New OTA Update Improves F-150 Lightning DC Fast Charging Times

[Mache_Enrique]

Thanks for the great content as usual @tommolog !!

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[Rtashiro]

I was getting 183 kw at supercharger in August of last year. 2023 lariate er. I don’t know if I recieved this update or not. I was not monitoring on car scanner.

 

[TRCarr]

Thanks for posting!

72,000 mostly DCFC miles and maybe 1/3 pulling a trailer. I saw 194 kW recently but since mid Jan have noticed the improvement. All my trips are 900-1,200 miles one way usually CA tip to tip. A dozen trips to Salmon, ID. One RT L.A. to Boston to bring back a boat.

 

[beschneider]

Thanks for posting!

Thanks Tom, As always great info

 

[Ry2023]

Is there a way to check your past otas… to see if you received this? Best speed I’ve seen while fast charging is 178…which was recently . But I guess there’s no way to check amps unless you have the obd2 reading ?

 

[Monkey]

I look forward to this update sometime later next year when my truck will be able to download it…. Then we’ll see if it’s willing to actually install it.

 

[Texas Dan]

I thought I was doing pretty well on my trips to Colorado before this charging rate increase using my Tesla adapter. The new charging curve is nice but it drops off way too much, too soon. I was freaking out having to wait an extra hour to charge with low charging speeds.

The problem is that on the routes I travel there are still not enough good, fast chargers. I have to charge to high levels to get to my next charging location. Even at 70% the charging speed drops way off.

I guess I will get used to this new charging curve but it will require me to change charging habits on long trips. This change makes me even more disappointed that NEVI was cancelled (paused?).

I also have to mention that my charging curve was nothing like Tom’s. My Lightning was only pulling 35 kW at 70% and 20 kW at 80%. I haven’t fast charged since the last update so I hope my curve is better now.

 

[Zaptor]

I remember we argued discussed this back when the the 2024 Tech Specs and Order Guide came out. Many noticed the better Level 3 specs for '24.

2022

2024

Wow, if I am reading this correctly, it seems the SR got a much larger boost than the ER, no?

ER 15-80% drops from 41 to 38 minutes, saving 3 minutes, where the SR 15-80% drops from 44 to 32 minutes, a savings of 12 minutes i.e. 4 times as much as the ER!

Also, the ER miles/charge goes from 54 to 65, so +11 while the SR goes from 41 to 62 miles or +21, so the SR is charging at a rate almost the same as the ER now!

Can someone with more understanding than me please explain why the SR sees so much more of a boost? I get that the pack is (obviously!) larger, but not by these proportions... I'm not mad about it, I'll take what I can get, but don't understand the maths...
Thx
-Zap

 

[WaterboyNorCal]

I don't know exactly why, unless the new charging curve is a bit different for the SR battery (I have a 23 SR XLT). I don't think Tom has recently tested the SR battery, as he has an ER Lariat.
I didn't think that I had received the charging update, but I just charged at a Tesla site last week, and went from 14-73% in 26min. That's pretty close to 32min for a 15-80 charge. In fact, I charged at another Tesla site a few days later, and went from 15-81 in 33min. So yeah, it seems that (a) the Ford documentation is correct regarding the changed charging curve, and (b) those who have '22 and '23 SR trucks either have already received the charging update, or will soon.

 

[PJnc284]

I don't know exactly why, unless the new charging curve is a bit different for the SR battery (I have a 23 SR XLT). I don't think Tom has tested the SR battery, as he has an ER Lariat. I didn't think that I had received the charging update, but I just charged at a Tesla site last week, and went from 14-73% in 26min. That's pretty close to 32min for a 15-80 charge. In fact, I charged at another Tesla site a few days later, and went from 15-81 in 33min. So yeah, it seems that (a) the Ford documentation is correct, and (b) those who have '22 and '23 SR trucks either have already received the charging update, or will soon.

This was one Tom did on a Pro SR 2 years ago.

How Fast Does Ford F-150 Lightning Pro Standard Range Charge?

 

[WaterboyNorCal]

This was one Tom did on a Pro SR 2 years ago.

How Fast Does Ford F-150 Lightning Pro Standard Range Charge?

Right... I should have been more clear. I don't think Tom has RECENTLY tested the charging curve on the SR battery. He did do a comparison a few years ago. But that was the OLD charging curve. I was referring to him testing the new charging curve on the SR battery pack.

PS - I edited my post for increased clarity.

 

[GDN]

Is there a way to check your past otas… to see if you received this? Best speed I’ve seen while fast charging is 178…which was recently . But I guess there’s no way to check amps unless you have the obd2 reading ?

If you got 10.3 it would be the last update you got unless you got BC 1.4 or the Early access release that went out yesterday.

 

[NW Ontario Ford Lightning]

Good news, but they still didn't address the prolonged 80-100% slowdown that tommolog raised the flag about the first time around. Tom suggested that 90% was a reasonable starting point for the Chinese water torture rate to kick in rather than 80%.

This video, likethe first left me asking myself, and now Y'all, "Could you game the system?"

What I mean by that is that Tom demonstrated in the previous video that you get the boost in charge rate for the first few minutes that you are charging regardless of the level when you plug in (as long as its below 80%). Could you disconnect after the drop-off and then reconnect and get the boosted rate for another 8 minutes or so and repeat as desired?

I figure someone will respond that it may not be good for the battery, I suspect this is true. My questions is COULD you do this if you REALLY needed to? (For example a herd of zombies will descend upon you before you have enough charge under the slower approach to get to the next charging station... and YES I do expect charging stations to remain functional during a zombie apocalypse!)

Interesting question - just try it and report back ?! LOL, now I want to try it...

 

[PJnc284]

Kyle did it during his east coast race with Tom last year and it didn't make any difference.

 

[WaterboyNorCal]

Kyle did it during his east coast race with Tom last year and it didn't make any difference.

Yep. The “boost” only applies at lower SOC; typically below 60% or so, but I believe it is temperature-dependent also.

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