Tips for improving the charging experience (Electrify America)

[GoodSam]

Thank you for the insights here on charging operations.
Will the EA app show if a station is running at minimal power or is out of service?
It bugs me when I drive up to a station that looks OK, but then eventually flashes an out of service message. EA should turn the station from Green to Red!

 

[greenne]

This is crucial advice. Never plug in before starting the charge in the app because that will increase the risk of handshake failure. I think the communications protocol times out if too much time elapses between plugging in and starting the charge with the app or card reader. This is good advice for any vehicle, not just Ford vehicles.

Alternatively, you can use the EA app in Android Auto or Carplay to initiate the charge through your vehicle's screen before you even exit your vehicle.

I would highly recommend avoiding use of the card readers for skimming/security reasons and because of a higher rate of charge initiation failure.

Came here to say this..beat me to it.

There is a good chance plugging in first will brick the charger if your P&C account is not set up OR something is wonky with the Fordpass/Ford network system.

If this wasn't bad enough, the signage at the EA station instructs users to plug in first and tech support(worthless) will direct user to plug in first.. This will usually result in a failed handshake and the charger becoming bricked.

A friend of mine found out the hard way on his first trip with the Lightning. His previous vehicle(Chevy Bolt) did not have P&C and he was used to plugging in and then initiating the charge(per instructions).

I have had great success with EvGO autocharge+, but will not use EA P&C based upon failures I am seeing and the price issues.

 

[121gigawatts]

Nice price for California

 

[Texas Dan]

Hey guys, thanks loads for the posts!!! I spent hours on the phone today with Ford and Electrify America and they all told me that I was just stuck with using Fordpass for EA charging. But this thread told me how to get around the automatic handshake with Fordpass so I could get EA Pass+ pricing.

I drove my F150L up to Colorado this last weekend and I quickly burned through the free 250 kWh. I was pretty shocked by how much Ford was sucking out of my bank account for charging after the free kWh ran out. I'm now looking forward on my next trip to Colorado to applying your suggestions of activating the chargers using the EA app before plugging in to avoid Fordpass.

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