Darren Palmer talks Mach-E 12V battery and first OTA software update

[RyZt]

Ford hybrids do the same operation, where the HV traction battery charges the 12 V battery with a DC-DC converter. The gas engine charges the main HV battery.

On Ford hybrids, the HVB does charge the LVB. However, HVB is disconnected when the car is off. Therefore, if the car is off for an extended period of time, LVB will go flat. Just like Ford Hybrids, MachE's HVB is disconnected when the car is off and not charging.

Darren Palmer's post says that Mach E monitors the LVB charge level is "constantly monitored". I suppose that means the HVB can used for charging LVB even when HVB is otherwise disconnected. This is the difference.

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[RyZt]

It is that in between time.....before 72 hours passes and we are trying to use the energy stored in the door latch module to gain access. Just really curious how does the car validate the owner is the one trying to open the car and not someone else with malicious intent?

My understanding is that the door will not unlatch if it was latched. The battery in the door is designed for emergency exit, not for fallback entry.

If the LVB is dead and you need to unlatch, you need to use the fallback method to open the frunk and charge the LVB first.

 

[RyZt]

With regards to multiple ways to get into the car, please consider that multiple reports from early buyers indicate unreliability for getting into and starting the car with your phone and with the app. Perhaps providing two key fobs would have been prudent.

I don't mind Ford giving every one a second key fob. However, I think you should know that you can use PIN code open the door AND drive the car.

 

[SnBGC]

My question also. When I get mine, I will pop the hood, disconnect the 12v, close it and then try to open the driver's door. Not that ever will need to do this in real life. All the rain up here keeps our batteries topped off.

I am planning the same thing. Probably dont even have to close the hood. I suspect the alarm will go off as soon as the 12v battery is disconnected. Service manual says it has a back up battery but in parentheses it says (if equipped).....so I dont know what will happen.

I will keep the hood open just in case the doors dont open or the alarm is annoying me and I will quickly reconnect the battery.

There is a procedure to disconnecting the 12v battery. Do you have that already? I can provide if needed.

 

[SnBGC]

My understanding is that the door will not unlatch if it was latched. The battery in the door is designed for emergency exit, not for fallback entry.

If the LVB is dead and you need to unlatch, you need to use the fallback method to open the frunk and charge the LVB first.

Thank you. My understanding as well.
I think Ford saying "Don't worry about the 12v battery because we check it all the time" is like saying you will never have a flat tire if you check the pressure every day. Stuff happens.....

 

[ajmartineau]

I am planning the same thing. Probably dont even have to close the hood. I suspect the alarm will go off as soon as the 12v battery is disconnected. Service manual says it has a back up battery but in parentheses it says (if equipped).....so I dont know what will happen.

I will keep the hood open just in case the doors dont open or the alarm is annoying me and I will quickly reconnect the battery.

There is a procedure to disconnecting the 12v battery. Do you have that already? I can provide if needed.

I've never read instructions on how to unhook a 12v or LVB. I didn't know anybody read those things. This should be good. Please send it.

 

[Maric]

You probably won’t believe this but in 33 years of driving I’ve never had a dead battery.

I'm not planning on starting now.

 

[ARK]

if you know your car is going to sit for a while, how about you keep 80% in battery and remote start car for a short bit to keep it from completely killing 12v.

not sure why this is such a big issue, the past 20 + years I have had to jump start my car 0 times. I guess I should consider myself lucky, because it seems like some people have to jump start daily with all this concern....

My 2006 Mustang has been jump started a few dozen times, unfortunately. It has some sort of fault within it. Changed the battery multiple times over the years, taken it to a few different mechanics to see where the drain is coming from or what the issue is, no one can isolate it or figure out what the source is. Last mechanic did something that improved the issue but didn’t fully resolve it.

Anyway, as hopeful as we are that our Mach Es will turn out perfect, it’s likely that some of us will have a gremlin or two to deal with, like with any make/model. Hopefully not with the 12v as it seems like much more of a PITA to deal with than on an ICE.

 

[SnBGC]

You probably won’t believe this but in 33 years of driving I’ve never had a dead battery.

I'm not planning on starting now.

Amazing.
The batteries on my Super Duty Power Stroke Diesel trucks die every 22-24 months. Both of them. On both of my personal trucks AND all 18 that we have in our fleet at work. Truck runs fine one day, next day they are dead. No warning lights....dead enough for the truck not to start. 10 volts required to activate the IDM or the injectors wont work.

My wife's C-Max Energi 12v battery died a couple weeks ago. Had to use the physical key to unlock the door, pop the hood, connect jumper cables to the terminals under the hood to provide power to pop the lift gate and access the 12v battery which is right next to the HVB. So close in fact that Ford doesnt even publish instructions or tell the owner where the battery is located. The owners manual just says "see your dealer for service".

Luckily I have the service manuals and am EV trained so I feel comfortable working near the HVB to access the 12v battery. Finding a replacement when the dealership was closed was fun....but we have everything here in Phoenix so I was able to locate a new one and get her car working again.

I dont remember ever owning a vehicle where the 12v battery did NOT wear out eventually.

 

[SnBGC]

I've never read instructions on how to unhook a 12v or LVB. I didn't know anybody read those things. This should be good. Please send it.

I will pull it up tomorrow. They want the negative cable removed at the chassis ground bolt.....not at the battery post end. There is a sensor in that cable that is calibrated and could be affected if disconnected out of order.

 

[macchiaz-o]

The battery in the door is designed for emergency exit, not for fallback entry.

My understanding is that exiting the vehicle requires a slight pull of the door handle to electronically unlatch.

A longer pull of the door handle will mechanically unlatch -- regardless of whether the door has power.

 

[mattbostonmache]

My understanding is that the door will not unlatch if it was latched. The battery in the door is designed for emergency exit, not for fallback entry.

If the LVB is dead and you need to unlatch, you need to use the fallback method to open the frunk and charge the LVB first.

No. Just the opposite. The supercapacitor (not a battery) is for getting into the car. It might just be for the keypad. Not sure about the fob or PaaK.

To exit, you pull the inside door latch beyond it's normal electronic opening position and it will mechanically open the door allowing you to exit.

This is a better egress system than the Teslas. TFL did a video about the MY emergency exit. The front doors have a somewhat easy to find mechanical exit, but the rear doors require a lot of digging. I think they had to pop something off.

 

[sockmeister]

My 2006 Mustang has been jump started a few dozen times, unfortunately. It has some sort of fault within it. Changed the battery multiple times over the years, taken it to a few different mechanics to see where the drain is coming from or what the issue is, no one can isolate it or figure out what the source is. Last mechanic did something that improved the issue but didn’t fully resolve it.

Anyway, as hopeful as we are that our Mach Es will turn out perfect, it’s likely that some of us will have a gremlin or two to deal with, like with any make/model. Hopefully not with the 12v as it seems like much more of a PITA to deal with than on an ICE.

I sold my '08 last year. The battery would die if it sat for more than 2 weeks without running. But, this car had a remote start, an aftermarket radio, and a ton of add-ons.
What does yours have, or is it stock?

 

[SashaLondon]

Laugh if the first software update just had spelling mistake fixes.

 

[ARK]

I sold my '08 last year. The battery would die if it sat for more than 2 weeks without running. But, this car had a remote start, an aftermarket radio, and a ton of add-ons.
What does yours have, or is it stock?

Mine is almost completely stock in this . There is an aftermarket anti-theft system, but the mechanic I took it to tested that by unplugging the system. It stayed with him for five weeks last year as he tried to see what was drawing on the battery.

He didn’t find anything, thought the battery’s connectors to the car were really dirty with build up of something (don’t remember exactly what he said) and he cleaned it real good. So basically he thought it was a charging issue, where these blocked connectors weren’t letting the car charge right. The car started doing much better after he did this. Before, if I didn’t drive it for four days the battery could be dead, so dead that I wouldn’t even be able to get the locks to work. After this, I went for several months without a dead battery until recently.

Now I think because my six CD changer is busted, the Shaker 500 sometimes gets stuck trying to shuffle between non-existent CDs. This might be a new cause for battery drain... The joys of 15 year old cars.

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