Charge Assist Beta Has Ended

[Neil4Real]

It's possible you had a filter on so that specific charge station didn't show up. The filters had an option for AC (↯), slow DC (↯↯), and fast DC (↯↯↯) (denoted with lighting bolts). I forgot what the default filter was, I think ↯↯↯? so only fast stations may show up by default.

Yeah, I checked and made sure it was showing everything.

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[DevSecOps]

As I mentioned previously, I didn't participate in this because I would have just taken a spot without actually contributing (which would have been rude).

For those who have never seen Rivian's implementation here it is. Maybe if some of you are providing feedback you can glean something from how it's done here.

Full map:

Charger Availability (also filterable):

Filter Options:

 

[Mirak]

Honestly, it’s just another half-baked concept from Ford. In theory, great idea. But in application it is slow, clunky, and unusable while driving. It isn’t even a hard-coded app, but just a browser interface!

I found it was far easier to just use PlugShare plus whatever proprietary app corresponds to the charger I want to use. We are a looooong way away from the ease of just swiping a card at a gas pump.

This is an example of where Tesla’s DCFC ecosystem is just so much better. Not just the chargers themselves, but the ease of locating and navigating and activating them through the car. That’s the advantage of a proprietary network.

 

[SWO]

For everyone complaining about it only being usable while stopped:

Agree that it's a big negative, but it was beta. It's completely possibly they have every intent for the final version to usable in motion but the lawyers didn't want people using beta software in a moving vehicle.

 

[SWO]

As I mentioned previously, I didn't participate in this because I would have just taken a spot without actually contributing (which would have been rude).

For those who have never seen Rivian's implementation here it is. Maybe if some of you are providing feedback you can glean something from how it's done here.

Full map:

Charger Availability (also filterable):

Filter Options:

How does it handle the individual charger selection and payment?

 

[kodiakng]

i haven't seen it on my MME yet but it sounds like they just carried the same charge assist app from the Ford Pro program and didn't update the features for a road trip use case.

most Ford Pro (fleet) users would typically be running around town with a few/many stops and need to look up a useful charging location when convenient.

road tripping ... isn't like that at all.

sounds like a missed opportunity unless the moving restriction is removed. would be even better if it was directly integrated into the Nav app for real time updates and adjustments.

 

[DevSecOps]

How does it handle the individual charger selection and payment?

They don't handle payment at this time. Personally even if Ford or Rivian offered payment I'm not sure I would take it. For example, I have a special rate with EVgo that I know wouldn't be supported through the vehicle. I'm sure RAN will be supported for payment once it's no longer free.

Rivian just supports the navigation to the unit with charger availability and it prepares the battery for charging as you get closer. All of which is doable while in motion. The exact same map and options are also available in the phone app as well.

Does Tesla offer third party charger payment from the vehicle interface?

 

[SWO]

They don't handle payment at this time. Personally even if Ford or Rivian offered payment I'm not sure I would take it. For example, I have a special rate with EVgo that I know wouldn't be supported through the vehicle.

Rivian just supports the navigation to the unit with charger availability and it prepares the battery for charging as you get closer.

Got it. The nice thing about this is Ford handles everything on the payment side. You don't need to have apps and CC info for every network. It also gives availability/speed/pricing.

 

[GoldNekNinja]

No, the E-mail we received stated we are free to discuss and no longer under NDA. It will be public soon, but those who were in beta, will keep it until launch. They didn't state it was being released to EA members so will see if non beta EA members will get it first.

Can you guys send photos of this feature for all the non-EA members since you are not under NDA anymore?

 

[Deleted member 16048]

More like you had a specific charging station in mind you're navigating too, but when you arrive you find the station is suddenly full or offline. The next closest open charger is 40 miles the other way. If you could access Charge Assist while driving, you could have maybe seen the station was full ahead of time and gone to the other option before you wasted your electrons.

In aviation you have a primary and alternate airport in your flight plan, and when you get close to the primary airport you check the weather. If the weather is bad at the primary airport, then you divert to the alternate before you run out of fuel. Road trip charging has to work the same way. Not having a way to check charger status while driving would be like if pilots were expected to navigate to an airport without a radio to receive weather broadcasts.

BTW I didn't check if they removed that limitation from the release version or if it's still in place today. Anybody check?

This... Part of what I suggested as well was being able to send the navigation data to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay so that a customer can use their preferred navigation method.

With EV Charging availability and EV Routing in CarPlay on iOS 17, I have had it announce that a charger was no longer available, and offered to re-route, or continue. However I would still like it show the live status when in route on the display. Or at least when nearing the location. Then I can make a decision from there.

Last time I checked it which was last week, I still couldn't use it while driving.

 

[SWO]

So after driving for 2 hours or whatever you need to pull off the road, put the car in park to see if there chargers available, and you need to be at least 30 minutes out so you can “get battery to optimum” temp. If none are available in 30 minutes you have to do that all over again at another potential stop?

LOL, you can just navigate normally to the charger using the Ford navigation, then use Charge Assist to activate the charger. Some people want to make this harder than it is.

 

[Deleted member 16048]

Got it. The nice thing about this is Ford handles everything on the payment side. You don't need to have apps and CC info for every network. It also gives availability/speed/pricing.

I agree here. It should also be noted that Ford says you would get "In network" pricing. So anyone test to see if that means you received plan pricing at EA, or EVgo or anything? Would love to know that as I never tested it. (Since plug and charge is enabled.)

 

[DevSecOps]

Got it. The nice thing about this is Ford handles everything on the payment side. You don't need to have apps and CC info for every network. It also gives availability/speed/pricing.

We can see the availability speed and pricing as well (the expansion arrow on the right). The problem with CC payment as I said previously is that if it goes through Ford you won't get membership rates or special rates like AAA rates. EA is the only one that has a special rate with Ford and there's only a handful of us that are in that program. I DCFC a lot and those discounts add up.

 

[Mirak]

I tried to use it when I first got it, realized I couldn't while driving so I just took a chance and went to a close charger and it wasn't supported by it.

I then tried again a couple of weeks later to help with feedback and ran into the same issue, forgetting I couldn't use it while driving. I went to a charger that had FORD ADS RUNNING and it wasn't supported. How lame is that, be Ford and pay to have your MME showing off on this huge screen but it doesn't even support charge assist!

Why can't cars just implement some stupid warning saying are you the passenger and let you do whatever you want. Or even just have a pop up whenever you turn the car on, saying you acknowledge it isn't safe to operate all functions of the screen while driving and only a passenger will or something legal like that. BETTER YET, put a setting where you can just permanently acknowledge. The future: being able to use all features of your screen when you want to. So ridiculous.

The nanny governance is strong with Ford, and most manufacturers. We can’t even turn our alarm sensors off permanently.

 

[thekat03]

Did anyone have an actual passenger in the passenger seat try using it while the car was being driven?

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