Ford Motor Company has the MOST sophisticated OTA update system...???

[chl]

The A/B partition thing is great, when it works, and is actually pretty cool because I don't think the MachE had it at launch. They added this functionality with... an OTA. The problem is that it's not making things more reliable or address the core problem we're all having which is a complete lack of updates. I wonder if it's also part of the problem. If you partition a drive you now have less drive space on each partition, and maybe now they have to figure out how to get an OTA work with half the storage space. Now you can't do any broad sweeping update, you have to break it out to smaller incremental updates, and sometimes that gets really difficult. Further, the FoMoCo EVs are not controlled by a central computer like Teslas, they still distribute to several modules throughout the truck/car. Those modules likely can't all do A/B partitioning. All of this added complexity is likely adding a large chunk to the time it takes to plan and package updates. Reliability absolutely must trump complexity and cleverness.

Until I took extreme measures to get my 12v battery over 85% I could not get an update.
I had to:
1) turn on the truck in drive ready mode at 10pm
2) turn off everything possible that uses any 12v power, e.g., lights, turn off propower onboard
3) plug the truck into the FCSP and set to charge after 1am from 50% to 90%
4) lock the truck and go to bed for over 10 hours until about 8:20am
5) at 8:20am, message on screen said the truck was ready to install a software update
6) so I reset the install time to 8:30am, unplugged the truck, turned it off, and locked it

At about 9:15 I checked the truck and the update had installed successfully.

The 12v battery SOC was clearly the issue with my Lightning.

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[chl]

It’s crazy to me that if you have the car plugged in at home and connected to your WiFi network, it won’t check the ford server for updates and try to install them on its own.

I think there is a way to set the truck to get the updates over wifi via the menu - I have not tried that but a customer service tech told me I could try that to get the updates faster.

However, in my case the issue was the 12v battery was not above 85% SOC...

 

[02Reaper]

It's so sophisticated, even they can't figure out how to do it.

 

[invertedspear]

Until I took extreme measures to get my 12v battery over 85% I could not get an update.
I had to:
1) turn on the truck in drive ready mode at 10pm
2) turn off everything possible that uses any 12v power, e.g., lights, turn off propower onboard
3) plug the truck into the FCSP and set to charge after 1am from 50% to 90%
4) lock the truck and go to bed for over 10 hours until about 8:20am
5) at 8:20am, message on screen said the truck was ready to install a software update
6) so I reset the install time to 8:30am, unplugged the truck, turned it off, and locked it

At about 9:15 I checked the truck and the update had installed successfully.

The 12v battery SOC was clearly the issue with my Lightning.

Not sure what your anecdote has to do with immutable A/B OTA installs, unless you were countering the part where I said we weren't getting OTAs. My comment was from 2 months ago, since I made that comment I've received 4 updates as Ford finally started issuing them again. I made no such changes to my charging or install schedule. I don't think your rain dance brought the rain, I think you adjusted it right before Ford figured out what they were doing. If your LVB is low like that all the time, it could abort the install though. I wonder if you're truck (IIRC correctly you've only had it a month or two, right?) had the BMS recall work done. My LVB never shows below 90%, and I almost never see it below 100.

 

[Zprime29]

I wonder if you're truck (IIRC correctly you've only had it a month or two, right?) had the BMS recall work done. My LVB never shows below 90%, and I almost never see it below 100.

Unfortunately the SCO for the LVB does not correlate to being notified that there is an update, only installing it. I'm still superstitious about the LVB monitor replacement being key though, despite there not really being any hard evidence. I get mine done in a month (assuming the dealer finally has the part).

 

[chl]

Not sure what your anecdote has to do with immutable A/B OTA installs, unless you were countering the part where I said we weren't getting OTAs. My comment was from 2 months ago, since I made that comment I've received 4 updates as Ford finally started issuing them again. I made no such changes to my charging or install schedule. I don't think your rain dance brought the rain, I think you adjusted it right before Ford figured out what they were doing. If your LVB is low like that all the time, it could abort the install though. I wonder if you're truck (IIRC correctly you've only had it a month or two, right?) had the BMS recall work done. My LVB never shows below 90%, and I almost never see it below 100.

Yes, my reply was about not getting any updates.

If you search low voltage battery and update issues, you will find it is a common problem among Lightning owners.

The Ford customer support AND many other posters here (and on other forums) said the issue is the charge level of the 12v battery. Some posters had bad batteries and then after they were replaced, were again able to get OTA updates. Other posts were from people who monitored their battery SOC via a scanner and saw that updates only installed when the SOC was about 85%. That was later confirmed when someone posted the Ford documentation.

Like me they were people who didn't do a lot of driving. But they saw that when they had their vehicles on in Drive Ready (not just accessory mode) and plugged into their FCSP, the LVB charged and solved the problem of not getting updates.

I had gotten an update in June 2024 just fine. But could not get the July one. My LV battery never got above the threshold apparently.

I kept getting a message on Ford Pass that the update had been interrupted. Ford customer service told me it meant the battery did not have enough SOC - why couldn't the message just say that? Go figure.

Ford says (somewhere) that the LVB has to be 85% for some updates to install.
In the FordPass app and the manual they just say:

-----
Requirements to Start a Software Update

The following items must be completed before attempting the next scheduled Software Update or you may receive an error message:

Your vehicle is stopped and parked.
Your parking brake is set.
The update is scheduled for before or after 12 a.m. (not exactly 12 a.m.).
Your vehicle's ignition is off.
All your doors are closed.
Your headlights are turned off.
Your vehicle was driven for a minimum of 30 minutes before avoiding low battery.

Note: This will help ensure you have enough battery charge to complete the update, but is not a guarantee.

Important: If any of the above conditions are not met, you will receive a "Vehicle Not Updated" message on your SYNC®** screen. Address the reason contained in the message before the next scheduled update. If you are still receiving error messages for the failed update, contact the Ford Customer Relationship Center at 1-800-392-3673 or select Start Chatting to chat online with a representative
-----
Vehicle Software Update
Requirements
Non-drivable software updates do not
install if any of the following occur:
• Your vehicle is running.
• Your vehicle is switched on.
• Your vehicle is not parked.
• The 12 V battery charge is too low.
• The hazard indicators are switched on.
• The alarm is sounding.
• The doors are open.
• The parking lamps are switched on.
• You are pressing the brake pedal.
An emergency call is in process.
• Your vehicle is in limp home mode.
-----

Anyway, the "rain dance" worked for me and got my LVB up enough to get the update installed.

 

[Jim Lewis]

Have they EVER sent out an update to the FCSP software?

I've been distracted by other stuff. I'm a 78-year-old hearing aid (HA) wearer, and Phonak just issued a new, very powerful hearing aid, the Audeo Sphere, with active noise cancellation by a built-in neural network. Nothing like it before. Should make its way into earbuds. And it will be pricey in HAs!

In the fall of 2023, there were firmware updates to the FCSP and the Delta inverter in the Home Integration System (a.k.a. "Whole Home Backup): https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...backup-power-without-sunrun.12564/post-374937.

As of June 2, 2024, both the FCSP and the inverter still had the same firmware in my home system.

But I just checked this AM to reply to your post and found the following!

The FCSP firmware still has the number shown here in the Ford Charge Station Pro Setup app, too, with no indication of a firmware update (the last 1.3:0.62 number sequence is inverted in the CSP app). The inverter firmware in M Professional is unchanged, and there is no indication of an update pending.

IIRC, @TaxmanHog may have said in the past when it says "Update Pending" for FCSP firmware, the actual update to the firmware in the FCSP may have already occurred but just not registered yet in FordPass (I could have a faulty memory on this).

Strange things were happening tonight, though, with my FCSP before I noticed this pending update. As I charged my LVB to >80% SOC to install Priority Update: 23-PU0110-RAD-PS by running my truck plugged into my FCSP in full-accessory mode, I noticed there was no light at all on the truck port, and the FCSP light was just a solid blue. Normally, both LEDs would flash blue while the current runs from the FCSP to charge the LVB with the truck in full-accessory mode. The ECU voltage was about 14.45, the 12V voltage was about 14.35, and the LVB SOC rose from about 73% to 82% over several hours. The dash also showed an illuminated power cord on the lower right side of the screen. I'm not sure where the current to charge the battery was coming from. The car scanner showed 1A on the HVB battery widget but 0V A and 0V on the charger.

Charging of the HVB to 50% SOC was scheduled for 1 AM, 8/11. Nothing happened - no LED light action at the truck port or on the FCSP LED. I unplugged and replugged the charger head a time or two. The truck port LED turned white, and the blue FCSP LED went out. I unplugged and replugged the FCSP charger head another time or two, and finally, both the truck port and FCSP LEDs were flashing blue, but Car Scanner indicated the FCSP was charging at 80 amps, whereas, for several charging sessions over several weeks, it had been charging at about 24A. So, the first time I've ever managed to immediately change the charging rate on the fly, I changed the Max Current Requested to 48A. The power rate immediately dropped to about 10.7 kW, and the FCSP LED changed from solid blue to flashing blue with a short flashing orange right end. And the truck, as scheduled, did stop charging at 50% HVB SOC.

Until I went out just now to check again how the truck and FCSP would behave in full-accessory mode. I turned the truck on, and now both the truck port and the FCSP had flashing LEDs as current was drawn. But even though the truck was at 50% HVB SOC, FordPass announced the HVB was being charged to 100% (). The FP STOP button terminated that nonsense. And, unlike earlier in the night, the truck now charged the LVB in full-accessory mode with both truck and FCSP LEDs flashing as they should when AC current is being drawn from the wall.

So, I don't know what to make of this mess except an update is pending or may have occurred for my FCSP. Ford FCSP is as or more erratic than ever - but then a starry-eyed optimistic view would be the Priority Update: 23-PU0110-RAD-PS earlier in the evening just made things weird for a while.

As far as when there will be any truck update to improve the FCSP interaction/reliability, the last thing I heard was from Mike G i n the following post: https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...-fdrs-temporarily-suspended.19409/post-400475.

There may have been more recent update news that I've missed since I've been off learning about the new Phonak HA.

 

[Jim Lewis]

Relative to my post above about the FCSP "update pending," there's lots of weird stuff in the following thread about the finickiness of the FCSP firmware number and the update pending notification. Maybe I just joined the club again!

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...112-91-2-149-1-32-1-53-0-62.16527/post-364917

I did both hardware and software factory reset my FCSP on 6/3/24. Don't know if that would have set me back to a prior FCSP firmware version, and my update pending notice now is just a reinstall of the 2.112.91:2.149:1.32:1.53:0.62 version with the oddity of the leading 2.112.91: replaced by 0.0: as described by others in the FCSP version thread I'm linking to just above. Would be nice if you could rely on what Ford software tells you.

 

[TaxmanHog]

IIRC, @TaxmanHog may have said in the past when it says "Update Pending" for FCSP firmware, the actual update to the firmware in the FCSP may have already occurred but just not registered yet in FordPass (I could have a faulty memory on this).

This seems to be the trend, I am showing a flag for an update as well, but mine has been stuck in no-mans land (trailing zeros ) for many months.

 

[The Raindog]

Perhaps Ford should poach some of Tesla's disgruntled employees that could straighten out it's OTA updates and other web issues. The current system is fostering frustration due to the randomness and the uneven rollouts. I want to order an accessory form Ford and their website will not even open. Someone needs to take control of Fords internet and updates and get it on track with the competition. I love the truck but I don't appreciate the unnecessary BS.

 

[chl]

This seems to be the trend, I am showing a flag for an update as well, but mine has been stuck in no-mans land (trailing zeros ) for many months.

My Software version: 2.112.64:0.0:0.0:0.0:0.0

So it seems I am not the latest version either - but no updates pending for me.

Oh well...

How does it do the updates? Wifi?
I see no way to force an update to happen...

I have never been able to add the FCSP to FordPass although it is "Paired and Connected" it won't "CONNECT TO FORDPASS" with the "ADD YOUR STATION IN FORDPASS" and when I try I get "ChargePoint Not Found" error.

 

[TaxmanHog]

My Software version: 2.112.64:0.0:0.0:0.0:0.0

So it seems I am not the latest version either - but no updates pending for me.

Oh well...

How does it do the updates? Wifi?
I see no way to force an update to happen...

I have never been able to add the FCSP to FordPass although it is "Paired and Connected" it won't "CONNECT TO FORDPASS" with the "ADD YOUR STATION IN FORDPASS" and when I try I get "ChargePoint Not Found" error.

My FCSP set up app screen is similar, without a pending update flag as well.

My earlier report this morning was from the Fordpass app view point, which you're having trouble binding the systems together.

Update arrive at the FCSP via it's wifi connection to your home router, as it talks to either Siemens or Ford hosts.

When a pending update is showing, the following morning power off the unit for a few minutes, then power it back on {via the 100 amp breaker}, the update will automatically post and implement during the start up process. It may take several minutes to finish and reflect on the next view of the setup status screen(s).

 

[TaxmanHog]

I've just completed the reboot, no change in the version numbers previously displayed.

Previously, I've guessed that a complete factory reset ~might~ resolve this problem, but I'm hesitating to do that given the recent complaints about getting through the linking / pair with Fordpass, I don't want to hose the basic functionality I have at the moment.

Looking forward to other folks chiming in with successful updates and the final version number.

 

[chl]

I've just completed the reboot, no change in the version numbers previously displayed.

Previously, I've guessed that a complete factory reset ~might~ resolve this problem, but I'm hesitating to do that given the recent complaints about getting through the linking / pair with Fordpass, I don't want to hose the basic functionality I have at the moment.

Looking forward to other folks chiming in with successful updates and the final version number.

The FCSP connects to wifi, at least from the Set Up app viewpoint.

I agree, it was such a pain to get to this point I don't want to start over either.

I think I have written down everything I need to do it again, passwords etc.
Picking up the signal from the FCSP is the unknown - sometimes it takes a while (minutes) to detect it - maybe it broadcasts it intermittently, whatever...

I can charge the truck with the FCSP fine, and FordPass even tells me about it while it is happening.

Just can't see the station in FordPass except when charging the truck because of the last step error - "ChargePoint Not Found" - but that doesn't seem to have caused me any problems.

Except falling behind on updates according to the Set Up App.

Is there a way to download the updates to a PC and then transfer them to the FCSP I wonder?

I've heard that can be done with the updates for the truck, unless the truck is in Saudi Arabia.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Is there a way to download the updates to a PC and then transfer them to the FCSP I wonder?

Not that I'm aware of, maybe Siemens has a method during manufacturing, but once the initial image is loaded, subsequent updates come only via wifi connection.

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