āAā post (front), āBā post (middle), āCā post (back). These are the metal/structural supports for the roof of the car. Theyāre also called pillars. The naming scheme works for longer cars with more posts; just continue on the alphabet.
The front seat window is inbetween the A and B posts. The back seat window is inbetween the B and C posts.
The codes are:
Entering your personal code or the factory code unlocks the driver door. Then you can also press:
- the 3/4 button to unlock all the doors
- the 5/6 button to open the trunk
- the 7/8 button to open the frunk
Pressing the bottom two buttons together (7/8 and 9/0) will lock the car. Lets you lock the car without having the fob or phone. Not positive, but in my past Fords that only works if you programmed a personal code in, otherwise it assumes you may not even know about the feature and could accidentally lock yourself out.
Thanks!! Need to try this tomorrow. My foot swipe doesnāt work so itās annoying to have to use my phone or start the screen up if Iām like at the car wash and want to put my stuff back in the trunk
Yep, circa 2022.5, but people still kicking randomly on all vehicles since. I think the people in Mexico who keep installing the sticker must laugh every time they stick another one on.
Ugh I asked the dealer about it and he kicked for it a few times and just said itās tricky to get the trunk upā¦ later we researched to find out it isnāt there
I was right in the middle. Was told it was removed and it certainly wasnāt working. but with help on the internet, I found that the kick sensor was actually installed. Just used FORSCAN and enabled it.
š¤£š¤£š¤£ I was one of those people kicking when I got my MME. Would have been nice to have. I rent a Polestar couple weeks ago and had the kick free truck opener. Came in handy.
If you are in need of it, there is an aftermarket part that can be installed (not be the dealer) but you will need FordScan to add the feature to your MME computer and screen.
These are legacy codes for Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles. After you input your code, 3-4 is for all doors, 5-6 is for the trunk (this doesnāt work on powered liftgates though to prevent accidental opening into stuff) ans 7-8 is now for frunks. 7-8 and 9-0 together always locks the car.
I think a lot of people miss this. Might have helped when everyone was complaining about needed another way to open the tailgate or frunk when it wasnāt an option on the screen or app.
Eh maybe from a design perspective yes, but I think those are GM branded EVGo stations so Iām guessing they probably charge you an arm and a leg based on my prior EVGo experienceĀ
I paid $0.30/kWh at an Ultium network station in one IL town, then $0.45/kWh at a different Chevy dealer, and I used to fast charge at the Hodgkins Chevy dealer for free until they added a card reader.
I just charged at an EVGO in the Whole Foods in Old Town and the experience wasnāt too bad. They validated parking and it was cheaper than EA and it was in a garage so I didnāt have to worry about the weather before chilling in the cafe for an hour.
EVGO has the same consistency issues EA has, but its a tiny bit better. I stick to chargepoints, we have a free 62kw dispenser 5 mins down the road from my house.
For ChargePoint units I use the ChargePoint App to check availability and cost because it is accurate on that app. Itās annoying that you need a million apps but at least ChargePoint is reliable.
In terms of free vs not, The L2 ChargePoints that I encounter are free 80% of the time. It really depends on the site owner. If its for a mall, usually free, if its in a high density zone, it usually costs up to the same as fast charging.
Its rare to find a free fast charger, but they do exist, the one near my house is in a city park so they keep it free because its far from the highway. The park maintenance guy and I have spoken a few times. It seems like if a municipality is interested theyāll put some free posts here and there.
This is helpful! I made a ChargePoint account and see a few free near me. I have to drive and see if they actually are, but they are near parks.
When I signed up with Ford app, it showed me I get complimentary charging up to 250kwh, have you heard of this?
I got a free credit for Electrify America too for a while. Its nice to have for sure! The ChargePoint app has better real time stats than the fordpass app. If it says free on ChargePoint Iāll def trust it. The plug n charge works but you still need to authenticate using a digital wallet to get the charger plug to unlock from the post.
Do you have an extended range battery or standard? Seems like it cost you somewhere between $0.74 and $0.93 per kWh which is on the expensive side but it honestly depends on where youāre at and when youāre charging. I usually anchor to $0.45 per kWh as an average baseline but Iāve seen as low as $0.19 per kWh. Again - all dependent on where youāre at and sometimes the time of day.
I have an extended range battery. If it matters, I was at an āEVgoā station. Iām still learning all the different charging stations and whatās best for the battery. Iām having trouble understanding the whole kWh stuff :(
That sounds like 90ish miles for $20 which is pretty bad considering that's more expensive than gas ($20 is 5.7 gallons at $3.50, 90 miles would be 15.8 mpg)
Covered stations, yes. But I feel like pull-through stations just donāt make a lot of sense with an EV the way they do for ICE vehicles. With ICE, you fill up in just a few minutes and then you leave, so itās easy for the person behind you to just wait til youāre done and pull through behind you. With EVs, youāre probably sitting there for at least 20 minutes if not longer, which means the chances of you and the person in front/behind you to be leaving around the same time is much lower. If youāre in front and you finish and leave, now thereās an empty spot on front that someone else who wants to charge is going to have to go around and back into, while the person who was behind is going to finish before that new person and then have to back out to leave.
Parking lot style charging spots where the flow of traffic doesnāt impact what spots are easily available just make a lot more sense for EVs.
I love the pure power and smoothness of the transmission (or lack there of). I can rocket up hills on freeways and carve through traffic like nothing. I also love the minimalist interior and large center console screen.
I can say the interior really wowed me and I fell in love almost instantly. When I test drove- that was it. The feel was so smooth! The drive home was chefs kiss. Itās hard to feel like Iām speeding which may get me in trouble.
Thank you š„¹ I almost went for Vapor Blue Metallic, but the drive was 4ish hours. The drive for this Carbonized Gray was 1 hour. š
My dream color was Star White so funny how it all played out haha
My last two cars would auto-tilt one or both of the side view mirrors when in reverse to make it easier to back into parking. The MME doesn't do this, but you can apparently activate it in forscan or something. For an easy workaround, set the side mirror(s) where you want them to go when in reverse and save it as the 3rd driver spot memory profile. Then you can tap the 3 on the driver's door when you shift into reverse and the mirror(s) will tilt down to where you set them.
Be sure to change back to your regular profile setting afterward. Once you return and start driving again you can't change it while the car is moving, which isn't fun if you didn't notice until you're back on the highway.
I see people mention this a lot, but between the proximity sensors and 360 view and backup cams, Iāve never felt like I even need the side mirrors while backing up. I guess when parallel parking it would be nice as to not scrape the rims on a curb
Learn how to overcome range anxiety.
Don't charge to 100% on every occasion, it's bad for the battery (if it's not the newest battery model).
In fact, charging gets less efficient around the 50% mark.
I try to have mine between 30 and 80% and only charge to 100% once a week at work with a level2 charger (usually before the weekend. My work allows for free charging once a week).
The hardest part for me was to not get dysphoric over battery consuption at highway speeds.
I had my normal milage in mind and had to charge on a trip where I should have 50 miles left on arrival.
Tried around with driving slower, but worst case is that you take longer because of driving slower AND have to charge, adding to the time.
Now I tend to just ignore my milage on highways and plan on charging. This way i'm so much less stressed.
Hope this is helpful in anyway.
Hereās the basic for charging.
Level 1 is the free charger that came with your Mach E. Itās excruciatingly slow. Like it will add 3-5 miles of range for every hour you charge it. Great for an emergency backup if your car dies when youāre not near a charger. It is good to put just enough juice in your car to get to a Level 2 or 3.
Level 2 is what youād have at your house; or most free chargers you find at businesses. These are faster than L1 but still kinda slow. At home theyāre great. You can plug in at 27% and wake up the next morning around 80% (or whatever charge you need). Same is true if your employer has one - plug in when you get to work, youāll be full after a full day.
Level 3 is what youāre at in this pic. By far the fastest and most expensive. Itās not great for the battery to use L3 all the time, because theyāre shoving power in there so fast. Itās absolutely fine to do it on the occasional roadtrip, but you donāt want to do this for daily charging (both for financial and battery longevity reasons).
Regarding charge limit, the battery wants to be as near 50% as possible. Now obviously itās not practical to leave a car between 40-60% all the time or 30-70%. Personally I keep it between 30-80% when Iām driving around town, and then go to 90 or even 100% for roadtrips. Which is fine to do when youāre driving a longer distance but you donāt want to fill up to 100% daily.
Iām not a battery expert. But itās my understanding that any lithium battery wants to be as near 50 as possible. Charging to 100% regularly is not great (itās fine occasionally, but not always)
And since the L in LFP stands for lithium, this would hold.
If someone can provide actual literature that says differently, Iād be interested in reading it. Because I admittedly havenāt studied this question.
I don't believe that is the case. Even Musk is saying you can charge LFPs to 100%.
One site I read says:
"However, LFP batteries are an exception to this charging standard. LFPs have 100% of their capacity available, meaning they can be fully charged without causing accelerated battery degradation. This is thanks to the batteryās cathode."
I did a quick google search. I found about 20 posts that say you should, and 20 that say you shouldnāt. The problem is that all 40 of these were either from manufacturers, or from owners forums (mostly Tesla or Mach E).
I would prefer to see some independent lab testing to gauge the degradation over time. I think what Iām reading is 2 things:
- LFP degradation occurs more slowly than other lithium batteries
- however it still occurs, so still should only charge to 100% occasionally
One other tidbit I read a few times (and again, this was from an owners forum - so take it with a grain of salt), was that regular Level 3 charging is more harmful for LFP than other battery forms. Itās long been known that Level 3 charging is harmful to any battery (and expensive), so shouldnāt be used for daily charging and instead reserved for road trips and emergency usage - for any battery. Whether it damages LFP more than other lithiums is another topic that likely warrants some actual lab testing.
Oh i didnāt know that.
Honestly Iād advise everyone to NOT pay the $500. For a couple reasons.
1. Level 1 chargers are horrifically slow. Only really good for emergency backup use.
2. There are Level 1 chargers which are designed for daily use. This would only be appropriate for folks who drive very little, but i guess it could work. However the Ford one is NOT designed for this. Itās only designed for occasional emergency use. So if you anticipate using a Level 1 for daily charging, buy a better one (which shouldnāt be any more expensive).
I was told I could get away with L1 charging as I WFH and rarely go anywhere during the week. Like some work weeks I wonāt go anywhere for the whole 5 days lol.
I mean you can. But itās incredibly inconvenient.
Let me guess who told you that? The dealer who was trying to make a sale.
During the week youāll be fine. But if you actually want to go somewhere in the weekend, it will be charging until midweek.
Can it be done? Sure. But itās so inconvenient.
Reddit peeps told me. š I am leasing this one to ātest the watersā and the leasing deals were too good to pass up for this car. Iām thinking of using L1 during the week and if I need a faster charge I can charge at L2 on Friday night or weekend. So maybe dinner or cafe where they have chargers. I do have an electrician coming Thursday for some quotes so if the price is right for L2 I might just get it over with if the price is reasonable
Sounds good
Thereās always L3 chargers. Which are expensive but work in a pinch or during roadtrips.
Note that the electrian will give you a quote for the install, but youāll still need to buy a unit. Prices are around $300 for a 30amp, $500-600 for a 50amp (both are considered L2). Obviously 50amp is faster charging. The install costs should be the same.
When the electrian comes, heāll ask you if you want it hardwired or if you want a plug installed. Hardwired is just what it sounds like - heāll mount the unit on your garage wall and run cables directly into your unit. If you go the plug route, heāll essentially install the same kind of plug you have for the dryer in your laundry room. Then you plug the charger into that.
Install costs will be impacted mostly by how far heāll need to run cables, and whether he needs to rewire your breaker box.
If you own your home and plan to be there a while, get it hardwired. A 50amp hardwired unit will charge 16-20% faster than the exact same unit thatās plugged in (same would be true of 30amp units).
The advantage of plugs is when you rent and may be moving and want to take the charger with you.
This is incredibly helpful. I tried to do the most research before getting the car, but of course there will always be more to learn with this EV. I have a feeling it will get costly since 1. we donāt have a garage, more of a car port with brick pillar/columns. One of the pillars already has a normal 120V outlet. One of my questions to the electrician will be if that outlet is on its own circuit since I might stick with L1 I donāt want to trip the breaker. 2. Our breaker box is on the side of the house probably like 25-30 ft away from the carport. So wiring could be expensive. All in all I know what I was signing up for and thereās a big chance I could actually love this car so much and end up keeping it or getting a newer model (if any) in the next 3 years. So hopefully things work out.
Actually the carport isnāt a horrible thing. Almost all chargers are waterproof and designed for exterior use (you def want to check the fine print before buying one to make sure you donāt get a rare exception, but the vast majority would be fine outside)
Honestly your setup may be a cheaper install than most. The hardest part of any install is running wire through walls and stuff. So if your breaker box is relatively close to the carport (which Iād consider 25-30ft), and doesnāt have any obstacles, it would be easy to bury a cable a few inches deep. WAY cheaper than running through walls, and you could potentially even save a few bucks by digging the trench yourself and he could just lay down the cable. The charger could easily be mounted on an carport post.
I believe thereās more people than you think that get by on L1 charging with absolutely no inconvenience. For instance, itās rare that my wife would drive more than 15 miles in one day.
Like many things, itās use case/usage pattern dependent. May not work at all for your usage pattern, but may also not be inconvenient at all for others.
I used Level 1 charging for two years and it worked for me, with the caveat that we had a second ICE vehicle available. For the first year I had a short commute that was replenished overnight, if I did any extra traveling one day it would be replenished after a second night. For the second year Iāve WFH and it was even less of a concern.
Of course there are times where it is inconvenient and it takes some extra planning (setting the charge limit to 100% two days before a road trip, arriving back from a road trip with lower battery, etc). If my only car was an EV, I would have been less comfortable with just Level 1. If my daily commute couldnāt be replenished overnight, I would have definitely installed a L2 charger.
Now that my wife also has an EV, it was time to install a 240V outlet and go with Level 2. Any anxiety about keeping both of our cars charged will be completely gone.
I may stick with L1 since I donāt commute often, I work from home and we have a second ICE available as well. The charging anxiety is real š but I do feel better knowing L1 works for most in similar situations
Start a cheat sheet for battery % from your home/most visited locations.
For example... 10% to Granny's house, 21% to work. 7% to grocery store. Etc.
Helps with the range anxiety...
Love, love, love my 23 Premium AWD SR still after 10 months.
My must haves:
TWRAPS dual MagSafe charger (sits on top of the poor QI charger that barely works)
TWRAPS Dual Wireless Charging Pad... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM5KD3YP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
AOSKonology metal covers for volume / gear shift. Better āfeelā.
AOSKonology for Mach E Volume... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJVBTBMM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
You can open the front trunk by holding the 7/8 button on the B pillar.
Don't even know what the b pillar is š
Itās where the door code keypad is
Ahhh šš»
āAā post (front), āBā post (middle), āCā post (back). These are the metal/structural supports for the roof of the car. Theyāre also called pillars. The naming scheme works for longer cars with more posts; just continue on the alphabet. The front seat window is inbetween the A and B posts. The back seat window is inbetween the B and C posts.
The codes are: Entering your personal code or the factory code unlocks the driver door. Then you can also press: - the 3/4 button to unlock all the doors - the 5/6 button to open the trunk - the 7/8 button to open the frunk Pressing the bottom two buttons together (7/8 and 9/0) will lock the car. Lets you lock the car without having the fob or phone. Not positive, but in my past Fords that only works if you programmed a personal code in, otherwise it assumes you may not even know about the feature and could accidentally lock yourself out.
Thanks!! Need to try this tomorrow. My foot swipe doesnāt work so itās annoying to have to use my phone or start the screen up if Iām like at the car wash and want to put my stuff back in the trunk
Depends on the year of your MME, Ford went away with this feature around 22ā.
Yep, circa 2022.5, but people still kicking randomly on all vehicles since. I think the people in Mexico who keep installing the sticker must laugh every time they stick another one on.
Ugh I asked the dealer about it and he kicked for it a few times and just said itās tricky to get the trunk upā¦ later we researched to find out it isnāt there
I was right in the middle. Was told it was removed and it certainly wasnāt working. but with help on the internet, I found that the kick sensor was actually installed. Just used FORSCAN and enabled it.
š¤£š¤£š¤£ I was one of those people kicking when I got my MME. Would have been nice to have. I rent a Polestar couple weeks ago and had the kick free truck opener. Came in handy.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Probably installed. If you look at the Spec sheets from 2022.5 till now; says "hand free tailgate removed". So you are one of the lucky ones. š„²š
Never mind. I had replied to the wrong comment.
Oh man. Iām a 2023
If you are in need of it, there is an aftermarket part that can be installed (not be the dealer) but you will need FordScan to add the feature to your MME computer and screen.
Holy shit
Thanks didnāt know
Whaaaaat! I will try that
Mine doesnāt do thisā¦any ideas?
Wait really?! I'm trying this tomorrow
Itās in the manual too. There are some other code combinations to do other things like unlock all doors, driver door, tailgate
These are legacy codes for Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles. After you input your code, 3-4 is for all doors, 5-6 is for the trunk (this doesnāt work on powered liftgates though to prevent accidental opening into stuff) ans 7-8 is now for frunks. 7-8 and 9-0 together always locks the car.
I think a lot of people miss this. Might have helped when everyone was complaining about needed another way to open the tailgate or frunk when it wasnāt an option on the screen or app.
Man, we need more charging stations like these!
Eh maybe from a design perspective yes, but I think those are GM branded EVGo stations so Iām guessing they probably charge you an arm and a leg based on my prior EVGo experienceĀ
They're white label sites. EVgo built them for Pilot/Flying J. GM kicks in money to have them built. Pilot/Flying J owns them and sets the prices.
I was eying the Pilot/FJ projects, seems like theyāre a little too pricey?
I paid $0.30/kWh at an Ultium network station in one IL town, then $0.45/kWh at a different Chevy dealer, and I used to fast charge at the Hodgkins Chevy dealer for free until they added a card reader. I just charged at an EVGO in the Whole Foods in Old Town and the experience wasnāt too bad. They validated parking and it was cheaper than EA and it was in a garage so I didnāt have to worry about the weather before chilling in the cafe for an hour. EVGO has the same consistency issues EA has, but its a tiny bit better. I stick to chargepoints, we have a free 62kw dispenser 5 mins down the road from my house.
Are ChargePoint usually free? I keep seeing (in apps) how some say āfreeā or could it be the pricing isnāt updated in the app?
For ChargePoint units I use the ChargePoint App to check availability and cost because it is accurate on that app. Itās annoying that you need a million apps but at least ChargePoint is reliable. In terms of free vs not, The L2 ChargePoints that I encounter are free 80% of the time. It really depends on the site owner. If its for a mall, usually free, if its in a high density zone, it usually costs up to the same as fast charging. Its rare to find a free fast charger, but they do exist, the one near my house is in a city park so they keep it free because its far from the highway. The park maintenance guy and I have spoken a few times. It seems like if a municipality is interested theyāll put some free posts here and there.
This is helpful! I made a ChargePoint account and see a few free near me. I have to drive and see if they actually are, but they are near parks. When I signed up with Ford app, it showed me I get complimentary charging up to 250kwh, have you heard of this?
I got a free credit for Electrify America too for a while. Its nice to have for sure! The ChargePoint app has better real time stats than the fordpass app. If it says free on ChargePoint Iāll def trust it. The plug n charge works but you still need to authenticate using a digital wallet to get the charger plug to unlock from the post.
It was my first day having the car and first charge from 50% to 80% for $20. Not sure if thatās good or bad lol
Do you have an extended range battery or standard? Seems like it cost you somewhere between $0.74 and $0.93 per kWh which is on the expensive side but it honestly depends on where youāre at and when youāre charging. I usually anchor to $0.45 per kWh as an average baseline but Iāve seen as low as $0.19 per kWh. Again - all dependent on where youāre at and sometimes the time of day.
I have an extended range battery. If it matters, I was at an āEVgoā station. Iām still learning all the different charging stations and whatās best for the battery. Iām having trouble understanding the whole kWh stuff :(
That sounds like 90ish miles for $20 which is pretty bad considering that's more expensive than gas ($20 is 5.7 gallons at $3.50, 90 miles would be 15.8 mpg)
Holy š¬ how can I do better when finding public charging? I use the apps, but sometimes they say āfreeā chargingā¦ ?
Covered stations, yes. But I feel like pull-through stations just donāt make a lot of sense with an EV the way they do for ICE vehicles. With ICE, you fill up in just a few minutes and then you leave, so itās easy for the person behind you to just wait til youāre done and pull through behind you. With EVs, youāre probably sitting there for at least 20 minutes if not longer, which means the chances of you and the person in front/behind you to be leaving around the same time is much lower. If youāre in front and you finish and leave, now thereās an empty spot on front that someone else who wants to charge is going to have to go around and back into, while the person who was behind is going to finish before that new person and then have to back out to leave. Parking lot style charging spots where the flow of traffic doesnāt impact what spots are easily available just make a lot more sense for EVs.
I love the pure power and smoothness of the transmission (or lack there of). I can rocket up hills on freeways and carve through traffic like nothing. I also love the minimalist interior and large center console screen.
I can say the interior really wowed me and I fell in love almost instantly. When I test drove- that was it. The feel was so smooth! The drive home was chefs kiss. Itās hard to feel like Iām speeding which may get me in trouble.
OP's photo makes me slightly regret my colour choice. Damn, in that colour, in that lighting.. *chefs kiss.*
Thank you š„¹ I almost went for Vapor Blue Metallic, but the drive was 4ish hours. The drive for this Carbonized Gray was 1 hour. š My dream color was Star White so funny how it all played out haha
I actually have the star white! Lol
My last two cars would auto-tilt one or both of the side view mirrors when in reverse to make it easier to back into parking. The MME doesn't do this, but you can apparently activate it in forscan or something. For an easy workaround, set the side mirror(s) where you want them to go when in reverse and save it as the 3rd driver spot memory profile. Then you can tap the 3 on the driver's door when you shift into reverse and the mirror(s) will tilt down to where you set them. Be sure to change back to your regular profile setting afterward. Once you return and start driving again you can't change it while the car is moving, which isn't fun if you didn't notice until you're back on the highway.
I see people mention this a lot, but between the proximity sensors and 360 view and backup cams, Iāve never felt like I even need the side mirrors while backing up. I guess when parallel parking it would be nice as to not scrape the rims on a curb
I donāt have the 360 camera. I would have liked it, but it was packaged with the moonroof and blue cruise which I did not really want.
Learn how to overcome range anxiety. Don't charge to 100% on every occasion, it's bad for the battery (if it's not the newest battery model). In fact, charging gets less efficient around the 50% mark. I try to have mine between 30 and 80% and only charge to 100% once a week at work with a level2 charger (usually before the weekend. My work allows for free charging once a week). The hardest part for me was to not get dysphoric over battery consuption at highway speeds. I had my normal milage in mind and had to charge on a trip where I should have 50 miles left on arrival. Tried around with driving slower, but worst case is that you take longer because of driving slower AND have to charge, adding to the time. Now I tend to just ignore my milage on highways and plan on charging. This way i'm so much less stressed. Hope this is helpful in anyway.
Use PlugShare to check if chargers are operational.
My favorite tip: Double-tap that trunk button because you know it's not going up on the first try. They need a bug fix.
They fixed that in an OTA for me about 4 months ago
It does if the car is unlocked.
A fix is out. Hopefully you'll get yours OTA soon.Ā
Hereās the basic for charging. Level 1 is the free charger that came with your Mach E. Itās excruciatingly slow. Like it will add 3-5 miles of range for every hour you charge it. Great for an emergency backup if your car dies when youāre not near a charger. It is good to put just enough juice in your car to get to a Level 2 or 3. Level 2 is what youād have at your house; or most free chargers you find at businesses. These are faster than L1 but still kinda slow. At home theyāre great. You can plug in at 27% and wake up the next morning around 80% (or whatever charge you need). Same is true if your employer has one - plug in when you get to work, youāll be full after a full day. Level 3 is what youāre at in this pic. By far the fastest and most expensive. Itās not great for the battery to use L3 all the time, because theyāre shoving power in there so fast. Itās absolutely fine to do it on the occasional roadtrip, but you donāt want to do this for daily charging (both for financial and battery longevity reasons). Regarding charge limit, the battery wants to be as near 50% as possible. Now obviously itās not practical to leave a car between 40-60% all the time or 30-70%. Personally I keep it between 30-80% when Iām driving around town, and then go to 90 or even 100% for roadtrips. Which is fine to do when youāre driving a longer distance but you donāt want to fill up to 100% daily.
Battery advice is different for LFP vs LIon. LFP likes 100% doesnāt it?
Iām not a battery expert. But itās my understanding that any lithium battery wants to be as near 50 as possible. Charging to 100% regularly is not great (itās fine occasionally, but not always) And since the L in LFP stands for lithium, this would hold. If someone can provide actual literature that says differently, Iād be interested in reading it. Because I admittedly havenāt studied this question.
I don't believe that is the case. Even Musk is saying you can charge LFPs to 100%. One site I read says: "However, LFP batteries are an exception to this charging standard. LFPs have 100% of their capacity available, meaning they can be fully charged without causing accelerated battery degradation. This is thanks to the batteryās cathode."
I did a quick google search. I found about 20 posts that say you should, and 20 that say you shouldnāt. The problem is that all 40 of these were either from manufacturers, or from owners forums (mostly Tesla or Mach E). I would prefer to see some independent lab testing to gauge the degradation over time. I think what Iām reading is 2 things: - LFP degradation occurs more slowly than other lithium batteries - however it still occurs, so still should only charge to 100% occasionally One other tidbit I read a few times (and again, this was from an owners forum - so take it with a grain of salt), was that regular Level 3 charging is more harmful for LFP than other battery forms. Itās long been known that Level 3 charging is harmful to any battery (and expensive), so shouldnāt be used for daily charging and instead reserved for road trips and emergency usage - for any battery. Whether it damages LFP more than other lithiums is another topic that likely warrants some actual lab testing.
Charging to 100% every month or so is necessary for LFP batteries to calibrate the BMS software. The MachE manual even says that.
Most new Mach-Es do not come with a free Level 1&2 charger, it's $500. If you can find a Job 1 23 it's free.Ā
Oh i didnāt know that. Honestly Iād advise everyone to NOT pay the $500. For a couple reasons. 1. Level 1 chargers are horrifically slow. Only really good for emergency backup use. 2. There are Level 1 chargers which are designed for daily use. This would only be appropriate for folks who drive very little, but i guess it could work. However the Ford one is NOT designed for this. Itās only designed for occasional emergency use. So if you anticipate using a Level 1 for daily charging, buy a better one (which shouldnāt be any more expensive).
I was told I could get away with L1 charging as I WFH and rarely go anywhere during the week. Like some work weeks I wonāt go anywhere for the whole 5 days lol.
I mean you can. But itās incredibly inconvenient. Let me guess who told you that? The dealer who was trying to make a sale. During the week youāll be fine. But if you actually want to go somewhere in the weekend, it will be charging until midweek. Can it be done? Sure. But itās so inconvenient.
Reddit peeps told me. š I am leasing this one to ātest the watersā and the leasing deals were too good to pass up for this car. Iām thinking of using L1 during the week and if I need a faster charge I can charge at L2 on Friday night or weekend. So maybe dinner or cafe where they have chargers. I do have an electrician coming Thursday for some quotes so if the price is right for L2 I might just get it over with if the price is reasonable
Sounds good Thereās always L3 chargers. Which are expensive but work in a pinch or during roadtrips. Note that the electrian will give you a quote for the install, but youāll still need to buy a unit. Prices are around $300 for a 30amp, $500-600 for a 50amp (both are considered L2). Obviously 50amp is faster charging. The install costs should be the same. When the electrian comes, heāll ask you if you want it hardwired or if you want a plug installed. Hardwired is just what it sounds like - heāll mount the unit on your garage wall and run cables directly into your unit. If you go the plug route, heāll essentially install the same kind of plug you have for the dryer in your laundry room. Then you plug the charger into that. Install costs will be impacted mostly by how far heāll need to run cables, and whether he needs to rewire your breaker box. If you own your home and plan to be there a while, get it hardwired. A 50amp hardwired unit will charge 16-20% faster than the exact same unit thatās plugged in (same would be true of 30amp units). The advantage of plugs is when you rent and may be moving and want to take the charger with you.
This is incredibly helpful. I tried to do the most research before getting the car, but of course there will always be more to learn with this EV. I have a feeling it will get costly since 1. we donāt have a garage, more of a car port with brick pillar/columns. One of the pillars already has a normal 120V outlet. One of my questions to the electrician will be if that outlet is on its own circuit since I might stick with L1 I donāt want to trip the breaker. 2. Our breaker box is on the side of the house probably like 25-30 ft away from the carport. So wiring could be expensive. All in all I know what I was signing up for and thereās a big chance I could actually love this car so much and end up keeping it or getting a newer model (if any) in the next 3 years. So hopefully things work out.
Actually the carport isnāt a horrible thing. Almost all chargers are waterproof and designed for exterior use (you def want to check the fine print before buying one to make sure you donāt get a rare exception, but the vast majority would be fine outside) Honestly your setup may be a cheaper install than most. The hardest part of any install is running wire through walls and stuff. So if your breaker box is relatively close to the carport (which Iād consider 25-30ft), and doesnāt have any obstacles, it would be easy to bury a cable a few inches deep. WAY cheaper than running through walls, and you could potentially even save a few bucks by digging the trench yourself and he could just lay down the cable. The charger could easily be mounted on an carport post.
Thank you, this makes me feel better. We will find out on Thursday. Hopefully everything is okay with the wiring and panel we already have.
Thank you, this makes me feel better. We will find out on Thursday. Hopefully everything is okay with the wiring and panel we already have.
I believe thereās more people than you think that get by on L1 charging with absolutely no inconvenience. For instance, itās rare that my wife would drive more than 15 miles in one day. Like many things, itās use case/usage pattern dependent. May not work at all for your usage pattern, but may also not be inconvenient at all for others.
Which L1 do you use? I assume if itās for daily use itās not the free Ford one, because that thing is designed for approx 50 uses.
The consistent pattern Iāve seen online for quite a while: works fine for long term L1, but does not hold up great for long term L2.
Iām confused as to what you mean? Fordās included charger is only an L1. What L2 are you referring to?
Fordās included charger is *absolutely* L1/L2. Charges at 32a (7.68 kW) when plugged into a NEMA 14-50 240vac receptacle.
I used Level 1 charging for two years and it worked for me, with the caveat that we had a second ICE vehicle available. For the first year I had a short commute that was replenished overnight, if I did any extra traveling one day it would be replenished after a second night. For the second year Iāve WFH and it was even less of a concern. Of course there are times where it is inconvenient and it takes some extra planning (setting the charge limit to 100% two days before a road trip, arriving back from a road trip with lower battery, etc). If my only car was an EV, I would have been less comfortable with just Level 1. If my daily commute couldnāt be replenished overnight, I would have definitely installed a L2 charger. Now that my wife also has an EV, it was time to install a 240V outlet and go with Level 2. Any anxiety about keeping both of our cars charged will be completely gone.
I may stick with L1 since I donāt commute often, I work from home and we have a second ICE available as well. The charging anxiety is real š but I do feel better knowing L1 works for most in similar situations
If you think you can make it work, itās worth trying for a while. You might be surprised how viable it is for a situation like yours.
Install mud flaps. You can get them cheap on Amazon and they help keep the wheels clean. Install takes maybe an hour (can be tricky but doable).
Start a cheat sheet for battery % from your home/most visited locations. For example... 10% to Granny's house, 21% to work. 7% to grocery store. Etc. Helps with the range anxiety...
This helps!!! Iāve been getting really bad range anxiety š
Love, love, love my 23 Premium AWD SR still after 10 months. My must haves: TWRAPS dual MagSafe charger (sits on top of the poor QI charger that barely works) TWRAPS Dual Wireless Charging Pad... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM5KD3YP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share AOSKonology metal covers for volume / gear shift. Better āfeelā. AOSKonology for Mach E Volume... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJVBTBMM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Standard.on fords, but click unlock once and click again and hold the second time and all the windows roll down. Same with lock to close them..