Can the F150L Plug and Charge

[Texas Dan]

I saw Plug and Charge mentioned on the Ford F150L website but there really isn't any information on Plug and Charge. For all you newbies, Plug and Charge is where pull up to a commercial charger, plug-in and walk away with no hassling with apps, credit cards or RFID cards. Plug and Charge is on my wish list for my next EV and I really hope the F150L I have a reservation for will have this feature.

Does anyone actually know if Plug and Charge will be supported on the F150L?

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[shutterbug]

I saw Plug and Charge mentioned on the Ford F150L website but there really isn't any information on Plug and Charge. For all you newbies, Plug and Charge is where pull up to a commercial charger, plug-in and walk away with no hassling with apps, credit cards or RFID cards. Plug and Charge is on my wish list for my next EV and I really hope the F150L I have a reservation for will have this feature.

Does anyone actually know if Plug and Charge will be supported on the F150L?

Why wouldn't it? It's already supported for MME (but only at EA). The bigger issue is that by default P&C uses standard rate of $0.43/kWh. You can use that, or skip P&C and pay EA membership of $4.00 a month and get $0.31/kWh. i think FORD lets you sign up for Pass+ membership for $50.00 a year.

 

[RickLightning]

I saw Plug and Charge mentioned on the Ford F150L website but there really isn't any information on Plug and Charge. For all you newbies, Plug and Charge is where pull up to a commercial charger, plug-in and walk away with no hassling with apps, credit cards or RFID cards. Plug and Charge is on my wish list for my next EV and I really hope the F150L I have a reservation for will have this feature.

Does anyone actually know if Plug and Charge will be supported on the F150L?

Yes, it will (since the Mach-E has had it since launch).

Once you use your free 250 charging hours on EA chargers, Plug and Charge will cost more than using separate apps. They are now offering an option to pay $50 a year to get discounted charging. EA's Pass+ is $4 a month and you can toggle it on and off at will. Unless you use DC charging monthly, that makes more sense. I open the app, click on the charger, and swipe. Takes about 15 seconds to connect.

 

[jefro]

It may be possible for other EV's to do that. It basically reads the vin but could be used by crooks and I assume it will shortly. I'll need two factor authentication on the app.

 

[tbinmd]

It may be possible for other EV's to do that. It basically reads the vin but could be used by crooks and I assume it will shortly. I'll need two factor authentication on the app.

It's not that basic, the car and charger do talk and the car exchanges an authorization token. It's not just the VIN.

P&C on EA has been hit or miss with our Taycan. App always works, If the charger is working. Sometimes you have to call EA because they have to reboot the charger. I try to move to another charger before calling EA, since that means another 20-30mins of waiting for them to fix or authorize the charger. It's bad enough to wait 22 minutes for a full charge.

 

[jefro]

I use my rfid cards or the app.

 

[TheVirtualTim]

I'm sure it will have Plug & Charge. I have it on my Mach-E.

Note that to use it, you have to do a couple of things first.

(1) Add a payment method: You have to log into your Ford account (owner.ford.com), pick the vehicle, go to Connected Services -> Blue Oval Charge Network, and make sure you add a payment method. The Mach-E came with 250kWh worth of free charging at Electrify America stations (and only Electrify America). But even on free charging credits, you still had to have a payment method on-file to enable Plug & Charge. Your card would only be charged once the free credits are exhausted.

While I personally did not run into this ... some owners reported that there was a delay between the time when they set up their account vs. when they could use it (e.g. they could not use it immediately ... but could use it the following day).

(2) Enable Plug & Charge: In the FordPass app, you have to enable Plug & Charge. Go into Vehicle -> Charging -> Blue Oval Charge Network -> Plug & Charge, and make sure it is enabled.

Generally *nearly* any Electrify America station supports this. While driving from Michigan to Florida I found just *one* EA station (that looked much older than any station I've used before) that didn't support P&C. I'd say this is rare ... but they are out there.

There are allegedly some Greenlots (now re-branded as "Shell Recharge") that support P&C ... I have not encountered any (yet).

Incidentally ... Electrify America offers a Pass+ membership that costs $4/month (and you can sign up for just one month ... no need to commit to a year if you don't want to) and this gives you about 25% of the cost of a charge. It's generally worth it EVEN for just a single charge. BUT ... it doesn't support Plug & Charge. If P&C is enabled, it will identify and authorize your vehicle through FordPass (which wont know you have a Pass+ membership) and you pay full price instead of the discounted price. Once your free credits are exhausted ... you might want to disable P&C to get the better rate.

Ford has an arrangement to allow Blue Oval Charge Network members (e.g. us) to sign up for EA Pass+ through Plug & Charge. The cost was $50/year (you can't buy this by the month).

But there was a glitch. Mach-E owners who upgraded their accounts were discovered that they were *still* paying full-price (as if they were not upgraded). I noticed that Ford has pulled the feature that lets you upgrade your account ... presumably while they sort this out. I expect it will be re-instated at some point in the (hopefully near) future.

 

[EVBill]

I'm sure it will have Plug & Charge. I have it on my Mach-E.

Note that to use it, you have to do a couple of things first.

(1) Add a payment method: You have to log into your Ford account (owner.ford.com), pick the vehicle, go to Connected Services -> Blue Oval Charge Network, and make sure you add a payment method. The Mach-E came with 250kWh worth of free charging at Electrify America stations (and only Electrify America). But even on free charging credits, you still had to have a payment method on-file to enable Plug & Charge. Your card would only be charged once the free credits are exhausted.

While I personally did not run into this ... some owners reported that there was a delay between the time when they set up their account vs. when they could use it (e.g. they could not use it immediately ... but could use it the following day).

(2) Enable Plug & Charge: In the FordPass app, you have to enable Plug & Charge. Go into Vehicle -> Charging -> Blue Oval Charge Network -> Plug & Charge, and make sure it is enabled.

Generally *nearly* any Electrify America station supports this. While driving from Michigan to Florida I found just *one* EA station (that looked much older than any station I've used before) that didn't support P&C. I'd say this is rare ... but they are out there.

There are allegedly some Greenlots (now re-branded as "Shell Recharge") that support P&C ... I have not encountered any (yet).

Incidentally ... Electrify America offers a Pass+ membership that costs $4/month (and you can sign up for just one month ... no need to commit to a year if you don't want to) and this gives you about 25% of the cost of a charge. It's generally worth it EVEN for just a single charge. BUT ... it doesn't support Plug & Charge. If P&C is enabled, it will identify and authorize your vehicle through FordPass (which wont know you have a Pass+ membership) and you pay full price instead of the discounted price. Once your free credits are exhausted ... you might want to disable P&C to get the better rate.

Ford has an arrangement to allow Blue Oval Charge Network members (e.g. us) to sign up for EA Pass+ through Plug & Charge. The cost was $50/year (you can't buy this by the month).

But there was a glitch. Mach-E owners who upgraded their accounts were discovered that they were *still* paying full-price (as if they were not upgraded). I noticed that Ford has pulled the feature that lets you upgrade your account ... presumably while they sort this out. I expect it will be re-instated at some point in the (hopefully near) future.

On your Michigan to Florida trip (I am assuming a trip straight down I-75), where did you charge between Detroit and Cincinnati/Lexington area? That seems to be the section that has the largest hole with respect to DC fast chargers. I expect to make a couple trips a year from NorthWest Detroit Metro down to a bit north of Orlando and see that once you get south of Lexington the fast chargers are much more available.

 

[TheVirtualTim]

On your Michigan to Florida trip (I am assuming a trip straight down I-75), where did you charge between Detroit and Cincinnati/Lexington area? That seems to be the section that has the largest hole with respect to DC fast chargers. I expect to make a couple trips a year from NorthWest Detroit Metro down to a bit north of Orlando and see that once you get south of Lexington the fast chargers are much more available.

We booked the Amtrak Auto-Train ... which basically runs from Washington DC to Orlando FL. But when we were nearly in Washington (we had booked a hotel with EV charging to stay the night as our train was scheduled to leave the following day) we got a call from Amtrak. A freight train had blocked the tracks (I think it was a derailment) and that delayed the train so much that they had to cancel. Worse ... every train for the rest of the week was fully booked. So we drove the rest of the way.

HOWEVER ... I have looked at the route straight down I-75 and the charging hole is from Detroit to Dayton, OH. Along that route there is an "Apollo Career Center" in Lima, OH which has a 50kW DC charger ... so not fast ... and they only have ONE ... but according to recent charge history on PlugShare it is working (always check PlugShare and check the charge history posts to make sure people have recently used a station to verify it actually does work).

On a full charge you could probably make it to Dayton without stopping ... but I'd keep an eye on the miles/kW to make sure ... just in case a stop is needed. Also if you DO need a stop you probably wouldn't need an 80% charge ... just enough to complete the segment. So not great ... but not too bad.

Once you get past that ... you can find Electrify America DC Fast Chargers that deliver 150kW (or better) charging speeds.

The I-75 corridor from Detroit to Dayton is about a 200 mile stretch with a decent DC Fast Charger.

The I-69 corridor from Lansing is another ... 250 miles from Lansing to Indianapolis without a decent DC Fast Charger. Marshall, MI has some 62.5 kW chargers and Fort Wayne has a Chevy dealer, a Jaguar dealer, and a Harley dealer. The Chevy dealer has the charger inside a service bay ... but they do reportedly allow any Chevy Bolt owner to use it if it is available ... but apparently not others. The Jag & Harley dealers are 25kW chargers ... so pretty slow. Fort Wayne DESPERATELY needs a DC Fast Charger.

 

[hturnerfamily]

Plug & Charge should be included with the Lightning, but the Equipment provided at the charge point is what allows that to happen - I'm sure that over time this will become the 'default' action whenever plugging in an EV, but, for now, it's hit and miss.
As far as I know, it's simply the ability for the equipment to 'read' the vehicle, it's VIN#, etc., and link that simple number back to an account that allows the equipment to then 'activate' the charging. Otherwise, you go thru the same basic transaction as you do now.

I would say that it's somewhat like today's credit card 'readers', especially at fuel pumps. Some are the 'old school' type where you quickly 'swipe' your card in and out. Now, though, you run into those newer units which require you to KEEP your card inserted UNTIL it tells you to remove it. Also, some still require you to enter your ZIP code, where others simply activate the pump without it. Some now say they will allow me to simply 'wave' my card near the reader, although many of those DON'T then activate the pump, they beep and tell me that my card can't be read, or it must still be 'inserted'. Crazy.

 

[EVBill]

The I-69 corridor from Lansing is another ... 250 miles from Lansing to Indianapolis without a decent DC Fast Charger. Marshall, MI has some 62.5 kW chargers and Fort Wayne has a Chevy dealer, a Jaguar dealer, and a Harley dealer. The Chevy dealer has the charger inside a service bay ... but they do reportedly allow any Chevy Bolt owner to use it if it is available ... but apparently not others. The Jag & Harley dealers are 25kW chargers ... so pretty slow. Fort Wayne DESPERATELY needs a DC Fast Charger.

I would agree this section is as bad or worse. The US-23 TO US24 to I-469 to I-69 route to is just as bad. I am surprised that no DC fast chargers have popped up yet in Fort Wayne also (I-69 or I-469 side). I travel once every 2-3 months from the Detroit area to my parents that are 40 miles North of Indy and the trip is virtually impossible with the lack of chargers. My parents are moving in July to Florida so that will no longer be a worry but then I will run into the gap from Detroit to Dayton.

 

[RickLightning]

On your Michigan to Florida trip (I am assuming a trip straight down I-75), where did you charge between Detroit and Cincinnati/Lexington area? That seems to be the section that has the largest hole with respect to DC fast chargers. I expect to make a couple trips a year from NorthWest Detroit Metro down to a bit north of Orlando and see that once you get south of Lexington the fast chargers are much more available.

In addition to the Apollo Career Center, there is a Chevy dealer in Toledo with a 25kw charger. Apollo only has one plug, as does the Chevy dealer.

We make it 200 miles form A2 to Huber Heights on a full charge. Last time we stopped at Chevy dealer for 30 min the cause it was 19 degrees.

There are EA chargers east on Ohio Turnpike, but I didn't want that extra driving.

I would expect to see a DC charger go in at 475/23 in Toledo, and one in Findlay.

 

[EVBill]

I would expect to see a DC charger go in at 475/23 in Toledo, and one in Findlay.

Plugshare shows a DCFC going in just West of the I-475/I-75 intersection on the South side of Toledo, but does not indicate how many connections are going in. This would help greatly in the lack of chargers on I-75 from Detroit to Dayton.

 

[RickLightning]

Plugshare shows a DCFC going in just West of the I-475/I-75 intersection on the South side of Toledo, but does not indicate how many connections are going in. This would help greatly in the lack of chargers on I-75 from Detroit to Dayton.

Red E charge. Very expensive at other locations.

 

[jefro]

Find what network that charger is on. Some place will show number of cables and power output. Plugshare so far as I've seen always shows the same data as network does.

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