TWO NEW WARNING POP-UPS

[dc73pdsgt]

so in the last week I have had 2 new warnings pop up. one on the Ford Pass app and the other on the dash screen behind the steering wheel.

Ford Pass app warning was that there was an unknown drain on the 12 volt battery. it stated it may be caused by a 3rd party after market accessory. the only thing I had added to the car was a Veepeak OBD adapter to keep an eye on the 12 volt battery. once I removed that low energy (or supposed to be anyway) adapter the warning went away and hasn't returned.

dash screen warning - yesterday I was driving to an appointment and when I parked a warning popped up saying the outside temperature was too hot and to keep the car plugged in when not in use. I live in Tucson and yes its been hot but we have had this kind of weather before and haven't seen this warning till yesterday..

anyway the MME is running fine but just wanted to see if anyone else has has similar warnings pop up. Oh and if anyone knows an OBD adapter I can use that won't cause that warning to pop up I would appreciate knowing about it. I can't believe we can not monitor the SOC of the 12 volt battery with out something like one of those adapters.

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[rhougey]

so in the last week I have had 2 new warnings pop up. one on the Ford Pass app and the other on the dash screen behind the steering wheel.

Ford Pass app warning was that there was an unknown drain on the 12 volt battery. it stated it may be caused by a 3rd party after market accessory. the only thing I had added to the car was a Veepeak OBD adapter to keep an eye on the 12 volt battery. once I removed that low energy (or supposed to be anyway) adapter the warning went away and hasn't returned.

dash screen warning - yesterday I was driving to an appointment and when I parked a warning popped up saying the outside temperature was too hot and to keep the car plugged in when not in use. I live in Tucson and yes its been hot but we have had this kind of weather before and haven't seen this warning till yesterday..

anyway the MME is running fine but just wanted to see if anyone else has has similar warnings pop up. Oh and if anyone knows an OBD adapter I can use that won't cause that warning to pop up I would appreciate knowing about it. I can't believe we can not monitor the SOC of the 12 volt battery with out something like one of those adapters.

I’m in north CA. The “plug the car in while parked” when it’s hot out is entirely normal. I get it a couple times each summer. The first time was about a month after I bought the car new. I had pulled the car into a DCFC facility to charge, and I got the message. The car also refused to fast charge. The outside temp was 117-F. After sitting on hold with customer service at Electrify America for 10-15 minutes unable to plug in or charge, I decided I probably had enough charge to make it home. So I hung up and went on my way. I made it home and plugged in.

 

[Mach-Lee]

so in the last week I have had 2 new warnings pop up. one on the Ford Pass app and the other on the dash screen behind the steering wheel.

Ford Pass app warning was that there was an unknown drain on the 12 volt battery. it stated it may be caused by a 3rd party after market accessory. the only thing I had added to the car was a Veepeak OBD adapter to keep an eye on the 12 volt battery. once I removed that low energy (or supposed to be anyway) adapter the warning went away and hasn't returned.

dash screen warning - yesterday I was driving to an appointment and when I parked a warning popped up saying the outside temperature was too hot and to keep the car plugged in when not in use. I live in Tucson and yes its been hot but we have had this kind of weather before and haven't seen this warning till yesterday..

anyway the MME is running fine but just wanted to see if anyone else has has similar warnings pop up. Oh and if anyone knows an OBD adapter I can use that won't cause that warning to pop up I would appreciate knowing about it. I can't believe we can not monitor the SOC of the 12 volt battery with out something like one of those adapters.

You have to be careful with OBD adapters, because if you leave the app open on your phone, it will continue to poll data from the car and keep it awake, which will drain the 12V battery. Make sure you stop data collection and quit the app after each use, otherwise you'll drain the 12V battery if you forget. Even better if you can just unplug the adapter when it's not in use.

The OBDLink MX+ and the Vgate iCar Pro BLE are two adapters I've tested and have a low sleep power draw, on the order of a couple milliamps. They are safe to leave plugged in. But remember both can drain the 12V battery if they remain active.

Plug in during hot weather warning is based on ambient and battery temps. If you see the warning, you should do what it says so the battery can cool down. The battery does not like temps above 95ºF and can overheat (needs cooling) above 104ºF. Living in Arizona you want to stay plugged in as much as possible during the summer so the battery can cool itself (it will not cool itself while unplugged). I recommend setting your EVSE to allow charging at any time of day, and setting the preferred charge times in the car to 12AM to 8AM. This will allow the car to draw power at any time to cool itself, but will wait to charge during the coolest part of the day (after midnight) for less stress on battery and cooling system.

 

[rhougey]

If you see the warning, you should do what it says so the battery can cool down. The battery does not like temps above 95ºF and can overheat (needs cooling) above 104ºF.

It’s a good thing to keep all this in mind if you are considering using the MachE on a hot day when you know you will not have access to a cable or an outlet for your mobile EVSE while you are parked at your destination or stopped at a waypoint.

Lee, you will know the answer to this question- does a DCFC qualify as “plugging in” to keep the battery cool? Will the car keep cooling the battery during DC fast charging (if you can get it to initiate)? That was the question in my mind as I was frantically trying to get started charging after getting this message during my first month of ownership over four years ago. In the end, charging wouldn’t initiate, so I jumped back on the freeway and finished my trip on the % I had where I could plug into my own EVSE. I later attributed the refusal to charge on the ambient temp of 117 and the fact I had been on the freeway for the last 2-1/2 hours in the heat.

 

[dc73pdsgt]

Currently have my preferred charging set to 10pm to 5am during the week and open charging on weekends per my electric company as these are the super off peak times. so I think I’m good there. As for the obd adapters, there’s quite a price difference between the 2 you mentioned. I’m assuming more expensive is better technology but I could be wrong.

 

[Mach-Lee]

It’s a good thing to keep all this in mind if you are considering using the MachE on a hot day when you know you will not have access to a cable or an outlet for your mobile EVSE while you are parked at your destination or stopped at a waypoint.

Lee, you will know the answer to this question- does a DCFC qualify as “plugging in” to keep the battery cool? Will the car keep cooling the battery during DC fast charging (if you can get it to initiate)? That was the question in my mind as I was frantically trying to get started charging after getting this message during my first month of ownership over four years ago. In the end, charging wouldn’t initiate, so I jumped back on the freeway and finished my trip on the % I had where I could plug into my own EVSE. I later attributed the refusal to charge on the ambient temp of 117 and the fact I had been on the freeway for the last 2-1/2 hours in the heat.

The car will maintain the battery temp if you are driving it or charging it at Level 2 or above. If it's really hot like that, I would try to use en-route preconditioning to cool it further before the charging stop. Battery being hot should not have prevented the DC charging from working (it will be slower but should still charge), you probably had some other issue.

If the battery is really hot, it will cut the A/C to the cabin and prioritize battery cooling. So you may notice times when the A/C cuts out or suddenly gets much colder, that's because of battery cooling.

Currently have my preferred charging set to 10pm to 5am during the week and open charging on weekends per my electric company as these are the super off peak times. so I think I’m good there. As for the obd adapters, there’s quite a price difference between the 2 you mentioned. I’m assuming more expensive is better technology but I could be wrong.

Depends on your application, MX+ is faster and more secure for more data critical applications. The iCar pro is BLE and cheaper if you just need occasional use.

 

[macchiaz-o]

Plug in during hot weather warning is based on ambient and battery temps. If you see the warning, you should do what it says so the battery can cool down. The battery does not like temps above 95ºF and can overheat (needs cooling) above 104ºF. Living in Arizona you want to stay plugged in as much as possible during the summer so the battery can cool itself (it will not cool itself while unplugged). I recommend setting your EVSE to allow charging at any time of day, and setting the preferred charge times in the car to 12AM to 8AM. This will allow the car to draw power at any time to cool itself, but will wait to charge during the coolest part of the day (after midnight) for less stress on battery and cooling system.

(I emphasized some critical details in my quote of Lee's message, above.)

What you're stating makes sense, Lee, but this hasn't ever matched my experience.

For example today in the Phoenix area -- I got the "plug in, it's hot outside" warning when I put the car in Park after my drive home from work. It was roughly 6pm or so. I plugged it in. Nothing happens. It just sits there quietly waiting for my preferred charge times, just like it does in cooler seasons.

My preferred charge time is 11pm to 5am. My EVSE doesn't support the concept of charge times, so it's not a factor here. (It's Ford's connected charge station, btw.)

I do find it frustrating that the car warns me that it's hot, asksme to plug it in, and then proceeds to take no action when I've complied.

 

[Shayne]

(I emphasized some critical details in my quote of Lee's message, above.)

What you're stating makes sense, Lee, but this hasn't ever matched my experience.

For example today in the Phoenix area -- I got the "plug in, it's hot outside" warning when I put the car in Park after my drive home from work. It was roughly 6pm or so. I plugged it in. Nothing happens. It just sits there quietly waiting for my preferred charge times, just like it does in cooler seasons.

My preferred charge time is 11pm to 5am. My EVSE doesn't support the concept of charge times, so it's not a factor here. (It's Ford's connected charge station, btw.)

I do find it frustrating that the car warns me that it's hot, asksme to plug it in, and then proceeds to take no action when I've complied.

If the a/c is off and the vents are open actively cooling the battery when you get home can you not just leave it on until it cools and the vents close? If the vents are not open and it is not cooling the battery when on I assume it will do nothing when plugged in and off also. May be the battery is not too hot at the time of the message but could become that way just sitting there hence the message? Mine does come on and draws from the charger when really cold so I know always plugged in has some value but not as soon as I plug it in. I have never seen the too hot message.

 

[Mach-Lee]

(I emphasized some critical details in my quote of Lee's message, above.)

What you're stating makes sense, Lee, but this hasn't ever matched my experience.

For example today in the Phoenix area -- I got the "plug in, it's hot outside" warning when I put the car in Park after my drive home from work. It was roughly 6pm or so. I plugged it in. Nothing happens. It just sits there quietly waiting for my preferred charge times, just like it does in cooler seasons.

My preferred charge time is 11pm to 5am. My EVSE doesn't support the concept of charge times, so it's not a factor here. (It's Ford's connected charge station, btw.)

I do find it frustrating that the car warns me that it's hot, asksme to plug it in, and then proceeds to take no action when I've complied.

? And that behavior hasn't changed at all through subsequent software updates? Sometimes they induce bugs (for example, battery heating stopped working for me last winter until the charge target was reached, so it would L2 charge a -15ºC battery, which isn't great).

Admittedly, it doesn't get hot enough here for me to reach those threshold temps for testing. Battery heating is deferred to preferred charge times, but that's fine because it doesn't hurt anything if a very cold battery is just sitting around. However, a hot battery sitting around WILL degrade, so battery cooling should override preferred charge times for battery health. It should wake up and draw just enough power to cool the battery down to 40ºC, but wait for the preferred times to finish charging. If the pack temp is sitting at 45+ºC and it's not doing anything while plugged in, well that's just dumb and arguably a bug in the thermal management software.

If it's like you say, then you would have to set your charge schedule to 24/7 and drop the amperage on your EVSE (to minimize on-peak loads) in order to force cooling as soon as it's plugged in. Or adjust the change limit constantly. Not fun.

 

[nlions]

120 here yesterday and saw that "its hot . . . plug in" message for the first time ever. Not sure what the trigger temp is but it was damn hot yesterday for sure.

 

[macchiaz-o]

If the a/c is off and the vents are open actively cooling the battery when you get home can you not just leave it on until it cools and the vents close?

Shayne, that's brilliant thinking! Yeah that would probably work although I'd need to turn off headlights, turn off A/C, endure the honk, and lock the doors each time I park when it's very hot. (June through October?)

May be the battery is not too hot at the time of the message but could become that way just sitting there hence the message?

I don't think so... When I'm home from work at the end of the day, the car is in my enclosed garage, but it doesn't know that, yet I'll see the warning sometimes.

When I park at work at 9 am there's no shade at all (huge open asphalt lot, no trees nearby) and I've never seen the too hot warning at the start of my day, so it isn't using weather predictions or sun load sensors for triggering this IPC messaging.

? And that behavior hasn't changed at all through subsequent software updates? Sometimes they induce bugs (for example, battery heating stopped working for me last winter until the charge target was reached, so it would L2 charge a -15ºC battery, which isn't great).

It's always been this way, since I got it in March 2021. I remember wondering why Teslas expend energy while unplugged to do thermal management on hot days but other EVs including mine didn't (and still don't, at least not that I've ever noticed). And the first few times I noticed the hot-please-plug-in message, I remember being frustrated that plugging in did nothing to help, if outside preferred charge times.

I also think it's weird that Ford doesn't shift the recharge time window to the right (while remaining well within the preferred charge hours) in order to use the first hour or two to cool down the electronics and battery, prior to adding more heat to the pack by recharging it.

a hot battery sitting around WILL degrade, so battery cooling should override preferred charge times for battery health. It should wake up and draw just enough power to cool the battery down to 40ºC, but wait for the preferred times to finish charging.

I agree completely. As I'm likely to keep the car until the battery warranty is just about expired or even a few years longer, I find Ford's lack of attention to these details pretty frustrating.

If it's like you say, then you would have to set your charge schedule to 24/7 and drop the amperage on your EVSE (to minimize on-peak loads) in order to force cooling as soon as it's plugged in. Or adjust the change limit constantly. Not fun.

Yeah I don't want to micromanage my car in this way, nor the charger or my own schedule, etc.

Maybe others in hot climates will chime in. I don't think what I'm describing is unique to my car. It's a 2021 job 1 but I doubt Ford ever changed these behaviors on later models.

 

[4sallypat]

100+ temps this week and even hotter parked in the sun without a single complaint charging L2 or Tesla SC.

Fans do spin up to max so that's loud....

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

Maybe others in hot climates will chime in. I don't think what I'm describing is unique to my car. It's a 2021 job 1 but I doubt Ford ever changed these behaviors on later models.

Jonathan, come to SF and say goodbye to these concerns - we can be neighbors! ?

120 here yesterday and saw that "its hot . . . plug in" message for the first time ever. Not sure what the trigger temp is but it was damn hot yesterday for sure.

Jim, may I ask where this was? 120ºF is frightening! (120ºC would be death ?)

 

[o187emdk]

so in the last week I have had 2 new warnings pop up. one on the Ford Pass app and the other on the dash screen behind the steering wheel.

Ford Pass app warning was that there was an unknown drain on the 12 volt battery. it stated it may be caused by a 3rd party after market accessory. the only thing I had added to the car was a Veepeak OBD adapter to keep an eye on the 12 volt battery. once I removed that low energy (or supposed to be anyway) adapter the warning went away and hasn't returned.

dash screen warning - yesterday I was driving to an appointment and when I parked a warning popped up saying the outside temperature was too hot and to keep the car plugged in when not in use. I live in Tucson and yes its been hot but we have had this kind of weather before and haven't seen this warning till yesterday..

anyway the MME is running fine but just wanted to see if anyone else has has similar warnings pop up. Oh and if anyone knows an OBD adapter I can use that won't cause that warning to pop up I would appreciate knowing about it. I can't believe we can not monitor the SOC of the 12 volt battery with out something like one of those adapters.

In Arizona I get the outside temp warning all the time LOL

 

[macchiaz-o]

Jonathan, come to SF and say goodbye to these concerns - we can be neighbors! ?

I'd love that!

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