Setting preferred charge times ?

[MurphysLaww]

Is the inability to set these still just a display of how far Ford is from having a passible application software development division ?

It's going to stay in the way of people adopting if what should be simple, sending an OTA message to a relay, and saving the setting persistently to a database, still can't be accomplished.

Watching the app trying to communicate with the backend, then failing time and again, is just painful to watch...

I know they don't likely have the $$$ to spend, but that's the only way it get's fixed. Second class developers are going to produce second class products.

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[RickLightning]

Set it in vehicle.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Is the inability to set these

What were the conditions for the failed attempt?

I assume you were using Fordpass & trying to set up a scheme for the first time or after deleting all prior schemes.

Key issues that I've observed from many users and my own experiences:

Make sure you don't have issues with GPS or communication restrictions for connected services, enable all features. Take the truck for a short drive to orientate the GPS.

DO NOT tinker with the one time limiter, it's primary purpose is for DCFC stopping point, people have stated that it does interact with AC charging sessions for at least one time, but depending on how & when you adjust it can hamstring the task of building a repeatable AC charging scheme.

If you're using EVSE that can be independently programmed with TOU or SOC limiters, disable these conditions temporarily, allow unlimited charging by time & SOC, once you have your truck / Fordpass scheme created, go ahead and reenable the EVSE programs, if you feel the need to.

Your truck needs to be drawing energy, if you had just finished charging to 100% the OBCC stops drawing energy, and you won't be able to build a brand new scheme because it's no longer in the required condition of actually charging now.

I've not had success building an initial scheme exclusively with Fordpass older versions 4.x.x, I haven't tried in V5.x.x.

That said, the easiest way to build an initial scheme is sitting in the truck, using the Sync screen with truck in accessory mode or run/drive inhibited (because you're plugged in).

Begin the process of creating the location based scheme, accept the GPS identified location, it may or may not reflect your actual street address, ex. my detached garage is perceived as being at/near my neighbors home, roll with what it suggests, set the max SOC & weekday time frames, then weekend time frames. Save the scheme.

If you need to make adjustments, you can do so in Fordpass later by changing the SOC value or time values.

Once last quirk, my previous phone was a Galaxy S10e it had issues with dropping cell connection in and of itself, and occasionally failed while be used in my truck, while the truck was on and communicating with the phone via projection / wireless it would loss data connection, thereby hamstringing the Fordpass functionality while IN THE TRUCK, crazy as it seems, I think part of the issue was with my phone than the truck, as my S24U hasn't shown that problem occuring.

 

[TaxmanHog]

BTW

This is no excuse for FORD DEVELOPERS NOT all getting on the same page of a project and synchronizing their work so that sections of the process work harmoniously with one another.

I hope the next generation 2 Lightning using a new ground up system under guidance of DEV teams who cut their teeth at Tesla, will ensure that they collaborate with the legacy parts of Ford Motor Company, remember the Ford pass is designed for ALL FORD PRODUCTS not just the BEV lines.

 

[MurphysLaww]

The frustrating thing, is, it crashed on setting the weekday charge time, then let me change the weekend, but then continued to crash on the weekday. Change it, save, and it didn’t apply the changes.

it’s actually a problem, as I’m stopping charging from the app, when that works…, then it’s starting charging on it’s own, at the preferred charge time. We have an offgrid system charging it, so it’s running the battery down when we obviously don’t want it to. Leaving me to not be able to do that, and needing to manually trip the breaker to shut power off to the Charge Station Pro.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Is normal grid energy available at the parking spot where you will normally use the solar charging system?

Ignore the phone / fordpass for now.

Delete all schemes from the Sync screen charging app.

Plug into 120v or 240v grid energy, using a mobile charger in lieu of the solar charging setup.

Build a standard charging profile as noted previously, hopefully you can tune the hourly limits and SOC values that don't overburden the solar system capacity, NOTE keep the SOC high for the few minutes you need to complete the scheme build otherwise it's going to kick off and mess up the programming process.

Dropping the SOC target to 50% bare minimum will help with preventing system burdens, but then you'll need to factor up when solar production is at peak

 

[ED_C]

As someone above noted, the Ford software developers need to take a good look at the tesla app and software. works like a charm. Need to move to the app to start and run the truck. the huge fob is a pain in the you know what. i operate both of our tesla's with my cell phone.

 

[MurphysLaww]

In general, I only want to charge when the sun is out, (and it did let me set weekends to 11am-5pm, which is what I’d like to set weekdays to as well) we charge at 12 amps, which leaves the Victron system enough headroom to also run the garage mini-split. It maxes out at around 4.5-4.8 kW. This is all testing for a mobile system that we’ll have in a Car carrier/camper. It’s all mounted to a Hand truck, with a single 48v, 5kw lifepo4 battery. I’m just wiring in the non-mobile, 10kW bank this weekend.



Eventually, we’d like to get to charging the Lightning, while using the Pro-Power to power the Camper. So far, the system works as designed, but would be more fault-proof if Ford’s app worked a little more of the time.

While I’m not a developer, I do spend a large amount of my work life in apps like Extrahop/ThousandEyes/LiveAction/wireshark showing developers what broke in their application.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I don't understand why you can't program the weekday time parameters.

12 amps at 120 volts using the Lightnings FMC?

Is there limited cell data in the area you're parked for the telematics modem to work reliably?

BTW, delete any departure time events, if you have any that might confound the functionality of charging routines, more a problem in cold climates when the truck draws energy to warm the battery. Not likely an issue for Austin TX.

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