12V battery info able to be reported from vehicle (FordPass/research project)

[KevinS]

Hey all! I'm currently taking UX Design coursework and have decided to make my "add a feature to an existing product" project about FordPass and specifically the 12V battery.

As we all know, 12V batteries in EVs are a problem that multiple manufacturers have, especially in the Winter. Given the nature of Mach-Es and the fact that it requires use of the bizarre emergency frunk-activation to even jumpstart the car when the battery is too low, reporting of this information to the owner is (I believe) important.

What I'm proposing (just as FordPass recently received improvements to HVB charging reporting) I'd like to do the same for 12V batteries.

I feel ignorant, though, about what information can be accessed from the vehicle. Can anyone add to this list for things it may be able to report that I might not be aware of?

* Current 12V battery charge level
* Status of battery charge from HVB (currently charging/not charging)
* Level of battery to initiate charge from HVB (start charge when level drops to 11.5v, etc.)

Are there any other features regarding the 12V battery information and FordPass that people would like to see? There may be more that reports from the vehicle than I am aware of.

I will be planning to conduct a brief survey about this issue in the coming days and will link to it in the forum as well for feedback. I'll also be looking for volunteers to do some "beta testing" of the implementation in the next week or two. If you're interested in either of those items and would like to be involved, please stay tuned.

I want to once again emphasize: this is a school project, I am not an Employee or contractor for Ford, and this is solely for portfolio purposes. It would be awesome to be able to work at Ford in their UX department, but first things first.

Y'all know I've been around here a while, so this isn't a drive-by information request by someone who doesn't feel the pain too. I want to do this the "right" way.

Thanks in advance.

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[AKgrampy]

There are enough issues it seems with Ford Pass that this could just cause more issues but if it was working it may be appreciated. Actually it would be nice if there was a screen with the info you mention available on sync. Good luck and seems like an interesting project.

 

[Mach-Lee]

The OBD parameters you have available are voltage, state of charge, and charge status. However accessing them and recording them through the OBD port will keep the car awake and drain the 12V battery.

The connected vehicle data only reports 12V battery voltage to the nearest volt. No state of charge data. Not very useful.

An external hardware solution is a better idea, people have bought Bluetooth battery monitors they attach to the 12V battery and monitor with their phone.

A former owner by the name of @louibluey reverse engineered the LIN bus communication to record the battery voltage and SoC directly from the battery BMS sensor while the car was off. That was interesting but not practical for most people.

The 12V management is a lot better with the current software than the old software, 12V issues are much more rare. The only time they come up now is when people are trying to install an OTA that requires a very high >95% SoC which requires the car to be on for 2-3 hours to reach in many cases.

 

[KevinS]

The OBD parameters you have available are voltage, state of charge, and charge status. However accessing them and recording them through the OBD port will keep the car awake and drain the 12V battery.

The connected vehicle data only reports 12V battery voltage to the nearest volt. No state of charge data. Not very useful.

Thanks. So are you saying there is no way for Ford to pull this data from their own vehicle or that we (end customer) currently cannot?

 

[Mach-Lee]

Ford cannot pull 12V state of charge remotely to my knowledge. It’s not part of the FordPass API. It must be accessed locally.

It would be great if Ford added 12V SoC to their connected vehicle data, that would be useful data for their engineers and technicians to troubleshoot OTAs.

 

[KevinS]

Ford cannot pull 12V state of charge remotely to my knowledge. It’s not part of the FordPass API. It must be accessed locally.

It would be great if Ford added 12V SoC to their connected vehicle data, that would be useful data for their engineers and technicians to troubleshoot OTAs.

Thanks - maybe a good mockup could show the value of that information for customers and engineers alike.

 

[KPal64]

Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about but my LoJack displays my 12v battery level. I know not everyone has LoJack, but I suppose it’s a useful feature; again, if I know what I’m looking at.

 

[Jiji]

Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about but my LoJack displays my 12v battery level. I know not everyone has LoJack, but I suppose it’s a useful feature; again, if I know what I’m looking at.

Anything connected to the 12 V supply could read the battery voltage but if you want to know the LVB State of Charge and if the DC-DC converter is actively charging the LVB you need to pull the data from the OBDII connector.

 

[Jiji]

Ford cannot pull 12V state of charge remotely to my knowledge. It’s not part of the FordPass API. It must be accessed locally.

It would be great if Ford added 12V SoC to their connected vehicle data, that would be useful data for their engineers and technicians to troubleshoot OTAs.

One would think that with access to the telematics that Ford could pull any diagnostic data from a connected vehicle, and not be limited to the FordPass API fields.

 

[dtbaker61]

Hey all! I'm currently taking UX Design coursework and have decided to make my "add a feature to an existing product" project about FordPass and specifically the 12V battery.

As we all know, 12V batteries in EVs are a problem that multiple manufacturers have, especially in the Winter. Given the nature of Mach-Es and the fact that it requires use of the bizarre emergency frunk-activation to even jumpstart the car when the battery is too low, reporting of this information to the owner is (I believe) important.

What I'm proposing (just as FordPass recently received improvements to HVB charging reporting) I'd like to do the same for 12V batteries.

I feel ignorant, though, about what information can be accessed from the vehicle. Can anyone add to this list for things it may be able to report that I might not be aware of?

* Current 12V battery charge level
* Status of battery charge from HVB (currently charging/not charging)
* Level of battery to initiate charge from HVB (start charge when level drops to 11.5v, etc.)

Are there any other features regarding the 12V battery information and FordPass that people would like to see? There may be more that reports from the vehicle than I am aware of.

I will be planning to conduct a brief survey about this issue in the coming days and will link to it in the forum as well for feedback. I'll also be looking for volunteers to do some "beta testing" of the implementation in the next week or two. If you're interested in either of those items and would like to be involved, please stay tuned.

I want to once again emphasize: this is a school project, I am not an Employee or contractor for Ford, and this is solely for portfolio purposes. It would be awesome to be able to work at Ford in their UX department, but first things first.

Y'all know I've been around here a while, so this isn't a drive-by information request by someone who doesn't feel the pain too. I want to do this the "right" way.

Thanks in advance.

There is a TON of information available via direct query thru the ODB2 port, which is displayable on various (customizable) phone Apps like CarScanner.

I would suggest a couple things:

- the 12v battery information is NOT interesting or something that needs to be watched if the dc-dc charging from HV to LV battery system is working properly.

- forget trying to fake display improvements of real-time data to FordPass.... think more about what should be available on the display(s) right in front of the Driver.

- search threads on this Forum containing the words 'CarScanner' and ODB2 such as:
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/how-to-enable-power-meter-on-non-gt-mach-e.18783/post-521797

.... for me, the key real-time info missing from instrument screen is actual output/regen power (in kW), and remaining battery capacity (in kWhr).

 

[KevinS]

Again, this a project involving FordPass, not anything to do with ODBII.

Perhaps I'll pursue a different project. Thanks all.

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