Annoyance: The "DC charging flap"

[F150ROD]

I’d rather have them mimic the Phone App than the auto charge port door.

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[greenne]

It's not "worked up", but it is an annoyance. And when we have one manufacturer that has taken the friction out of something - well, they've proven it can be done. And removing every little bit of friction helps to make the masses see that EV's are better in many ways, especially when you're trying to drive adoption.

Imagine getting all worked up over having to go outside and pump your water from the well... Yeah, real "truck men" don't rely upon that electric pump thing, that's not for us! We want to do stuff by hand, take as many steps as it takes to prove that conveniences aren't for us!

Just because it can be done, doesn't mean it shouldn't be done.

There are many(including me) who will NEVER buy a Tesla because of some of the decisions they have made with regards to controls, automation, etc.

 

[VTbuckeye]

We had that feature on a couple of Escapes and our current Edge. I hate it and there is no way to turn it off.

I make sure I do not have the car keys on me when I wash them (two volvos). Either my foot or the hose will trigger the hatch opening. Very weird to be rinsing the back of the car and having it open.

 

[Dadvikefan]

MOD community maybe can figure out a aftermarket solution for this one day. Like power steps or side mirrors ect. These are convinces that some feel unnecessary but still is a market for.

I for one have a PHEV cmax and I leave thecharge door flap open all the time too. Thankfully it is circle and isn't sticking out, it rotates around out the way. I deff feel "if it ain't broke don't change it" lynch mob here isn't helping

 

[DarkAirforce]

This is also a thing https://hackaday.com/2022/04/08/just-in-case-you-want-to-charge-your-neighbors-tesla/

 

[FlasherZ]

I plan to keep my Lightning for 100k+ miles. I'm hoping between my wife's lease vehicles, and my truck, that this will be the last truck I buy before I retire in 12 years or so. I see the automatic charging door on the Rivian and Tesla vehicles as just another thing to break. I live in Michigan, so when the truck is covered in snow and ice and needs to charge, I don't want to worry about a little motor burning itself out because of too much resistance.

Here's the good news - they've been battle-tested already. Aside from ice storms that will freeze over both manual *and* automatic doors, in 350,000 miles of EV driving over 10 years, the automatic charge port door has never been an issue for me on the Model S (old or new) or Model X.

That includes a 2016 Model X with 160,000 miles whose charge port gets beaten up regularly by my kids who plug it in and is still in service today. So if designed appropriately, there aren't longevity problems.

I live near St. Louis where we get 4 full seasons, from last year's 1/2 inch of ice pellets deposited on the vehicle to last week's 103 degree weather.

It shows that you really don't get it. Ford made the Lightning like a gas f150 for a reason. If we're

I think I do get it. 350,000 miles experience driving EV's as daily drivers, day in, day out. I have the experience to know what are the annoyances to driving EV vs. non-EV.

Do you have your truck yet?

Look, I understand - there are some people who hate Tesla (or even just Elon) for whatever reason. My cars have been keyed by random people who read some stupid meme on Facebook. But it is extremely stupid not to pay attention to what got them where they are in such a short amount of time just because trucks are supposed to make you hate convenience. I'm far from a Tesla shill, after all I traded my Tesla in for a Lightning - and I think Elon went really misguided on a lot of things. But there are a LOT of things that they do just right with regard to friction in the experience.

And I'm sure that over time, I'll get used to a 5-step process instead of a 1-step process to plug in and unplug... that's why it's an annoyance and not a "showstopper".

 

[VTbuckeye]

Our volt had a door flap that opened with the press of a button inside the car...unless there was snow or ice causing it to get stuck. It got stuck often enough and required very careful prying and someone else pressing the release button. The bolt, xc40 EV and xc90 phev are all manually opening. No problems with that. Maybe there should be ppf on the charge door because it will be touched multiple times per day with whatever dirt is on the hands and paint of the car. It is simply a new habit to form (close the charge door or close the DC pin cover then close the charge door). What about hanging up the charge cable? Should it automatically spool and store itself?

 

[FlasherZ]

This is also a thing https://hackaday.com/2022/04/08/just-in-case-you-want-to-charge-your-neighbors-tesla/

Yeah, this isn't so much of an annoyance anymore. It's the same code, not even a rolling code, and it just opens the charge port. And then the car will just close it again.

But back in the early days, the charge port would only auto-open, not auto-close. So you would be parked at a supercharger, waiting to charge or after a charge, and someone would push the button on one of the stalls and every Tesla within 50 feet would have their charge door open (and you'd have to go manually close it). That was also an annoyance.

I suppose if you wanted to damage someone's charge port, you could use that mechanism, but then you may as well just use a screwdriver to pry it up and do body damage too - no need for a device.

 

[Deleted member 9341]

Here is my point of view.

I plan to keep my Lightning for 100k+ miles. I'm hoping between my wife's lease vehicles, and my truck, that this will be the last truck I buy before I retire in 12 years or so. I see the automatic charging door on the Rivian and Tesla vehicles as just another thing to break. I live in Michigan, so when the truck is covered in snow and ice and needs to charge, I don't want to worry about a little motor burning itself out because of too much resistance.

The vehicle is complicated enough. The less things to break, to me, is a plus.

Maybe if I lived in a warmer part of the country full time I would have a different point of view.

Totally agree

 

[greenne]

I think I do get it. 350,000 miles experience driving EV's as daily drivers, day in, day out. I have the experience to know what are the annoyances to driving EV vs. non-EV.

Do you have your truck yet?

Look, I understand - there are some people who hate Tesla (or even just Elon) for whatever reason. My cars have been keyed by random people who read some stupid meme on Facebook. But it is extremely stupid not to pay attention to what got them where they are in such a short amount of time just because trucks are supposed to make you hate convenience. I'm far from a Tesla shill, after all I traded my Tesla in for a Lightning - and I think Elon went really misguided on a lot of things. But there are a LOT of things that they do just right with regard to friction in the experience.

And I'm sure that over time, I'll get used to a 5-step process instead of a 1-step process to plug in and unplug... that's why it's an annoyance and not a "showstopper".

No I don't think you do.

You are an early adopter, an EV "fan" if you will. That's great..more power to you. I'm sure Tesla has a Cybertruck with your name on it. But Tesla, for all the amazing things they have done, still has limited appeal. You keep acting like everyone wants what you want, what appeals to you will appeal to the masses.

I seriously doubt a charge flap door is what drove people to choose a Tesla over a competing EV. The flap door isn't what got them where they are.

Ford sells 900,000 f150s a year. Its the best selling vehicle in the US for what 40yr..50yrs? I think they know what they are doing.

Also..how is the flap a 5 step process..you push the flap and come open..right?

If we truly want people to embrace EVs(mass adoption) the transition needs to makes sense and we need to keep some familiarity. People on the whole do not like change, they don't embrace change. Making something more technologically advanced with little benefit is counterproductive.

 

[FlasherZ]

Our volt had a door flap that opened with the press of a button inside the car...unless there was snow or ice causing it to get stuck. It got stuck often enough and required very careful prying and someone else pressing the release button. The bolt, xc40 EV and xc90 phev are all manually opening. No problems with that. Maybe there should be ppf on the charge door because it will be touched multiple times per day with whatever dirt is on the hands and paint of the car. It is simply a new habit to form (close the charge door or close the DC pin cover then close the charge door). What about hanging up the charge cable? Should it automatically spool and store itself?

I guess I haven't had the same problems, except those that are common, whether manual or automatic. I've had to carefully beat and pry 1/2" of ice off my manual fuel doors plenty of times. Can't say it's been any worse with an automatic port that is designed well.

The Lightning uses one of those "push-toggle" closures that will likely have the same problems as the automatic doors (it doesn't have the "finger grab" that older fuel doors have). You will be carefully prying the ice from around the LIghtning's charge port door so that you can press it and hope it bounces back enough to pry it open.

I worry about the longevity about the charge port cover. It's not even metal like my F-250's fuel door - it's thin plastic.

You laugh, but people have designed the self-spooling charge cable as well, taking a wall connector apart and adapting it to the guts of one of those spooling extension cords (not recommended), or using hanging tool retractors to pull the cable up in the air. Frankly, I'd love that too, as my FCSP is behind the truck and plugging in requires stringing the cord to the front.

And yes, as I mentioned earlier, I recognize I will form a new habit for the 5-step process instead of the 1-step process. But I can point out the annoyance.

 

[FlasherZ]

No I don't think you do.

On this, you and I will disagree. You call it being an "EV fan", I call it "real-world experience" by now.

After using search to review posts from you containing the word "Tesla", it's clear to see that there's no sense in continuing any constructive dialog with you. Anything connected to Elon or Tesla has obviously burned something deep within you. I wish you the best.

 

[Maquis]

FWIW, I agree with the OP. I’ve had the charge port door on my MME pop open from the water pressure of a touchless car wash. There are reports on the MME forum about doors being opened and ripped off in a brush type car wash. One guy left his open and broke it off backing out of his garage. Some report them popping open just driving down the street with no external force being applied.

When I picked up my dealer’s Lightning service loaner, the service manager warned me about 2 things: 1) “This thing is fast -be careful”, and 2) “Be careful with the charge port door. It will probably get redesigned in the future.” Apparently, someone had already damaged it. The truck had about 400 miles on it.

The whole design just seems very flimsy on both the MME and the Lightning.

The first time I saw an E-Tron charging at a DCFC, I was immediately jealous of its charge port design.

 

[VTbuckeye]

I guess I haven't had the same problems, except those that are common, whether manual or automatic. I've had to carefully beat and pry 1/2" of ice off my manual fuel doors plenty of times. Can't say it's been any worse with an automatic port that is designed well.

The Lightning uses one of those "push-toggle" closures that will likely have the same problems as the automatic doors (it doesn't have the "finger grab" that older fuel doors have). You will be carefully prying the ice from around the LIghtning's charge port door so that you can press it and hope it bounces back enough to pry it open.

I worry about the longevity about the charge port cover. It's not even metal like my F-250's fuel door - it's thin plastic.

You laugh, but people have designed the self-spooling charge cable as well, taking a wall connector apart and adapting it to the guts of one of those spooling extension cords (not recommended), or using hanging tool retractors to pull the cable up in the air. Frankly, I'd love that too, as my FCSP is behind the truck and plugging in requires stringing the cord to the front.

And yes, as I mentioned earlier, I recognize I will form a new habit for the 5-step process instead of the 1-step process. But I can point out the annoyance.

I don't use a spool for mine, but in order to be able to charge inside the garage and outside to the right I have my charge cable suspended from rafters with J hooks from the rear right corner of the car to the front left. The cable can also run under the garage door and charge a car outside without blocking the garage or driving over the cable.

The press and release spring toggle of the charge doors in my experience has cleared the snow/ice that would prevent opening. The movement creates the space to break the ice ice/detach from the charge door. The volt had no movement of the door/no way to break the ice so gentle prying with plastic tools was required.

 

[greenne]

I'll just drop this here. (BTW, just because I don't think the door needs the complexity of an auto open/close doesn't mean I think the door is perfect and/or need a redesign to make it more durable, functional).

https://www.guideautoweb.com/en/art...-explained-by-ford-s-designers-and-engineers/


"The process of developing the F-150 Lightning was a long and methodical one, as you’d expect. Ford spent the past three years surveying F-150 customers and future potential buyers to know exactly what they want and need.


According to Jasen Turnbull, Marketing Manager for the F-150 Lightning, the vehicle targets younger, more tech-savvy customers with higher revenues who tend to live closer to urban centres. But these people also want versatility and capability to do all sorts of work.

In focus groups, they told Ford they would like a pickup that is “distinct but not different, something modern and advanced that does not look like a spaceship or doorstop.” While he didn’t name it, Turnbull was referring particularly to the controversial Tesla Cybertruck.

That’s why the F-150 Lightning carries existing F-150 design DNA, with the same silhouette and pretty much the same style. Beyond signature elements such as the front and rear light bars and unique wheels, this is the most aerodynamic F-150 ever, with improvements like newly shaped running boards, a sculpted hood to reduce drag, and grilles that replace air intake holes with a smoother, textured surface."

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