HowTo: use OBD-II and CarScanner to see Power Output/Regen/Charging and other data

[mkhuffman]

Mine shows through CarPlay in a different format than on the screen.

Fingerprints!!!!

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[rreddy3]

I also can display the Car Scanner app on the MME center screen via Carplay. It has about 17, give or take, different screens to select among. None of them are the same as screens the app displays through the phone.

 

[IgorKl]

The ODBLink CX works with both.

I’ll need to try again, car scanner did not recognize CX from 1st try

 

[teach42]

I also can display the Car Scanner app on the MME center screen via Carplay. It has about 17, give or take, different screens to select among. None of them are the same as screens the app displays through the phone.

I just started using it today, but it seems they're the same DATA as what's on the dashboards on the phone, they just don't show up as graphs/charts in Carplay. But the individual data points are mirrored in both.

 

[dtbaker61]

I also can display the Car Scanner app on the MME center screen via Carplay. It has about 17, give or take, different screens to select among. None of them are the same as screens the app displays through the phone.

...no graphics yet ?
cannot "mirror" whatever is on the phone, right ?

 

[rreddy3]

...no graphics yet ?
cannot "mirror" whatever is on the phone, right ?

This may be old news to folks who’ve displayed CarScanner on the center screen; but here are 3 images representative of the various “dashboards”. The dashboard’s name appears top, middle, in bold letters. One image is just for fun, “got snow”, a seldom seen sight in NoVA. They were taken within a coiplenof minutes of each other. I can find the bits of info I want sorting among the dashboards. The wealth of data is, for me, information overload. Only a few bits really interest me.

 

[dtbaker61]

not much good to me if I can't display my custom dash the way I want with large central dial for power. There's no way I want to try to read text and numbers while driving.

I guess I will stick with display on my phone for now...

 

[rreddy3]

not much good to me if I can't display my custom dash the way I want with large central dial for power. There's no way I want to try to read text and numbers while driving.

I guess I will stick with display on my phone for now...

I see your point. That’s a nice display you created. Going by memory, the central screen CarScanner display allows for one or more custom screens….I think. When I get home from my ski trip I will play around with creating a custom screen. If anything useful comes of that I will let you know.

 

[Trick.Mach-E]

This may be old news to folks who’ve displayed CarScanner on the center screen; but here are 3 images representative of the various “dashboards”. The dashboard’s name appears top, middle, in bold letters. One image is just for fun, “got snow”, a seldom seen sight in NoVA. They were taken within a coiplenof minutes of each other. I can find the bits of info I want sorting among the dashboards. The wealth of data is, for me, information overload. Only a few bits really interest me.

Something I always wondered... what does Ford consider the transmission on the Mach-E?

 

[rreddy3]

Something I always wondered... what does Ford consider the transmission on the Mach-E?

Disclaimer: this is not engineering analysis or advice…read at your own risk ??

The short answer is that the transmission is integrated with the motor housing. So Ford would say the transmission is the reduction gear system that’s part of the “drive unit”, for lack of a better term, assembly.

The transmission component is a single speed reduction gear. It reduces the motor RPM via the reduction gear. There is probably a correct engineering term, but think of it as stepping down the motor RPM to a lower output RPM, and also a way to reduce the motor RPM at a given road speed compared to a motor without reduction gearing. That helps efficiency and longevity of the system.

Pebbles the ? is hunkered down waiting for incoming fire she fears I may have invited ?

 

[JimmyMachE]

All intricacies of the motor and transmission (reduction gear) are explained in this excellent video by professor John D. Kelly:

 

[dalola]

All intricacies of the motor and transmission (reduction gear) are explained in this excellent video by professor John D. Kelly:

Thanks for sharing that, really interesting!

 

[Trick.Mach-E]

Disclaimer: this is not engineering analysis or advice…read at your own risk ??

The short answer is that the transmission is integrated with the motor housing. So Ford would say the transmission is the reduction gear system that’s part of the “drive unit”, for lack of a better term, assembly.

The transmission component is a single speed reduction gear. It reduces the motor RPM via the reduction gear. There is probably a correct engineering term, but think of it as stepping down the motor RPM to a lower output RPM, and also a way to reduce the motor RPM at a given road speed compared to a motor without reduction gearing. That helps efficiency and longevity of the system.

Pebbles the ? is hunkered down waiting for incoming fire she fears I may have invited ?

Love the pooch. Why do I get the impression a '86 Chevy El Camino with some PBR in the back is something your dog likes? ???

 

[Queenieelper]

Disclaimer: this is not engineering analysis or advice…read at your own risk ??

The short answer is that the transmission is integrated with the motor housing. So Ford would say the transmission is the reduction gear system that’s part of the “drive unit”, for lack of a better term, assembly.

The transmission component is a single speed reduction gear. It reduces the motor RPM via the reduction gear. There is probably a correct engineering term, but think of it as stepping down the motor RPM to a lower output RPM, and also a way to reduce the motor RPM at a given road speed compared to a motor without reduction gearing. That helps efficiency and longevity of the system.

Pebbles the ? is hunkered down waiting for incoming fire she fears I may have invited ?
When folks talk about using OBD‑II + CarScanner to monitor power output, regen, charging, and battery data in real time, it’s all about sensor feedback, dashboards, and seeing what’s actually happening under the hood. That kind of precise tracking has a lot of similarities with tracking your body during fasting - just as CarScanner shows you watts, kWhr remaining, or regen energy, the right health tool should show when your fast starts, ends, how you feel, perhaps energy levels and trends. That’s why something like https://wellness-app.com/ works well - it’s an online fasting tracker built to capture your fasting windows, give real metrics, and improve awareness. Just like tuning your EV battery performance, tracking fasting lets you understand your body’s responses so you can optimize for consistency, energy, and well‑being.

What a wonderful assistant you have!

 

[Mark605]

I got an OBD dongle, and I am using car scanner, but I am not seeing some of the sensor options that other people in this thread are, notably battery temperatures.

Also, there are a few coolant temp options, one is "coolant temp" the other is "engine coolant temperature (B)". What exactly are these? Seems like "engine coolant temperature (B)" might be the temp of the coolant going into the battery, because it will go up as soon as the battery heater turns on. The "coolant temp" reading changes a lot slower.

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