How do I know if the car has preconditioned prior to a DC charge?

[stevenschwartz]

I don't often do DC charging, but after a recent longer trip with a total of 8 DC charging stops, I realized I have no idea if the car did any preconditioning. At Freeway speeds there id no clear change in sound, so how would I even know? Do I have to do anything to make it happen?

PS: I do not use the built in routing because it does not route to Tesla chargers, but there were posts saying that google maps (which I use) can tell the car to do this.

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[hybrid2bev]

The only way I know of is to plug in an OBD2 dongle and use an app like CarScanner.

 

[astrorob]

The only way I know of is to plug in an OBD2 dongle and use an app like CarScanner.

what would carscanner actually say? or are you just looking at the HVB battery temperature and see if it goes up?

 

[hybrid2bev]

what would carscanner actually say? or are you just looking at the HVB battery temperature and see if it goes up?

Yes, you can see the coolant loop and the battery temps.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...r-output-regen-charging-and-other-data.33211/

 

[moog]

Ford likes to keep preconditioning a great MYSTERY!!

Precondtioning:
Want it on demand? Nope
Can you use it via iOS and Apple or Google Maps? Nope
Need to use it while Navigating to a Tesla charger via the built-in navigation? Navigation says what's a tesla charger?
Want an on screen notification to let you know that your car is preconditioning the battery? Nope
Want a notification from the car to let you know that preconditioning would be a good idea to enable while navigating to a charger...and give you that option? Nope

The above are a significant amount of simple problems that could be solved so that owner's could better understand their EV's and how to use them more effectively when it comes to charging.....but yea.....Nope.

 

[stevenschwartz]

Ford likes to keep preconditioning a great MYSTERY!!

Precondtioning:
Want it on demand? Nope
Can you use it via iOS and Apple or Google Maps? Nope
Need to use it while Navigating to a Tesla charger via the built-in navigation? Navigation says what's a tesla charger?
Want an on screen notification to let you know that your car is preconditioning the battery? Nope
Want a notification from the car to let you know that preconditioning would be a good idea to enable while navigating to a charger...and give you that option? Nope

The above are a significant amount of simple problems that could be solved so that owner's could better understand their EV's and how to use them more effectively when it comes to charging.....but yea.....Nope.

So you are saying (or strongly implying) that google maps in android auto is not able to initiate preconditioning. I thought I had seen posts saying this approach could work.

 

[Mach-Lee]

So you are saying (or strongly implying) that google maps in android auto is not able to initiate preconditioning. I thought I had seen posts saying this approach could work.

Google maps on Android auto should work if it's updated and showing battery percentages.

But if you have an iPhone, nothing works.

You can listen for the pump noise when putting in the charger destination once you are close (<18 mi) to the charger (you might have to stop the car to hear it). Once you know the battery pump is responding to your inputs, then you'll just have to assume it's working the rest of the time you use it.

 

[stevenschwartz]

Google maps on Android auto should work if it's updated and showing battery percentages.

But if you have an iPhone, nothing works.

You can listen for the pump noise when putting in the charger destination once you are close (<18 mi) to the charger (you might have to stop the car to hear it). Once you know the battery pump is responding to your inputs, then you'll just have to assume it's working the rest of the time you use it.

Got it. Luckily for me I use Google maps and Android auto. The battery level prediction is quite good. I will just go with assuming it works.

 

[CTZ]

Got it. Luckily for me I use Google maps and Android auto. The battery level prediction is quite good. I will just go with assuming it works.

If you use AA and Google Maps, you should see the charger icon in the driver's console instead of the checkered flag next to the remaining distance. This shows that preconditioning is happening. This works great and I also find that estimated percentage on arrival is very accurate.

 

[Mach-Lee]

If you use AA and Google Maps, you should see the charger icon in the driver's console instead of the checkered flag next to the remaining distance. This shows that preconditioning is happening.

The charger icon does not show when preconditioning is happening, only that it is possible when conditions are met. We have no indication when preconditioning is active.

 

[CTZ]

The charger icon does not show when preconditioning is happening, only that it is possible when conditions are met. We have no indication when preconditioning is active.

Okay, thanks for the clarification.

 

[stevenschwartz]

If you use AA and Google Maps, you should see the charger icon in the driver's console instead of the checkered flag next to the remaining distance. This shows that preconditioning is happening. This works great and I also find that estimated percentage on arrival is very accurate.

Thanks! So just to confirm, it stays as a charger icon (rather than checkered flag), or it changes only when doing the preconditioning? I can't remember, but I don't think it was ever a checkered flag on my recent longer trip.

TIA, Steve

 

[Mustangor]

Ford likes to keep preconditioning a great MYSTERY!!

Precondtioning:
Want it on demand? Nope
Can you use it via iOS and Apple or Google Maps? Nope
Need to use it while Navigating to a Tesla charger via the built-in navigation? Navigation says what's a tesla charger?
Want an on screen notification to let you know that your car is preconditioning the battery? Nope
Want a notification from the car to let you know that preconditioning would be a good idea to enable while navigating to a charger...and give you that option? Nope

The above are a significant amount of simple problems that could be solved so that owner's could better understand their EV's and how to use them more effectively when it comes to charging.....but yea.....Nope.

Again this shows how miserable the Mach-E user interface is. Not beeing able to activate preconditionning is already a problem, because you could decide to change your mind and go for a "last minute" detour to a supercharger out of the programmed trip, and activate precondtioning manualy. But not even seeing that preconditionning has started on a planned trip is just ridiculous. But Ford seems to insist to make this UI as dumb as possible. Want some clues ? Lets' go :

This dump UI doesn't provide any real time information about charge and discharge of the HVB. Especialy for us plebs with the SR model that doesn't even show the small jauge at the left, which is totally useless anyway. My 20K$ Renault ZOE had a nice bar showing charge and discharge in kW/h in real time and you could show graphs of your trip and see the complete history of charge and discharge.

This dumb UI doesn't show full information about the music song playing if you're not right on the music screen, except if you use AA and if you're lucky with the music player you use. There is no option to change anything on the screen behind the wheel to display the song - or anything else by the way. A simple Ford Puma sold here in France has a screen behind the wheel that can be fully customized, and they sell for 30K€ less.

This dump UI is so incompetent that it has to cut the music for a brief moment when switching between native and AA. Hopefully the AA implementation is good enough so you can at least use it if you have an android phone. The fact is the Ford UI is basicaly useless and I don't even imagine using my Mach-E without my android phone.

No wonder why so many people try to "fix" things with Torque Pro, CarScan, AAtorque, etc. Or even with questionnable " FORScan mods"... The Mach-E Interface is the worst on the market to date for a "premium EV". But people are happy anyway because they have a screen behind the wheel and others don't.

 

[stevenschwartz]

OK, far be it from me to defend a large corporation in general and Ford in particular, but I truly think the UI is designed for the average driver, not the enthusiast who wants, for example, manual control over preconditioning. I wish I had it, but TBH I would bet most MME drivers don't. True, EV drivers are a bit more "techy" than most ICE drivers, but I still think Ford is trying to aim its UI for the average driver. As an analogy, I have a nice Sony digital camera. Its menu's are about 15 levels deep allowing control of every possible function in a million different ways. I never use 95% of them and wish it were a bit simpler to use.

Just my $.02

 

[RickMachE]

Thanks! So just to confirm, it stays as a charger icon (rather than checkered flag), or it changes only when doing the preconditioning? I can't remember, but I don't think it was ever a checkered flag on my recent longer trip.

TIA, Steve

The charger icon means you are navigating to a charger, versus not navigating to a charger. Any other destination shows as a flag.

If it shows as a charger, and it's a DC fast charger it SHOULD precondition. It does not change color or do anything to tell you.

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