F-150 Lightning Electrical System Overview – w/ 12v Battery, Power and Ground Points

[Maquis]

I have been using an aftermarket accessory that is using about 3~10watts for the past month, since 20230329. So that should be using 72~240Wh per day... Given that "the lightning has a 35AH battery, so about 420Wh but it catches it at 30% minimum SoC so at most it should let 294Wh get consumed" per triggering of the "HV to LV Energy Transfer" feature.

This fits my observations, in that over the weekends when I sometimes do not drive the truck for more than a day, or when I do I am making very short trips which might not have time to fully recharge the 12v battery... I am getting a FordPass app and in vehicle notification that says: "There is an electrical drain in TruckName, possibly caused by after-market device(s). If that's not the case, please schedule service soon." I got this notice 2023.{0402(2days off), 0407(2days off), 0414(1day off), 0416 & 0417(2days off and two consecutive days notification), 0423}. So I think this proves that the Lariat trim also has this feature.

Also, the bullitin states: "this is a feature in all plug in vehicles" so it should be present in all trims of all BEV vehicles. It makes sense in that it's really silly for a discharged 0.4kWh 12v battery to completely disable a vehicle with a 60~130kWh HV Traction battery pack that can easily keep the 12v charged for days to months even if a parasitic load is present in the 12v system...

Since I know my discharge is in fact caused by an "after-market device(s)" I have been recording but otherwise ignoring the notification. The wording of the notice indicates to me that no service is required if the user is aware of why there is an electrical drain.

Thanks for the detailed information.

I know for a fact that several Mach-E owners have had their 12V battery drained while the car was off to the point it couldn't be started. Some by accessories, others by 3rd party apps accessing the car using the FordPass API. So either the bulletin is wrong about it applying to all Ford BEVs, or there is some defect in the way this was implemented in the Mach-E.

Thanks again!

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[Dolio]

A quick few searches: Ford {PHEV,BEV} {,first,production}:
* Ford delivered in 2008 the first flexible-fuel plug-in hybrid SUV to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid, capable of running on gasoline or E85 History_of_plug-in_hybrids.
* The Ford Fusion Energi was released in the U.S. market by late February 2013, and retail deliveries began in March 2013. A total of 6,089 units were sold in the U.S. in 2013 & Ford C-Max Energi
* The Ford Focus BEV was the concept electric car introduced by Ford Motor Company at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show - Production December 2011 – May 2018 - As of September 2014, cumulative sales in the American market reached 3,965 units Ford_Focus_Electric.
* https://insideevs.com/features/342330/ford-electric-cars-past-present-and-future/
* The Ford Mustang Mach-E is a battery electric compact crossover SUV produced by Ford. The vehicle was introduced on November 17, 2019, and went on sale in December 2020 as a 2021 model. Ford_Mustang_Mach-E

So, I would not assume this feature is present for anything before the Mach-E... I'm fairly certain it was not present in the most recent fusion nor the ranger. Not sure about the C-Max, but it might have been.

Regarding early Mach-E, perhaps the feature was created after the initial launch. While it should be possible for updates to add such a feature. Doing so could require updating some low level components firmware. While this is a thing that Tesla does regularly with OTA Updates to firmware in components. I'm not as confident that the rest of the auto industry which relies more heavily on down stream suppliers for their components, is able to update such things so easily.

I recently ran across this, which is sort of next level "12v accessory" low voltage system in the Tesla ecosystems:

 

[MickeyAO]

I recently ran across this, which is sort of next level "12v accessory" low voltage system in the Tesla ecosystems:

I've tested this in my lab...I doubt I will be looking to purchase one for my truck.

 

[Dolio]

I've tested this in my lab...I doubt I will be looking to purchase one for my truck.

Oh, of course, This exact Tesla "12v" (16v nominal actual) lithium battery I would definitely not recommend for anyone to try and use in anything other than the Tesla cars it is supposed to be installed in.

Although... There are other LiFePo4 "12v equivalent" automotive replacement batteries that might work in the Lightning or Mach-E. Most of them have their own integrated BMS, and that device will have some current (Amps) limit for discharge and charge capabilities that should be paid close attention to. Even then, if you aren't willing to go deep and take responsibility for something going wrong when using such a Lithium 12v battery replacement, I would probably just recommend sticking with whatever the dealer suggests if/when your 12v accessory battery needs service.

Or, frankly, any standard PbA (Lead-Acid) automotive battery with similar or greater Ah capacity should work just fine in the Lightning or Mach-E. I suspect a lower capacity battery would also work, but the car would probably throw errors and report it as degraded and in need of replacement when it saw the voltage drop faster than it expected. The big change here is that the Lightning and Mach-E essentially have a basic BMS (Battery Management System) for the 12v accessory battery now. In that it is counting the Ah in/out of the battery so that it can determin how healthy it is. This is beyond the more simple test of "is the voltage way to low" to be healthy that we have all used for years. ie: if the lights are dim and it can't crank over the engine, then it's time for a new 12v battery.

 

[GDN]

A quick few searches: Ford {PHEV,BEV} {,first,production}:
* Ford delivered in 2008 the first flexible-fuel plug-in hybrid SUV to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid, capable of running on gasoline or E85 History_of_plug-in_hybrids.
* The Ford Fusion Energi was released in the U.S. market by late February 2013, and retail deliveries began in March 2013. A total of 6,089 units were sold in the U.S. in 2013 & Ford C-Max Energi
* The Ford Focus BEV was the concept electric car introduced by Ford Motor Company at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show - Production December 2011 – May 2018 - As of September 2014, cumulative sales in the American market reached 3,965 units Ford_Focus_Electric.
* https://insideevs.com/features/342330/ford-electric-cars-past-present-and-future/
* The Ford Mustang Mach-E is a battery electric compact crossover SUV produced by Ford. The vehicle was introduced on November 17, 2019, and went on sale in December 2020 as a 2021 model. Ford_Mustang_Mach-E

So, I would not assume this feature is present for anything before the Mach-E... I'm fairly certain it was not present in the most recent fusion nor the ranger. Not sure about the C-Max, but it might have been.

Regarding early Mach-E, perhaps the feature was created after the initial launch. While it should be possible for updates to add such a feature. Doing so could require updating some low level components firmware. While this is a thing that Tesla does regularly with OTA Updates to firmware in components. I'm not as confident that the rest of the auto industry which relies more heavily on down stream suppliers for their components, is able to update such things so easily.

I recently ran across this, which is sort of next level "12v accessory" low voltage system in the Tesla ecosystems:

Tesla replaced the 12v lead acid battery every 36 months or less sometimes in the 3 and Y. The life span was not that great. They've moved to the new Liion battery. Much less weight which is one nice factor. I wasn't aware of the 16v vs 12v. We are just hitting the 2 to 3 year mark for them, so it will be interesting their longevity and long term cost reduction if they prove to last as long as the HV battery does.

 

[Dolio]

Tesla replaced the 12v lead acid battery every 36 months or less sometimes in the 3 and Y. The life span was not that great. They've moved to the new Liion battery. Much less weight which is one nice factor. I wasn't aware of the 16v vs 12v. We are just hitting the 2 to 3 year mark for them, so it will be interesting their longevity and long term cost reduction if they prove to last as long as the HV battery does.

Indeed, it will be interesting to see if these new Li accessory batteries extend the longevity, I expect that they should. Especially seeing as how they appear to now have a somewhat advanced and programmable BMS on board which can keep it healthy.

Digging up old EV Conversion and Drag racing knowledge from when we all used PbA back in the day. There are a few things that can lead to premature lead-acid capacity loss. And one of them is an atrophy from non-use and continuous float charging them. Which is probably what happens with most hybrids, PHEVs, BEVs which never use their PbA to crank over an engine. It has been a problem in cars like the Prius as well as BEVs. Periodic high current use is actually a healthy thing for most PbA batteries. Also a periodic deep cycle can also be healthy. These things help prevent and repair sulfating and crystal formation... One trick was to leave the headlights on for a half hour or so a few times a year just to give the PbA a little exercise.

On the flip side, me having added extra aftermarket loads that appear to put my 12v through a medium-deep cycle roughly once a week. Could also lead to it degrading due to frequency of cycles, if it gets ~52 per year each weekend, and also slightly more shallow cycles daily. Or perhaps these cycles will result in mine lasting longer than normal due to it not remaining idle and atrophying early? A PbA can generally last for a few hundred cycles, perhaps 300~900 cycles, off the top of my head. Time will tell...

 

[johnnyonetime]

Has anyone replaced the LVB in their lightning with an Ohmmu yet? If so, how is it working?

I had been getting system off to save battery on the touchscreen disabling the interior lighting which sucks in the dark and truck failed to complete OTA updates for several weeks. Had battery checked at Quick Lane which showed low charge but they said not to worry just get a trickle charger. Also, they said if the battery was bad they would replace it.
Sorry, not doing a charger. Factory battery not doing the job and heard they are scarce. Can’t afford to get stranded or have the truck at the dealer for an extended period of time.
So I ordered the Ohmmu and installed it yesterday. Really like the app that shows SOC and configuration for F150 Lightning.
Was concerned battery delivered with 31% SOC but the truck had it at 100% this morning. Installed an OTA software update on the first attempt.
A few glitches during installation, used a memory saver that turned out to be unnecessary. Trailer brake system alert wouldn’t clear and frunk lid failed to work. Disconnected the negative cable for 1 minute, reinstalled and alert cleared. Closed frunk manually and normal operation resumed.
Very happy with the battery. No more worrying about the weak link in the electrical system.

 

[GDN]

I had been getting system off to save battery on the touchscreen disabling the interior lighting which sucks in the dark and truck failed to complete OTA updates for several weeks. Had battery checked at Quick Lane which showed low charge but they said not to worry just get a trickle charger. Also, they said if the battery was bad they would replace it.
Sorry, not doing a charger. Factory battery not doing the job and heard they are scarce. Can’t afford to get stranded or have the truck at the dealer for an extended period of time.
So I ordered the Ohmmu and installed it yesterday. Really like the app that shows SOC and configuration for F150 Lightning.
Was concerned battery delivered with 31% SOC but the truck had it at 100% this morning. Installed an OTA software update on the first attempt.
A few glitches during installation, used a memory saver that turned out to be unnecessary. Trailer brake system alert wouldn’t clear and frunk lid failed to work. Disconnected the negative cable for 1 minute, reinstalled and alert cleared. Closed frunk manually and normal operation resumed.
Very happy with the battery. No more worrying about the weak link in the electrical system.

As long as the battery will mimmick the charging cycle of the lead acid battery, you're likely OK.

The 12v is a huge miss on Ford's part for sure.

The Frunk not closing is by design anytime the 12v has been disconnected. You must manually close it and it will reset.

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