Slow charge at fast charger

[Lightning105]

Need some help here. My 2023 lightning charges between 150 kw to 165kw at a fastcharger for about 2 to 5 minutes and after it drops to 70 kw -85kw. I have tried multiple charging stations and the same issue. Calling ford does not help.


Info: I was towing a 4800 lbs trailer from Lake Havasu AZ to Riverside CA, 280 miles via Electrify America Quartzsite AZ. Night driving - outside temperature around 95F. The issue I encountered was the charge speed which varied between 32Kw and 80 Kw at different EA charging stations. In Quartzsite AZ, there were two other vehicles, I believe a Kia and a Hyundai, one charging at 240Kw and the other at 160Kw. My car was charging at 78kw. After they left (20 min), I tried a different station but same result. It goes up to about 150kw for the first minute and then drops to between 80kw to 32Kw, and from there on is in freefall until it reaches 80%. I have tried multiple stations in Quartzsite AZ, Indio CA, and Baker CA and same result. I contacted Ford for a solution, but so far nothing - case opened. I understand it is summer and the batteries are getting hot, but since other vehicles are charging faster, I also expect 120kw - 130kw charging speed. I cannot camp in a parking lot for almost two hours to reach 80%. Question: is this a known issue with Ford. I am trying to find a solution, hopefully Ford will get involved before the issue will escalate.

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[Formerly]

So many variables at play, could be the charger/cable. Sounds like thermal throttling

 

[Grease Lightning]

Need some help here. My 2023 lightning charges between 150 kw to 165kw at a fastcharger for about 2 to 5 minutes and after it drops to 70 kw -85kw. I have tried multiple charging stations and the same issue. Calling ford does not help. I love the truck, but if a 4 hour trip becomes 10 hours, it’s not an option.

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We have some EA stations in Eugene that at 350s but only get around that 85 kw but at the same station if I use the 150 rates I max it out or at least get 125 kw.

Also I think you are being melodramatic with your “if a 4 hour trip become 10 hours”…. Maybe leave the drama for your baby mama, rather use math

4 hr X 80 mph= 320 miles / 1.75 mpk= 182 kw assuming you leave with 85% charge and drive to 20%, you need to charge twice for around 45 minutes at 85kw charging. So 5.5 hours not 10.

 

[H8N-8NT-EZ]

Could be the charging cable or plug. Could be the temp of your batteries. Could be that another vehicle is using the other cable on that charger (they split the current between the two at EA I think). How long are you leaving it connected? It does take a few minutes for it to fully ramp up to the max charging rate?

 

[Ish]

Could be the ambient temperature too. Superchargers, in my experience, with temperatures > 90°F give a great 165-175Kw for 6-10 minutes then throttle to 90-110 Kw for thermal management until 80% then start to derate even further. EA is too unreliable so I won’t use them unless I have to

 

[Danface]

Does it always drop down right at 80%? I charge at 70 KWH charger and the truck drops the charge rate at 80%

 

[Zprime29]

Need some help here. My 2023 lightning charges between 150 kw to 165kw at a fastcharger for about 2 to 5 minutes and after it drops to 70 kw -85kw. I have tried multiple charging stations and the same issue. Calling ford does not help.

You need to provide more information. What charger? How busy is it? What's the ambient temperature? Have you checked PlugShare for recent reports?

Best guess, it's hot outside and the truck is throttling speed to keep the battery temp under control. Completely normal. Welcome to summer. Even when I'm able to get the truck to precondition by navigating to an EA station, I'll see it throttle down to 100kW pretty quick. Supposed to be 105+ tomorrow when I'll be charging in NM and I suspect I'll encounter similar speeds. I'll be checking with an OBD reader to see.

 

[RickLightning]

Does it always drop down right at 80%? I charge at 70 KWH charger and the truck drops the charge rate at 80%

Yes, DC fast charging ALWAYS drops at 80% to around 44 - 54kW, and then further around 95% to around 6kW.

 

[RickLightning]

Need some help here. My 2023 lightning charges between 150 kw to 165kw at a fastcharger for about 2 to 5 minutes and after it drops to 70 kw -85kw. I have tried multiple charging stations and the same issue. Calling ford does not help.

What is your SOC (state of charge) when it drops?

 

[TaxmanHog]

moved to charging section where we have hundreds of similar queries

 

[Lightning105]

We have some EA stations in Eugene that at 350s but only get around that 85 kw but at the same station if I use the 150 rates I max it out or at least get 125 kw.

Also I think you are being melodramatic with your “if a 4 hour trip become 10 hours”…. Maybe leave the drama for your baby mama, rather use math

4 hr X 80 mph= 320 miles / 1.75 mpk= 182 kw assuming you leave with 85% charge and drive to 20%, you need to charge twice for around 45 minutes at 85kw charging. So 5.5 hours not 10.

A five hour drive with a gas truck became 9 hours and a half with electric, all because of low charging speed.

280 miles- towing 4800 lbs trailer- average speed 60 mph -outside temp 95F - night driving- three charging stops

’Baby mama ’ was not happy she had to camp 4 hours in a parking lot.

 

[TaxmanHog]

280 miles- towing 4800 lbs trailer- average speed 60 mph -outside temp 95F - night driving- three charging stops

Important details & the rest of the story, a HIGH consumption rate leads to an increased frequency of required charging, that does lead to unhappy SO's

 

[SteuLight]

We have some EA stations in Eugene that at 350s but only get around that 85 kw but at the same station if I use the 150 rates I max it out or at least get 125 kw.

This is an interesting observation, and I wonder if there's anything to it. I, too, have noticed that on the 350 kw chargers, I get ~160-170 kw for 5 minutes, and then it drops to <100 kw, which I always assumed was because of heat management. It certainly seems possible to me that charging at a slower rate could mean that the truck could accept that rate for longer period of time because the battery doesn't get as hot. If using the 150 kw chargers, one consistently gets >125 kw, for the duration of charging, then that could lead to some interesting strategies depending on how much charge you need.

If you just need 20 kwh, then the 350 kw charger would get you there faster (even with the throttling after 5 minutes). But if you need 80 kwh, then using the 150 kwh charger could save you 5-10 minutes if the rate is consistent for the entire charge.

So can anybody verify this phenomenon?

 

[Ish]

This is an interesting observation, and I wonder if there's anything to it. I, too, have noticed that on the 350 kw chargers, I get ~160-170 kw for 5 minutes, and then it drops to <100 kw, which I always assumed was because of heat management. It certainly seems possible to me that charging at a slower rate could mean that the truck could accept that rate for longer period of time because the battery doesn't get as hot. If using the 150 kw chargers, one consistently gets >125 kw, for the duration of charging, then that could lead to some interesting strategies depending on how much charge you need.

If you just need 20 kwh, then the 350 kw charger would get you there faster (even with the throttling after 5 minutes). But if you need 80 kwh, then using the 150 kwh charger could save you 5-10 minutes if the rate is consistent for the entire charge.

So can anybody verify this phenomenon?

Can confirm. I have seen this with EA between the 150 and 350 chargers where I’d get the 125 Kw or so sustained for 12-15 minutes in heat over 90° and a quick throttle after 5-8 minutes at or over 165 Kw at the 350 chargers

 

[SteuLight]

Can confirm. I have seen this with EA between the 150 and 350 chargers where I’d get the 125 Kw or so sustained for 12-15 minutes in heat over 90° and a quick throttle after 5-8 minutes at or over 165 Kw at the 350 chargers

Wow. Thanks for the reply. This is really fascinating.

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