alarming when the outside temperatures were above mid-50's and only hit 230ish range... already close to that 70% number (210 miles). Guess we will see.

As someone else said, 70% degradation has nothing to do with the range you see with your eyes. You have 0% degradation, and have no way to actually see it anyway. Your range is impacted by your driving style, weather, and topography - just like your gas powered vehicles are impacted.

Do you have a tonneau cover on it or drive with the tailgate down? Those things generally improve efficiency by reducing drag/wind resistance.

Actually, studies have been done showing that's a bunch of malarkey. The truck's bed, and tailgate, are designed for the best efficiency. Putting on a tonneau, or opening the tailgate, or removing the tailgate, doesn't help.

 

[Henry Ford]

I am on hold with my second Ford representative. I got transferred to the Marketing Dept. to answer my question on whether the dealership reported the vehicle as being sold since they told me they did but Sunrun says the vehicle isn't being shown as sold on their end. Not sure why I am getting transferred to Ford's Marketing dept. but let's go with the flow. The lady said she doesn't have access to that information and couldn't help me. She said I should contact the Dealership (head banging against a wall). I politely interrupted her and told her I was going to record our conversation. I paraphrased everything and then she said, "Let me put you on hold and see if I can get more information."

I agree... this should be an exciting time but noting by anxiety and anger.

I've spoken with all kinds of people at Ford; they either transfer me to another person "who can help" or tell me to call my dealer. My dealer isn't the problem, they reported the sale on the day of the sale.

I actually did a did a three-way call with Sunrun and my dealer today. I had the dealer email me and the Sunrun rep all the information Sunrun says they need and waited on the phone until the rep had them. I'm on an "escalation list" whatever that means. I requested a callback with an update. We'll see.

I'll be following this thread but will DM you. Maybe if one of us cracks the code we can help each other out.

 

[Henry Ford]

SunRun:
Sounds to me like the typical SNAFU with 3rd party providers and Ford.
Poor planning.
Bummer.

Before I got my 2012 Leaf in Dec 2011, I was supposed to have a third party EVSE installer (AeroVironment) selected by Nissan come to give me an estimate for installing their preferred EVSE equipment. Took them a long, long time to get to me (from Aug to Oct as I recall), and the estimate was ridiculously high. over $3,500 - the EVSE equipment itself was only $700 of the total price so I bought one elsewhere.

The Ford Pro Siemens makes the Pro I believe. It's an 80A bi-directional EVSE priced at $1300 or so? Not really going to find a better alternative at that price I suspect so your stuck with SunRun, as you probably already figured out.

This is totally a typical SNAFU and not really a big deal. The problem is that if you can find someone at Ford to understand what you are talking about they don't have the power to fix it. This is easy and should have taken one phone call to fix. Sunrun doesn't have the information they need to send the charger. All Ford has to do is a) send Sunrun the information or b) set up a conference call with my dealer and Sunrun so that the requisite information is passed along.

It isn't my job as a consumer to figure out and fix glitches in Ford's supply chain and information transmission process. There will be glitches, I get that. If Ford could say, "you will get the charger on X day" at least I could make a plan on how to charge my truck. As it stands now I don't know if I'll get the charger next week, next month, or next quarter.

The FCSP seems to be a really nice charger. I'm glad it was included in the sale. I have a friend with a Kia EV6 who didn't even get a charger. But he was able to charge his car within a few days after he bought it because he bought a charger from a third party. That sort of makes sense to me right now.

 

[Focus to Lightning]

We are in the same situation. Bought a mannequin on the 17th. Dealer is saying information was sent to Ford. Sun Run is not seeing the vehicle as sold. The holidays are probably not helping the situation but it seems they should be able to move a bit faster.

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