FCSP current limiting via FordPass app, new feature?

[LightningShow]

I had thought early on that there was no way to limit current from the app but when I set mine up yesterady I did see that you can limit charge current anywhere from 6A to 80A. Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly and this was always available but either way it's a very nice feature to have. My FCSP is on a 40A breaker (that I had already installed for my old EVSE) and I want to upgrade it to a 100A breaker. Occasionally, based on other loads happening in my barn at the time, I may want to temporarily limit charge current to something lower. Opening up the FCSP every time would be a major headache, so this is great news!

To be clear, I haven't checked if this setting actually works! But it's there!

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[Tony Burgh]

After you link the Charge Station Pro app to the Ford Pass app, you can connect to the Charge Station Pro through your account in the Ford Pass app to set charge amps.

 

[LightningShow]

After you link the Charge Station Pro app to the Ford Pass app, you can connect to the Charge Station Pro through your account in the Ford Pass app to set charge amps.

Lol, did you read my post!

I figured this out once I connected it. I had thought you couldn't change the current via the app.

 

[RickLightning]

You cannot change the current on the Ford MOBILE charger.

 

[LightningShow]

You cannot change the current on the Ford MOBILE charger.

That was probably what I remembered!

 

[Tony Burgh]

Maybe I’m remembering incorrectly and this was always available but either way it's a very nice feature to have.

Sorry. I assumed you made a discovery. My apps have been connected since I got the charger one week after I got my truck in June.

 

[FlasherZ]

You're not really supposed to use the app in this way - NEC load calculations for your barn should have anticipated the maximum load so that your barn's feeder isn't oversubscribed and set your FCSP up to the maximum that could be handled without needing to turn it down in the app.

 

[BzzzzztZapPow]

I do recall there was a discussion about not being able to do this, as well. I tried it and it worked. Scaled 80A to a lower amperage to keep it from overheating and faulting.

 

[LightningShow]

You're not really supposed to use the app in this way - NEC load calculations for your barn should have anticipated the maximum load so that your barn's feeder isn't oversubscribed and set your FCSP up to the maximum that could be handled without needing to turn it down in the app.

"Safe" and "To Code" are not completely overlapping circles in a Venn Diagram but I generically agree with your comment.

 

[beatle]

You're not really supposed to use the app in this way - NEC load calculations for your barn should have anticipated the maximum load so that your barn's feeder isn't oversubscribed and set your FCSP up to the maximum that could be handled without needing to turn it down in the app.

There should be a hard limit set on the device itself based on the circuit/wiring, and further reductions in that could be made from the app. You just couldn't set the hard limit @ 80A on say, a 60A circuit, and then set the app to 48A and say "I'm good, see, the app says 48A!"

 

[FlasherZ]

There should be a hard limit set on the device itself based on the circuit/wiring, and further reductions in that could be made from the app. You just couldn't set the hard limit @ 80A on say, a 60A circuit, and then set the app to 48A and say "I'm good, see, the app says 48A!"

Right - for the purposes of the NEC, the software setting does not count as NEC 2020 625.42 requirement for "restricted access to an ampere adjusting means" that "shall prevent the user from gaining access to the adjusting means" via a "cover or door that requires the use of a tool to open, locked doors accessible only to qualified personnel, or password-protected commissioning software accessible only to qualified personnel".

The load calculations required for the feeder require the feeder to be sized appropriately, and the load calculation rules (sec 220) dictate how to size the feeder. You can't just say "well, 80% of the time I don't use the welder, grinder, or lathe at the same time, so I can just make sure they're off when I charge the car or adjust the current in the app".

Now, will it work? Yes. Can it work safely? Likely. Will my insurance company not pay my claim/bury me in bureaucracy if my barn burns down from an electrical issue? Maybe, depending upon how closely they want to look.

 

[FlasherZ]

"Safe" and "To Code" are not completely overlapping circles in a Venn Diagram but I generically agree with your comment.

Correct. You have to make your own judgment call.

Usually, I ask:

Will it work?
Will it work safely?
Can it kill someone?
Will it cause other headaches, such as inspection problems upon sale of property or future improvement, or a denied insurance claim?

I can definitely say that my entire life, I have not been fully compliant with the NEC everywhere, but I now pay more attention than ever, due to being just 10-20 minutes from losing a home due to a bad crimp splice + an FPE breaker failure in my rented California home.

 

[Maquis]

You're not really supposed to use the app in this way - NEC load calculations for your barn should have anticipated the maximum load so that your barn's feeder isn't oversubscribed and set your FCSP up to the maximum that could be handled without needing to turn it down in the app.

Is there an NEC load calculation schema that would apply to a barn? I’m not trying to be a smarta$$, I really don’t know!

 

[merek]

So, you can limit it in the app? I want to wire mine for 80a but only use a slower speed, "unless I need it" due to my generator not being enough to handle 80a.

 

[Marcoux]

Yup, I rarely ramp it up to the full 80 amps

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