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benk016

benk016

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Yes, I’d appreciate bug fixes. But if Ford is rolling out new features, it would be nice to see something on this list:

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/poll-what-new-features-do-you-want-the-most.5357/post-155672

There have been a ton of suggestions on this forum about useful new features. Many were incorporated into that poll. 101 people voted and there are some clear favorites. But I’m not aware of anyone on here suggesting “gee, what we really need is an ‘intelligent charging’ feature that tries to read my mind as to when I need to charge and the most cost effective way to do it.” I think if this had been suggested, some of us would have been a tad dubious.

Most people aren’t going to plug in every night, or trust this feature to decide when it’s best to charge or for how much. Driving needs change constantly. People will plug in when they think they need to charge. They’ll set a charging schedule for when they think is best. This new feature seems to needlessly add complexity without much utility.

I’d tell Ford this but I didn’t get a Golden Ticket.
I agree with you, except that I don't think this is actually a new feature. This seems like something that's been in the software for a while and are finally un-hiding it in the GUI. It really just looks like they didn't have all the charging features fully ironed out and shipped with the advanced stuff hidden.

If I had to download a whole new OTA just to enable this, I'd have been a lot more disappointed than I am.

This really now just mirrors the options you can set directly in my EVSE.
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Thank you for posting this link. I did not receive an invite email, but using this website allowed me to put my name on the waitlist to tell them I'm interested in early access features.
you're welcome!

Anyone can get on the wait list.

Here is the link for others who missed my post.

https://www.earlyaccess.ford.com
 

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What is causing the charging bar to be red or yellow on the left side? Mine did it, so I unplugged and plugged, then it went away.
Solid amber on the left, pulsing blue in the middle means charging at reduced rate due to heat.

Ford Mustang Mach-E {Early Access Feature} Ford Intelligent Charging 1622617642125
 

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Is there not an NDA for the early access program?
 


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Is there not an NDA for the early access program?
None that I am aware of.

The First beta program, that was for the first OTA, it did have an NDA. But this one did not.
 

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None that I am aware of.

The First beta program, that was for the first OTA, it did have an NDA. But this one did not.
When you join the program there are some terms that you agree too, these are most likely very similar to an NDA.
 

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I turned the feature on, no time of day billing, and set it to a minimum of 70%.
Got home and plugged in. It briefly started charging then stopped. FordPass said “Plugged in. Waiting to charge.” (or something similar to that).

It then would start and stop charging every minute or so. I was getting constant notifications from my Wallbox app. Turned the feature off for now, not sure if isolated to me or just a bug. Will report it to Ford when they tell us how (no real info on the early access bug reporting that I can find).
 

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Side question: when the mobile charger overheats, does it alert you in the FordPass app? I’m wondering if this is why it’s suddenly telling me that it won’t fully charge overnight. (I wake up and it was wrong. It did charge all the way.)
 
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When you join the program there are some terms that you agree too, these are most likely very similar to an NDA.
If it is there, they don't let you view it again after you've signed up. After you login, there is a full page of disclaimers and it's not there.

Obviously if they wanted to they could kick me out of the program for any reason.
 

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Yea - got the same e-mail/feature addition.

I set it up, but like you I don't have time of day or anything for it to really matter.

It's weird that they market "over-charging". The energy doesn't get wasted just because I charge to 80% everyday, but only "need" 40%. It's still there, in the battery.
We know that the energy is wasted due to self discharge. The energy is also lost while charging. It's quite possible that battery losses are higher at the higher state of charge. In which case it makes sense to charge the amount needed just before it's needed.
 
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Side question: when the mobile charger overheats, does it alert you in the FordPass app? I’m wondering if this is why it’s suddenly telling me that it won’t fully charge overnight. (I wake up and it was wrong. It did charge all the way.)
It probably doesn't send an alert that it's overheating. But, the charging speed slowing could definitely make the car realize it can't finish in time and let you know. The car just knows what power it's getting, it doesn't know why it's slowing down.
 

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The problem with charging only as much as needed for a day is that you have no knowledge what tomorrow can bring. Knowing your average is not enough. What if some unexpected event happens and your car doesn't have sufficient charge. You would have to urgently go to DCFC.
Since life is unpredictable I don't see this feature to be useful. I charge my car to 90% every day, just in case, the heck with potential losses.
 
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The problem with charging only as much as needed for a day is that you have no knowledge what tomorrow can bring. Knowing your average is not enough. What if some unexpected event happens and your car doesn't have sufficient charge. You would have to urgently go to DCFC.
Since life is unpredictable I don't see this feature to be useful. I charge my car to 90% every day, just in case, the heck with potential losses.
I think that's why they also make you add on minimum charge level. You can tell it to always charge to at least 50% for example.

For me I'd just want like 20%. Enough to get to a hospital ?
 

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I think that's why they also make you add on minimum charge level. You can tell it to always charge to at least 50% for example.

For me I'd just want like 20%. Enough to get to a hospital ?
Setting min charge makes no sense. And why 50%? It's just an arbitrary number. The only reasonable number for an unpredictable situation is something close to 100%, which makes this whole feature useless.
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