Installing a Home Integration System for Intelligent Backup Power (without SunRun)

[Jim Lewis]

How do you do that short of turning off Bluetooth as instructed by the app?

To turn off CarPlay on the iPhone, go into Settings, General, CarPlay. Then tap on the name of your vehicle and turn off the slider.

On the Ford side of things, from page 537 of the 2023 Lariat ER owner's manual (v1.1):

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[Pitbull2o08]

I just talked to Ford OTA update about why my 6.1 is different from everyone else’s. They have the same excuse every single time.
“One truck might get a different update than another.”

usually it’s “the updates are vin specific and roll out and different time”

now it’s someone’s 6.1.0 might be different from another’s 6.1.0.

 

[hifixenthusiast]

It appears the Ford Pass app issue has been resolved.

 

[Jim Lewis]

usually it’s “the updates are vin specific and roll out and different time”

now it’s someone’s 6.1.0 might be different from another’s 6.1.0.

Especially given the above, I wonder if it's so slow because updates are being manually issued (customized to various truck builds or whatever) - and they take long coffee breaks in Dearborn...

 

[TaxmanHog]

It appears the Ford Pass app issue has been resolved.

Curious what changed that leads you to this conclusion?

For the record I'm not a HIS owner, but watching this thread hoping you folks find solid remedies for this troublesome system.

I've noticed that Fordpass is responding more quickly transitioning from function to function [Home, Vehicle, Service, Map, Account, Charge Station, etc] this evening.

 

[hifixenthusiast]

Curious what changed that leads you to this conclusion?

For the record I'm not a HIS owner, but watching this thread hoping you folks find solid remedies for this troublesome system.

I've noticed that Fordpass is responding more quickly transitioning from function to function [Home, Vehicle, Service, Map, Account, Charge Station, etc] this evening.

The Backup Power feature under the charging section is now functional again.

 

[TaxmanHog]

The Backup Power feature under the charging section is now functional again.

It's possible improvements on the server have been made!

 

[Jim Lewis]

My Power Up 6.3 OTA update didn't come with any Intelligent Backup update included. My HIS unit still doesn't work. I was wondering how things were going for other HIS owners.

I noticed that @Aminorjourney (Nikki) updated her YouTube channel with a video reporting after more than a year that her system still won't automatically transfer power. She can get it to work off and on via a manual power transfer and provides a recipe for that at this point in the video

In the video, she states that most people with the HIS system seem to have it working now. I was wondering how it's working out for other HIS owners who've frequented this thread?

Also, Nikki strongly advises in her video that everyone steer clear of the HIS system. She thinks Ford may now be distracted by its UAW hassles and diminished efforts to promote EVs, perhaps even having let go of some of the folks trying to perfect the HIS system. (that might seem a possibility with the low uptake for the system by Lightning buyers, too). Another official future downgrade of the F-150 Lightning (is Ford going to be touting manual power backup via Pro Power Onboard?!).

 

[RTanton]

My Power Up 6.3 OTA update didn't come with any Intelligent Backup update included. My HIS unit still doesn't work. I was wondering how things were going for other HIS owners.

I noticed that @Aminorjourney (Nikki) updated her YouTube channel with a video reporting after more than a year that her system still won't automatically transfer power. She can get it to work off and on via a manual power transfer and provides a recipe for that at this point in the video

In the video, she states that most people with the HIS system seem to have it working now. I was wondering how it's working out for other HIS owners who've frequented this thread?

Also, Nikki strongly advises in her video that everyone steer clear of the HIS system. She thinks Ford may now be distracted by its UAW hassles and diminished efforts to promote EVs, perhaps even having let go of some of the folks trying to perfect the HIS system. (that might seem a possibility with the low uptake for the system by Lightning buyers, too). Another official future downgrade of the F-150 Lightning (is Ford going to be touting manual power backup via Pro Power Onboard?!).

Our system was installed by SunRun's "A" team(who also installed the system at Darren Palmer's home) in Aug 22. It still does not function. SunRun did install and on-off switch on the bidirectional that will supposedly get it working with a bit of complicated juggling, but we have not had opportunity to test it.

 

[Aminorjourney]

By my conversation with Sunrun team members, there are some homes where it's working - so that's what I was going on. It's disappointing to see so many people are having exactly the same problem we are.

It's frustrating, and it's meant that we're paying interest on a purchase we made that still doesn't work. Ford had sent customers out a pre-paid card recently that I thought was an apology for this, but honestly, it's still not good. - Nikki.

 

[hifixenthusiast]

My Power Up 6.3 OTA update didn't come with any Intelligent Backup update included. My HIS unit still doesn't work. I was wondering how things were going for other HIS owners.

I noticed that @Aminorjourney (Nikki) updated her YouTube channel with a video reporting after more than a year that her system still won't automatically transfer power. She can get it to work off and on via a manual power transfer and provides a recipe for that at this point in the video

In the video, she states that most people with the HIS system seem to have it working now. I was wondering how it's working out for other HIS owners who've frequented this thread?

Also, Nikki strongly advises in her video that everyone steer clear of the HIS system. She thinks Ford may now be distracted by its UAW hassles and diminished efforts to promote EVs, perhaps even having let go of some of the folks trying to perfect the HIS system. (that might seem a possibility with the low uptake for the system by Lightning buyers, too). Another official future downgrade of the F-150 Lightning (is Ford going to be touting manual power backup via Pro Power Onboard?!).

My HIS is still functioning, since my last post. I’ve had and reported FordPass issues to SunRun/Ford, but they haven’t impeded the system from working. All issues I have reported have been resolved in about 48-72 hours of reporting them.
.

 

[RTanton]

By my conversation with Sunrun team members, there are some homes where it's working - so that's what I was going on. It's disappointing to see so many people are having exactly the same problem we are.

It's frustrating, and it's meant that we're paying interest on a purchase we made that still doesn't work. Ford had sent customers out a pre-paid card recently that I thought was an apology for this, but honestly, it's still not good. - Nikki.

Ours was installed with an additional 8 SunRun solar panels(to compliment our 21 microinverter equiped SunPower panels). Going from a plug-in hybrid to our Lightning we knew we would need more panels. At this point (over one year past installation) SunRun's panels have not been connected to the grid. Like you Nikki, we do, however, love the Lightning and have experienced zero issues with it and have just completed a 6000 mile round trip from So California to Mihigan.

 

[v2h8484]

So, the same OTA version (6.3) is working differently on different Lightning's?

My HIS is still functioning, since my last post. I’ve had and reported FordPass issues to SunRun/Ford, but they haven’t impeded the system from working. All issues I have reported have been resolved in about 48-72 hours of reporting them.
.

So, can your system reliably and automatically transfer power when the grid is down and re-transfer when the grid is back (like a few times in a row)? I have looked and have yet to find any video showing HIS providing reliable automatic power transfer/re-transfer without issues. There are plenty of videos showing such smooth operation for generators.

 

[hifixenthusiast]

My HIS is still functioning, since my last post. I’ve had and reported FordPass issues to SunRun/Ford, but they haven’t impeded the system from working. All issues I have reported have been resolved in about 48-72 hours of reporting them.
.

From the continued correspondence that I have had with SunRun/Ford, they are having daily stand up meetings discussing this system and the known issues with it. At least from my experience, they haven’t thrown the towel in on it yet.

So, the same OTA version (6.3) is working differently on different Lightning's?


So, can your system reliably and automatically transfer power when the grid is down and re-transfer when the grid is back (like a few times in a row)? I have looked and have yet to find any video showing HIS providing reliable automatic power transfer/re-transfer without issues. There are plenty of videos showing such smooth operation for generators.

Yes, my system has reliably supplied power to my home since the updates were applied to my truck and BDI. My FCSP already had the correct software version. There have been a couple FordPass application issues, but they haven’t impacted the systems performance. All of the FordPass issues were resolved once I reported them directly to my PoC at SunRun. My understanding is that they (SunRun/Ford) have a daily team meeting to review issues like this. The iPhone screen shot was of the last test I performed to validate that the system was functioning after reporting this issue with the FordPass application:

 

[Aminorjourney]

So... there's an update.

Ford has assigned me someone who is responsible for helping try to figure out how to get everything working - and on Friday we had a new FCSP installed at the house. Apparently I had an earlier version of the FCSP Ford was able to replicate being a pain at their headquarters. So, a new unit was sent out to see if that fixed the problem.

After spending 30 minutes trying to get the truck and FSCP to communicate, the engineer told me to park the truck so that the bluetooth module was closest to the FCSP, and eventually we were able to pair.

At that point, we were able to get a test session working without any issues, and then a second emergency backup session was established as the engineer was leaving for the airport. It ran for two hours, then failed, and the system refused to work any more.

Until that is, I figured out on Saturday morning that the truck could no-longer see the FCSP. The unit was installed on the front left side of our garage, on the outside wall, so that when the truck was parked nose on, the cable from the FSCP wouldn't have far to reach.

it looks however, as if even in that position, the bluetooth is too weak to reliably work. So I moved the truck, parking it so that it was parallel to the front of our garage, and at right angles to the FCSP.

It's worked multiple times since.

Nikki.

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