Charge Station Pro Problems

[FlasherZ]

Observations from today:

* When I unplugged my truck after returning from vacation, the LED on the FCSP went white instead of blue (white is used when the unit is going through setup).
* However, my version in the app still shows .64 and my unit is still cycling while charging and giving me errors in the app. Maybe it needs a reboot overnight or something?
* When I got back home today from errands, my OBD2 instrumentation reported only 48A charging instead of the usual 77A. I thought that was odd - so I unplugged and replugged, and the truck went all the way up to 77A. So not sure if there's something weird going on.

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[ChrisCon]

Does anyone know specifically what to do to
Get the update pushed to your CSP ? I now have more ford powerup updates including the recall update, but my charger is still running the old software.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

Derating the power is a Band-Aid until the solution of revising the thermal limit is proven safe, possibly bureaucrats at UL or other electrical standards & authorities have a say before a change allowing full power at 80 amps can happen.

Tesla has derated our charging twice without any ramifications - claiming safety and stability - but we all knew the cables were running too hot at 80, 72 and 60. They settled on 48, no lawsuits, no class actions, no payments. Same thing at Superchargers for older models. Everybody just goes slower now and puts up with it. It seems folks understand that we're in a new era and auto manufacturers are putting stuff out in beta that they think will work as designed, but are learning as they go - so when adjustments are made (in the case of Tesla, both upward in terms of features through OTA, and downward in terms of charging speed, fun stuff like the boombox, reduced AP functionality after idiots climbed in the back seat while filming), we tend to roll with the changes.

Notwithstanding promised features and specs, stuff happens and everyone is doing their best, no one WANTS the charger to miss spec. The first two Tesla wall chargers I received in 2012 and 2013 (Gen I - they are now on Gen 3, but they look pretty much the same) were "recalled" within a couple months and had to be field upgraded with new internals - did it myself - big fuses and fuse busses were sent out with detailed instructions on replacing components - came with the territory for early adopters. Anyone receiving a Lightning in 2022 ought to be fairly flexible in terms of expectations about updates and recalls - we will be getting them. I expect that Ford will be paying a LOT of attention as we learn about the vehicles and will be all over us for service and support - more so than their standard ICE products.

If we wanted everything fully worked through we would have waited a bit - buying the first of any model comes with this risk - but there's only so many breaths in life, and I thoroughly enjoyed the early Tesla experience despite the many bumps and rebuilds/replacements that went with the territory. Tesla STILL has engineering issues, so waiting would have yielded little, and ten years of ownership was a huge life experience. The Lightning isn't nearly as life-changing if you've already had that, but it is still a big deal, one of the coolest things you will ever experience, so let's enjoy and roll with the teething pain. I'm not saying ignore problems, but let's understand they are part of the deal for which we signed.

 

[PiMatrix]

Tesla has derated our charging twice without any ramifications - claiming safety and stability - but we all knew the cables were running too hot at 80, 72 and 60. They settled on 48, no lawsuits, no class actions, no payments. Same thing at Superchargers for older models. Everybody just goes slower now and puts up with it. It seems folks understand that we're in a new era and auto manufacturers are putting stuff out in beta that they think will work as designed, but are learning as they go - so when adjustments are made (in the case of Tesla, both upward in terms of features through OTA, and downward in terms of charging speed, fun stuff like the boombox, reduced AP functionality after idiots climbed in the back seat while filming), we tend to roll with the changes.

Notwithstanding promised features and specs, stuff happens and everyone is doing their best, no one WANTS the charger to miss spec. The first two Tesla wall chargers I received in 2012 and 2013 (Gen I - they are now on Gen 3, but they look pretty much the same) were "recalled" within a couple months and had to be field upgraded with new internals - did it myself - big fuses and fuse busses were sent out with detailed instructions on replacing components - came with the territory for early adopters. Anyone receiving a Lightning in 2022 ought to be fairly flexible in terms of expectations about updates and recalls - we will be getting them. I expect that Ford will be paying a LOT of attention as we learn about the vehicles and will be all over us for service and support - more so than their standard ICE products.

If we wanted everything fully worked through we would have waited a bit - buying the first of any model comes with this risk - but there's only so many breaths in life, and I thoroughly enjoyed the early Tesla experience despite the many bumps and rebuilds/replacements that went with the territory. Tesla STILL has engineering issues, so waiting would have yielded little, and ten years of ownership was a huge life experience. The Lightning isn't nearly as life-changing if you've already had that, but it is still a big deal, one of the coolest things you will ever experience, so let's enjoy and roll with the teething pain. I'm not saying ignore problems, but let's understand they are part of the deal for which we signed.

Agree with everything you said but at the same time thorough testing is key and in all types of conditions. Beta testing by a small group of avid users is also a invaluable resource. The software industry could not deliver quality software without it and cars are becoming more and more a software app. Hard to do this internally under all use conditions.

With these FCSP temperature issues I think something got thru that should not have given prevalence of reports. Maybe a last minute change since it was UL approved.

Yes being on the forefront on new technology should awe us every day but be prepared for things to not work. As long as Ford real time takes this input, has good communication to customers, and works on on adequate solutions meeting the design goals promised in timely fashion it is just life in the fast lane.

 

[bg226]

I was finally able to update the amperage on my CSP to 80 yesterday and can report that I successfully charged from 60%-90% without any issues or error messages, since the OTA update installed a few days ago.

The interesting this is that my charge sessions no longer show up in the Insights section of the app.

 

[Firestop]

I was finally able to update the amperage on my CSP to 80 yesterday and can report that I successfully charged from 60%-90% without any issues or error messages, since the OTA update installed a few days ago.

The interesting this is that my charge sessions no longer show up in the Insights section of the app.

Well, good to see you got one other insight nonetheless, a successful 80A charge….it gives me hope for my upcoming installation.

BTW, did you check the heat generated at the FCSP?

 

[Marcoux]

Yep same here...80amp seems to work, but I can no longer log my energy usage in the app.

Two steps forward, one step back

 

[bg226]

Well, good to see you got one other insight nonetheless, a successful 80A charge….it gives me hope for my upcoming installation.

BTW, did you check the heat generated at the FCSP?

No. How would I do that?

 

[Firestop]

No. How would I do that?

With the cover off and an IR temp reader…….

 

[PiMatrix]

I was finally able to update the amperage on my CSP to 80 yesterday and can report that I successfully charged from 60%-90% without any issues or error messages, since the OTA update installed a few days ago.

The interesting this is that my charge sessions no longer show up in the Insights section of the app.

Usually with software updates there are some technical notes that say what was changed or fixed. Does Ford provide this with updates to car? We should not need to guess this. In the Farley video he mentioned the fix would be raising the safety temp limit in the charger as it was conservative and climate change is making homes hotter. However there were some earlier firmware updates to at least a few people where the charger current throttled down before the temp limit was exceeded.

Since this truck has become a big layer of software and apps on the commodity motor and battery hardware I think @FordMotorCompany should start treating it the way you see our other hardware gear (e.g. iphones) get updated. List the updates, changes, fixes, or removals of features. Also there should be a mechanism in the apps to report bugs or issues and send those directly to Ford team for diagnosis vs spend hours on the phone with support people who have no idea what is going on. No way to be a leader in the car of the future unless this is done. It's all going to be about keeping the car features current with updates and software or hardware fixes and keeping customers informed on those steps so it should be formalized. Even a link to a website with version numbers and comments would be a bare minimum to start. Also there should be a firmware update button that shows a new version is available can be decided by customer - now, later, or never. I don't have a Tesla but I understand they recognize the advantages of doing this and many customers look forward to it. I hope Ford intends to do the same way and not just have updates plop in at random and have us guess what is in them.

 

[ChrisCon]

@bg226 Did ford specify anything that should be done to help the update happen? Obviously it has to be connected to wifi, but did they say to make sure your truck isn't charging between 2:00 and 3:00 am ? I still haven't gotten the update.

 

[Marcoux]

My FCSP light went white the other morning as soon as I unplugged my truck. I let it be for a bit and when I came back, it seems as though the update had happened...

 

[RainorshinePNW]

@bg226 Did ford specify anything that should be done to help the update happen? Obviously it has to be connected to wifi, but did they say to make sure your truck isn't charging between 2:00 and 3:00 am ? I still haven't gotten the update.

I hadn't charged in about 3 days but my FCSP still had the update when I looked. I'm sure all it needs is it's wifi connection and they're rolling out the update progressively

 

[galaxyeagles2]

My charger had the update (EVSE Software Version 2.112.68:2.127:1.10:0.31:0.40) and I’ve been charging since about 5:30 today. I’m in PA. Previously I had the charger set to 64A to keep it from faulting out. The charger is inside my garage and the truck is outside. I plugged in today at ~40% charge with the charger set to 80A. It faulted at 6:18PM. I turned it down to 78A but otherwise did not unplug or anything, it continues charging on its own when it cools down. It faulted again at 6:53, I turned it down to 76A. It faulted again at 7:29, I turned it down to 74A. It faulted again at 8:02, I turned it down to 72A. It faulted again at 8:37. I turned it down to 68A because I might fall asleep and I don’t want a bunch of fault alerts in the morning. It hasn’t faulted again yet and the truck is at 78% charge. I think the truck was saying it was 94 degrees out when I pulled in today and my Chamberlain garage door opener button on the wall in my garage is currently saying it’s 91 in my garage. The truck is outside and the garage door is shut with the charge cord running under the door. Unfortunately I do not have an IR temp gauge to take any readings on the charger and I have not opened it up to put my amp clamp on the leads.
Edit: It just faulted again at 9:24. I turned it down to 66A.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

Usually with software updates there are some technical notes that say what was changed or fixed. Does Ford provide this with updates to car? We should not need to guess this. In the Farley video he mentioned the fix would be raising the safety temp limit in the charger as it was conservative and climate change is making homes hotter. However there were some earlier firmware updates to at least a few people where the charger current throttled down before the temp limit was exceeded.

Since this truck has become a big layer of software and apps on the commodity motor and battery hardware I think @FordMotorCompany should start treating it the way you see our other hardware gear (e.g. iphones) get updated. List the updates, changes, fixes, or removals of features. Also there should be a mechanism in the apps to report bugs or issues and send those directly to Ford team for diagnosis vs spend hours on the phone with support people who have no idea what is going on. No way to be a leader in the car of the future unless this is done. It's all going to be about keeping the car features current with updates and software or hardware fixes and keeping customers informed on those steps so it should be formalized. Even a link to a website with version numbers and comments would be a bare minimum to start. Also there should be a firmware update button that shows a new version is available can be decided by customer - now, later, or never. I don't have a Tesla but I understand they recognize the advantages of doing this and many customers look forward to it. I hope Ford intends to do the same way and not just have updates plop in at random and have us guess what is in them.

Tesla does not list update details except very generally, and NEVER discusses bug fixes in its update logs, has no central or other place to get update info, and owners cannot select when or how to receive updates. To an owner it seems completely random, often frustrating, with Tesla forum members reporting new features, while you are two or three updates in arrears. There’s lots of gaming strategy about how to get updates (go sit by a Tesla service center for hours hoping the car will contact the mother ship, etc.). No one in the auto business seems to have any clue how to properly do OTA updating yet, or is so lawyered up that they won’t disclose details on the process and contents. And no, there’s no way to roll back if you lose a feature or hate the revised interface, to the chagrin of many formerly happy Tesla owners who find themselves with slower charging and lost functions.

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