Charging Port Location - Sucks!

[drdirk]

This has been brought up before, but one of the worst features of the Lightning is the charging port location! Not a problem at home for me, but when you try to use a commercial charger it is from painful to impossible. Maybe not at a huge Walmart based EA charger but for sure the smaller L2 chargers that are at malls and parking lots.

Most are designed like a good old fashioned gas station, you pull up next to it and the charger will be on the right side. Kind of like parallel parking at a curb. Which makes the lighting pretty much impossible to charge around here. In particular impossible when the parking spaces are tight and at a 45 degree angle which is common at retail centers.

It is a mystery to me why Ford would have opted to have it at the front left. Could not pick a worse spot. At lest if there was a second outlet on the right but no. Left only.

I charge 90% at home so I can live with it but my next car would be a deal breaker with that location.

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[RickLightning]

Most vehicles have it on the left side, because that way the moron driver can a) easily access it and b) remember they are plugged in. This isn't a "Ford" thing.

 

[vandy1981]

AFAIK the only vehicles on sale in the USA that only have it on the front right is the Ariya. The taycan has a j1772 plug on both sides standard and it's optional on the E-Tron. None of them have CCS plugs on both sides.

I don't see that changing anytime soon because the driver's side is the most convenient for plugging in.

I suppose they could put a secondary j1772 on the passenger's side but it doesn't really seem worth the money and complexity since most EVSEs have long cords that can reach either side.

And rear placement on either side should be a non-starter on a towing vehicle.

 

[GDN]

I think when the NACS plug comes standard on all of the brands that have signed on, it will be telling if they move it to the rear drivers side like Tesla.

I know there are many other DCFC stations other than Tesla, but if you are moving to their standard it is likely to take advantage of their chargers. Farley has all but said it now after his jaunt a week or so back. He knows that what they touted for years to push their EV's was kind of a joke.

Now is truly the time. As EA possibly continues to expand and others built and we want to take advantage of Tesla - just everyone move the back left. Towing and pull through aren't ideal today, so the new stations truly need pull through stalls. We'd finally have a charging standard and a standard location.

 

[vandy1981]

I think when the NACS plug comes standard on all of the brands that have signed on, it will be telling if they move it to the rear drivers side like Tesla.

I would much rather have the zap flap on the front than the rear for towing purposes. The GM and CT port placement is a big miss and the Rivian's placement is ideal IMHO.

The V4 superchargers have longer cords that should work with front left/rear right ports. Wide V4 deployment should start by the end of the year.

 

[GDN]

I think very few will ever spend the money to add more than one port location, but I would be out if the port were only on the front. My garage is 20' deep and I wouldn't be able to charge in the garage. I know that isn't the end of the world and I know many park outside all of the time, but that is one of my simple requirements for as much as we pay for living - is to be able to park in a garage and not have to get out into the snow/rain/heat to get in a vehicle. It's a small thing and it is my thing, but truly I think that would make me skip a vehicle with it on the front.

I do see your point though and for towing it is maybe the most ideal - or at least on the side right near the front might be a compromise. Thinking right behind the headlight on one side or the other. Should still be accessible to most chargers. To be compatible with Tesla it should be on the passenger side front. Cars could be on the same location or back drivers side. So if you pull in or back in - the port is in the same location to not block a charger.

 

[drdirk]

Most of the cars I can think of have the location on the right side. Example:

Mercedes EQS
Mercides EQE
Audi E Tron
VW I4, I7
Tesla all models
Kia EV6
Hyundai Ionic 5

Kind of like gas tanks, only American made cars have it on the left, the rest of the world on the right.

EV charging is inherently more dispersed. Not the classical 2+ acre gas station model that allows easy access from both sides.

Yes, if you want to minimize walking around your car, this makes sense. But not every parking space is a pull in, many are curbside, especially in more urban areas. Then having it on the left makes no sense.

And for unplugging, all EV cars will disable driving when you are still plugged in.

Personally I would prefer front or right side hookups.

 

[hturnerfamily]

I think that no matter WHERE the charge port is located, someone will have an argument that they know better... well, sure... there are many locations for it, and only one can 'win'...

ask the RVing community, those that own large motorhomes, 'where' the gas port should be located. They will all tell you different than where it currently is... because they've all seen the pain of pulling into a gas station and having it be on the wrong side, or too far back, or in the middle of the rear of the motorhome(which, by the way, is sold as a BENEFIT by the factory, and yet if you've ever had one located there, it is the absolute WORST place to put a fuel fill!) .... it is maybe 30-40' behind where the driver is seated, and it sticks you out past the fuel hose, and well into traffic!


the arguments will go on...

 

[hturnerfamily]

we also know of a DC Fast Charger in a location that we would relish to be able to use, on the way to the beach, especially while towing our camper, and yet it is mounted on the right curb, on the sidewalk, downtown, in front of the chamber of commerce. There's no chance the hose will reach.

there are also many other situations where the charge port being on the driver side is convenient - such as when you have room, with your camper attached, to 'swing in' perpendicular to the pedestal and easily reach the charger.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

This has been brought up before, but one of the worst features of the Lightning is the charging port location! Not a problem at home for me, but when you try to use a commercial charger it is from painful to impossible. Maybe not at a huge Walmart based EA charger but for sure the smaller L2 chargers that are at malls and parking lots.

Most are designed like a good old fashioned gas station, you pull up next to it and the charger will be on the right side. Kind of like parallel parking at a curb. Which makes the lighting pretty much impossible to charge around here. In particular impossible when the parking spaces are tight and at a 45 degree angle which is common at retail centers.

It is a mystery to me why Ford would have opted to have it at the front left. Could not pick a worse spot. At lest if there was a second outlet on the right but no. Left only.

I charge 90% at home so I can live with it but my next car would be a deal breaker with that location.

My 2c as an owner who has had the charging port on the driver side rear corner (3x), driver side front corner (1x) and the F-150 Lightning position (2x)...

I've used numerous L2 charge point on the road as I road trip a lot and have not had an issue with any of locations. I've charged at locations such as:
- Malls (Volta/Chargepoint L2s)
- Hotels (Chargepoint L2/Tesla HPWC/Multiple State/non branded ones)
- Disney (Chargepoint L2s)
- Restaurants (Tesla HPWC/Chargepoint L2s)
- Offices/Apartments/ABnB (EV Connect/Chargepoint)
- Zoos (Chargepoint)
- State Parks (Don't recall the brand)
- Legoland (Charge Port)

In over 30,000 miles in the Lightning - most of which on road trips, I don't recall ever coming across a L2 that frustrated me. The mid point positioning actually makes it easier to back in and still be able to reach - extremely convenient when pulling into tight spots. Whereas the front corner position on the Rivian makes it a pull in only.

At my home, I also have a Tesla Wall charger positioned in my left bay drivers rear. Tesla Wall charger positioned in my middle bay at passenger rear. A 14-50 NEMA between left and middle bays at the front (with Ford's mobile charger plugged in) and I've used all 3 of those chargers inside each bay as well as outside of the garage. The hardest is if I'm parked middle bay head first and using the middle bay charger, but it still reaches by going over the bed.

I actually have more issues with DCFC than L2 as I find that I have to pull up closer. On a couple of occasions I've been careless and needed to pull up more. But that's once in a blue moon. It annoys me more that I have to pull in head first as I'd rather back into a DCFC.

I also find the positioning while towing a trailer to be significantly better. On my Tesla I'd take up 3-4 spots coming in from the side. Or requiring to unhook if they're EA stalls. The front positioning allows me to take up only 1 spot when coming in from the side and getting the corner charger. I've even used street side DCFC (on the passenger side - FPL DCFC) with the camper and the cord was able to reach around the truck without any issues. The key was to go under the bumper and not around it.

I've also charged the Lightning at numerous RV parks. While it would be nice to be able to plug in the truck without having to reposition it after I unhook, the reality is I usually head out to explore after unhooking so it's not a big deal. It's otherwise been able to reach with the Mobile Charger without any issues at any of the RV parks.

Needless to say, I'm not sure what the big deal is...

 

[Count Orlok]

Most vehicles have it on the left side, because that way the moron driver can a) easily access it and b) remember they are plugged in. This isn't a "Ford" thing.

^^this^^

Although I do wish Ford sold an option for multiple ports for an optional rear location.

 

[Amps]

Most of the cars I can think of have the location on the right side. Example:

Tesla all models

Not any I have ever seen.

While we're talking about charging ports, what's with the affection for huge, fragile, vulnerable charging port flaps? Tesla is the only maker I can think of that really gets this right, although even Tesla's deign may be overly complicated/expensive.

 

[captcory]

Maybe in the future an aftermarket company will sell a retrofit charge port for the passenger side fake charge port door utilizing a nacs.

 

[GDN]

Not any I have ever seen.

While we're talking about charging ports, what's with the affection for huge, fragile, vulnerable charging port flaps? Tesla is the only maker I can think of that really gets this right, although even Tesla's deign may be overly complicated/expensive.

Agree - @drdirk may have just noted it wrong, but every Tesla is on the left, drivers side.

Agree 100% on the Tesla port as well. Motorized, open several different ways including the wand of the charger. The charger actually locks into the car so no one else will mess with it or unplug you.

 

[shutterbug]

Maybe not at a huge Walmart based EA charger but for sure the smaller L2 chargers that are at malls and parking lots.

Don't understand the complaint. L2 chargers have a decent length cable that can reach almost everywhere. Many of them are 2-headed, so one will be on the left and one will be on the right. IF anyone has a complaint with chargers in angled spots, it's Tesla owners (and others that have charge ports in the back somewhere) who can't back into them.

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