Preconditioning for DC Fast Charging

[PV2EV]

I may have missed this in the many threads on preconditioning, but with preconditioning for DC fast charging apparently now being triggered by setting the destination to a DC fast charger in the Ford navigation, how does one set (or change) the destination while driving (for me, input is disabled while driving)?

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[Steveel]

You can change destinations verbally thru Ford Assistant while driving.
I was told in some of the free training sessions that once you are driving and the battery is up to temperature the battery does not need Pre-conditioning for charging. They said the system manages the battery and it is ready to charge ant any given time.

 

[Heliian]

(for me, input is disabled while driving)?

Can you not override? This is all done through the Ford nav, not AA or carplay.

 

[PV2EV]

To be clear; I am trying to use the Ford "Charge" app on the screen, and it is disabled while driving. How else does one find a charger using the truck screen?

 

[PV2EV]

To be clear; I am trying to use the Ford "Charge" app on the screen, and it is disabled while driving. How else does one find a charger using the truck screen?

I meant "Charge Assist", which is useless while driving. I now see that in "Navigation" I can select the destination category "Chargers", select "Fast Chargers" and then see them. This kinda of works in that if I am close enough for the charger to be on the list but far enough away to benefit from preconditioning then there is a benefit.

If someone has a better suggestion please reply?

If while driving the battery does not need to be preconditioned please reply? Although I thought this was a new feature...

 

[TaxmanHog]

I have regular frequently used stations in my last used & favorites list that I can pick from while on the fly.

For occasions where traveling out of my normal stomping grounds, then I guess I'd have to stop, park and locate something within the upcoming number of miles, that may be as little as 20 if nearing a very low SOC or 100 miles away if I have enough power to continue the trip.

On much longer "planned" trips I use Fords power my trip /trip planner, it does an OK job locating stations along a journey and inserts them in the route plan, as the trip progresses through the day, and that location is the next destination, the truck will decide when to begin warming.

 

[PV2EV]

I have regular frequently used stations in my last used & favorites list that I can pick from while on the fly.

For occasions where traveling out of my normal stomping grounds, then I guess I'd have to stop, park and locate something within the upcoming number of miles, that may be as little as 20 if nearing a very low SOC or 100 miles away if I have enough power to continue the trip.

On much longer "planned" trips I use Fords power my trip /trip planner, it does an OK job locating stations along a journey and inserts them in the route plan, as the trip progresses through the day, and that location is the next destination, the truck will decide when to begin warming.

I had not explored the FordPass trip planner for some time. That is an interesting solution to have a passenger use while in motion. However, this brings up another issue in that it does not recognize as chargers the addresses for a number of EA chargers on my route. The chargers should have a distinct address from the nearby business(s)...

 

[RickLightning]

Charge Assist cannot be used while driving.

Charge Assist does NOT precondition the battery even if you hit the arrow to go into Navigation, and it shows the charger as the end result. You MUST navigate to the charger via the Navigation app on the screen, with the charger showing as the next destination or waypoint.

You can change destinations verbally thru Ford Assistant while driving.
I was told in some of the free training sessions that once you are driving and the battery is up to temperature the battery does not need Pre-conditioning for charging. They said the system manages the battery and it is ready to charge ant any given time.

I believe that's false. I haven't monitored the truck yet (acquired in May), but the Mach-E battery drops in temp from the time you leave your house preconditioned (it gets to 59 with preconditioning, I think the truck gets to the 60s). As you drive in 20 degree weather, the battery temp drops to the low 40s. Using the navigation app to go to the next DC charger warmed the battery to the mid 70s. So that would make their info not correct.

 

[Ffxdude]

I meant "Charge Assist", which is useless while driving. I now see that in "Navigation" I can select the destination category "Chargers", select "Fast Chargers" and then see them. This kinda of works in that if I am close enough for the charger to be on the list but far enough away to benefit from preconditioning then there is a benefit.

If someone has a better suggestion please reply?

If while driving the battery does not need to be preconditioned please reply? Although I thought this was a new feature...

I have them saved in my favorites and if I don’t like what the nav is presenting as part of my route to the final destination, then I cancel the route and select the favorite charger in the nav.

 

[carys98]

Charge Assist cannot be used while driving.

Charge Assist does NOT precondition the battery even if you hit the arrow to go into Navigation, and it shows the charger as the end result. You MUST navigate to the charger via the Navigation app on the screen, with the charger showing as the next destination or waypoint.



I believe that's false. I haven't monitored the truck yet (acquired in May), but the Mach-E battery drops in temp from the time you leave your house preconditioned (it gets to 59 with preconditioning, I think the truck gets to the 60s). As you drive in 20 degree weather, the battery temp drops to the low 40s. Using the navigation app to go to the next DC charger warmed the battery to the mid 70s. So that would make their info not correct.

There’s a message that pops up when you enter a new charger as a destination that says something about the range has been recalculated (I’m taking a trip this weekend so I’ll try to catch it). I’ve assumed that the truck was calculating how many kWh it would need to get the battery up to temp and reducing the range to account for that. You should also be careful trying to precondition if you are going to be close to zero on arrival because the extra consumption could leave you short.

 

[RickLightning]

There’s a message that pops up when you enter a new charger as a destination that says something about the range has been recalculated (I’m taking a trip this weekend so I’ll try to catch it). I’ve assumed that the truck was calculating how many kWh it would need to get the battery up to temp and reducing the range to account for that. You should also be careful trying to precondition if you are going to be close to zero on arrival because the extra consumption could leave you short.

No, I don't believe that is what it is doing. It is simply recalculating the route. But, test it. Do what you say, note range. Then remove charger but add Walmart or whatever is there, note range. Bet they match.

 

[Zprime29]

All I ever do is select chargers, fast chargers, then the one I want. Has worked very well for me.

And as Rick said, it is false that the truck's battery is always ready. In the summer, I watched the battery temp meter go from well to the right of middle to pegging middle when I was a few miles away. It was over 110F, I doubt I would have gotten full speed without preconditioning.

 

[djwildstar]

I now see that in "Navigation" I can select the destination category "Chargers", select "Fast Chargers" and then see them. [...] If someone has a better suggestion please reply?

If while driving the battery does not need to be preconditioned please reply? Although I thought this was a new feature...

To answer your last question first, the battery does not need to be preconditioned before charging. The truck will still charge without preconditioning, but the process may be slower on very hot or very cold days. IF your next waypoint in Sync Navigation is a fast charger, then the truck will start preconditioning about 18 miles out from the charging stop. If you aren't using Sync Navigation, then it won't precondition. This is true even if you're using a Ford-EV-aware app (like Apple Maps) via CarPlay.

Sync Navigation is the easiest way to set a charging stop as a waypoint. Tap the search bar, tap chargers, tap high-speed. As you've observed, this will get a list of nearby chargers. If you've got a destination set, you can also tap to see chargers along your route, which is often more helpful. Tap a charger to select it, tap add as waypoint, and tap go. This can all be done while driving, though I find it is easier if my "navigator" (front passenger) does it, or when driving solo, if BlueCruise has the wheel.

 

[PV2EV]

I have regular frequently used stations in my last used & favorites list that I can pick from while on the fly.

For occasions where traveling out of my normal stomping grounds, then I guess I'd have to stop, park and locate something within the upcoming number of miles, that may be as little as 20 if nearing a very low SOC or 100 miles away if I have enough power to continue the trip.

On much longer "planned" trips I use Fords power my trip /trip planner, it does an OK job locating stations along a journey and inserts them in the route plan, as the trip progresses through the day, and that location is the next destination, the truck will decide when to begin warming.

One additional note: While the FordPass Map tool is missing a few of the critical EA chargers I use (that are not new by any means), the Navigation app in the truck has them. What a weird disconnect, and duplication of effort.

 

[TomB985]

To answer your last question first, the battery does not need to be preconditioned before charging. The truck will still charge without preconditioning, but the process may be slower on very hot or very cold days. IF your next waypoint in Sync Navigation is a fast charger, then the truck will start preconditioning about 18 miles out from the charging stop. If you aren't using Sync Navigation, then it won't precondition. This is true even if you're using a Ford-EV-aware app (like Apple Maps) via CarPlay.

Sync Navigation is the easiest way to set a charging stop as a waypoint. Tap the search bar, tap chargers, tap high-speed. As you've observed, this will get a list of nearby chargers. If you've got a destination set, you can also tap to see chargers along your route, which is often more helpful. Tap a charger to select it, tap add as waypoint, and tap go. This can all be done while driving, though I find it is easier if my "navigator" (front passenger) does it, or when driving solo, if BlueCruise has the wheel.

I tried that today to see how it would work, and it didn’t. Exterior temps were 5-7° and I left with the pack at 17° as shown in my Carscanner app. The EA station was 36 miles away, and the battery was only 30° when I arrived. The battery coolant inlet never went above 30°, so it wasn’t pushing warm coolant from the immersion heater to the battery.

Any ideas? I was using the built-in navigation instead of CarPlay and selected the EA station from the list of chargers in the search window.

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