Charge Assist (Public Charging) Feature is Rolling Out!

[Scooby24]

There, I fixed the instructions: ?

How To Use Charge Assist:

Navigating to a Public Charger:

1. Select Home button
2. Tap Charge Assist
3. Pull over on the side of the interstate
4. Adjust filters if desired then tap charger location for details
5. Click the distance button to navigate to charger.
6. Merge back onto the interstate
7. Once you are at the charging location, click I’m Here Now

It's funny because it's accurate. ?

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[DevSecOps]

No different than Plug & Charge.
Pro tip: Don’t loan your car to people you don’t trust. ?

While I agree that the money aspect is the same, getting someone who isn't tech or EV savvy to use Charge Assist is a pipe dream. Getting someone to use P&C is easy.

I feel the focus should have been to enhance the nav with charger availability and work with the vendors to provide P&C capabilities. My comment to the EAP team was just that.

Also, another comment commonly made on here is that you "need" to have a thousand apps. You don't. Your phone with contactless payment will start a charge at almost every DCFC made (Tesla is the exception). I don't see the "need" to have this. I didn't see significant time savings in fumbling with Charge Assist, in fact I found it faster to tap my phone. Also, when in areas without cell coverage Charge Assist just wont work. Charge Assist, at this time, provides zero discounts so a connected credit card via contactless may even get a better rate.

In my humble opinion, this is just one huge gimmick and only quicker for public L2 (which most people don't use). It's slower and more cumbersome than using contactless payment. The only thing Ford could do to make a better charging experience is P&C with everyone.

 

[Maquis]

While I agree that the money aspect is the same, getting someone who isn't tech or EV savvy to use Charge Assist is a pipe dream. Getting someone to use P&C is easy.

I feel the focus should have been to enhance the nav with charger availability and work with the vendors to provide P&C capabilities. My comment to the EAP team was just that.

Also, another comment commonly made on here is that you "need" to have a thousand apps. You don't. Your phone with contactless payment will start a charge at almost every DCFC made (Tesla is the exception). I don't see the "need" to have this. I didn't see significant time savings in fumbling with Charge Assist, in fact I found it faster to tap my phone. Also, when in areas without cell coverage Charge Assist just wont work. Charge Assist, at this time, provides zero discounts so a connected credit card via contactless may even get a better rate.

In my humble opinion, this is just one huge gimmick and only quicker for public L2 (which most people don't use). It's slower and more cumbersome than using contactless payment. The only thing Ford could do to make a better charging experience is P&C with everyone.

Don’t disagree with any of that. My comment was only in response to other drivers of the car being able to charge the cost of charging to the owner.

 

[DevSecOps]

Don’t disagree with any of that. My comment was only in response to other drivers of the car being able to charge the cost of charging to the owner.

I know ... only the first 10 words were in agreement and directed at you. You know how I get when I go on a tangent!

 

[Fremont Kid]

Again, I don't understand this at all. Using Plug and Charge I NEVER need to use the Ford Pass App to select a charger, NEVER need to select a specific charger location and stall number. The Plug and Charge sequence is well...plug and charge - sometimes follow any charger onscreen prompts.

Ford: This is not easier, not more intuitive, nor an enhancement over Plug and Charge. I would appreciate an explanation of the benefits and how this is an improvement.

 

[DevSecOps]

... I would appreciate an explanation of the benefits and how this is an improvement.

It's not. Ford puts their development resources into the things they think we want and not what we really want (probably stuck in a waterfall model from 10 years ago). I think the EAP feedback is either from fanboys who just say "Omg yay, you're amazing" (in a Gabriel Iglesias voice) or they just ignore the people who tell them this is a waste of time (like I did). I DCFC more than 95%-100% of this forum, and I won't ever use Charge Assist.

 

[Boselka]

Hi Owners – Charging is about to get even better with another way to activate your charge experience!

Now, with Charge Assist, soon to be known as Public Charging, you will be able to search for and start a public charging session on the BlueOval® Charge Network right from your vehicle’s touchscreen. The best part? You now have the option to use either the vehicle’s touchscreen or the FordPass App on your phone to charge your car and complete a payment. This is especially helpful if you need to lend your car to a friend!

You will also be able to filter charging stations by charging speed and network and have a more seamless way to receive real-time information on new chargers, like availability and those in-repair all from inside your vehicle.

Just like you could before, you can still use the FordPass App – we are just giving you more choices for how you charge. As a reminder, the BlueOval Charge Network, North America’s largest public charging network by an automaker, is a “network of networks” that provides Ford EV drivers with access to a variety of charging providers without the need for multiple apps and memberships. Charging providers currently include Shell Recharge Solutions, Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint, FLO, Blink, EV Connect, and Electric Circuit, with more on the way.

If you aren’t enrolled in BlueOval Charge Network no problem. You will see a QR code on the screen that will prompt you to enroll.

Below is a guide of how to use the new feature and you can find more information here. Let us know what you think!

How To Use Charge Assist:

Navigating to a Public Charger:

1. Select Home button
2. Tap Charge Assist
3. Adjust filters if desired then tap charger location for details
4. Click the distance button to navigate to charger. Once you are at the charging location, click I’m Here Now

Start a Charging Session:

1. Select Home button
2. Tap Charge Assist
3. Match charging stall name to the one you are parked at and click Activate
4. Plug in the charger once you see the prompt change
5. Charging will begin! When the blue bar reaches desired state of charge press stop
6. Unplug the charger one the prompt appears

Yay thanks for finally releasing this function

 

[Boselka]

Again, I don't understand this at all. Using Plug and Charge I NEVER need to use the Ford Pass App to select a charger, NEVER need to select a specific charger location and stall number. The Plug and Charge sequence is well...plug and charge - sometimes follow any charger onscreen prompts.

Ford: This is not easier, not more intuitive, nor an enhancement over Plug and Charge. I would appreciate an explanation of the benefits and how this is an improvement.

Plug and charge is still a function on EA Chargers this is for the other chargers on the Blue Oval charging network that are not plug and charge compatible.

 

[kltye]

Again, I don't understand this at all. Using Plug and Charge I NEVER need to use the Ford Pass App to select a charger, NEVER need to select a specific charger location and stall number. The Plug and Charge sequence is well...plug and charge - sometimes follow any charger onscreen prompts.

Ford: This is not easier, not more intuitive, nor an enhancement over Plug and Charge. I would appreciate an explanation of the benefits and how this is an improvement.

Plug and Charge doesn't work on any other provider apart from Electrify America.

 

[Fremont Kid]

Plug and charge is still a function on EA Chargers this is for the other chargers on the Blue Oval charging network that are not plug and charge compatible.

When in that position, I just pay with a credit card.
But, use Charge Assist if it benefits you.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Again, I don't understand this at all. Using Plug and Charge I NEVER need to use the Ford Pass App to select a charger, NEVER need to select a specific charger location and stall number. The Plug and Charge sequence is well...plug and charge - sometimes follow any charger onscreen prompts.

Ford: This is not easier, not more intuitive, nor an enhancement over Plug and Charge. I would appreciate an explanation of the benefits and how this is an improvement.

Try using P&C at an EVGo, or a ChargePoint, or any charger other than an EA.

There are lots of charging companies with equipment incompatible with the P&C standard.

 

[Mach1E]

As someone who has never used a DC charger and only tried a public lvl 2 charger 3 times in two years, my question is this- will this make charging easier?

I still feel like an idiot every time I try a charger and only succeeded 2 out of 3 times.

The 3rd charger just wouldn’t work and the lcd screen on the charger was completely unreadable so I couldn’t figure out which of the 2 charger cables I was supposed to connect to (I tried both but eventually gave up).

I’ve never met a gas pump I didn’t know how to work.

 

[DevSecOps]

As someone who has never used a DC charger and only tried a public lvl 2 charger 3 times in two years, my question is this- will this make charging easier?

I know people will say yes. But ask the reason why. The reason they'll give you is because they don't have to open a different app for each DCFC company. But if they're doing that it's the hard way anyway. It's literally this easy without Charge Assist:

1 - Plug in
2 - Use your contactless payment, apple pay, google pay, a credit card whatever
3 - Wait for the CC auth

That's it.

With Charge Assist you have to:

1 - Open the app from the car
2 - Wait for it to load
3 - Pick the location
4 - Pick a charger
5 - Wait for the auth
6 - Plugin

It's not faster.

 

[mkhuffman]

I know people will say yes. But ask the reason why. The reason they'll give you is because they don't have to open a different app for each DCFC company. But if they're doing that it's the hard way anyway. It's literally this easy without Charge Assist:

1 - Plug in
2 - Use your contactless payment, apple pay, google pay, a credit card whatever
3 - Wait for the CC auth

That's it.

With Charge Assist you have to:

1 - Open the app from the car
2 - Wait for it to load
3 - Pick the location
4 - Pick a charger
5 - Wait for the auth
6 - Plugin

It's not faster.

I like sitting in the car while the charger activates. I love P&C, when it works. Every time I hold my breath when plugging in, hoping the charging starts. That is miserable when it is raining, uncomfortably hot or cold, or just late at night. I want to sit on my ass in my car until I know I can plug in and go. To me, it is more comfortable and easier than using a credit card, and less stressful than P&C. I like it.

 

[DevSecOps]

I like sitting in the car while the charger activates. I love P&C, when it works. Every time I hold my breath when plugging in, hoping the charging starts. That is miserable when it is raining, uncomfortably hot or cold, or just late at night. I want to sit on my ass in my car until I know I can plug in and go. To me, it is more comfortable and easier than using a credit card, and less stressful than P&C. I like it.

I always knew you would melt in the rain...

At least you provided a reasonable answer other than, "I don't like lots of apps". Covers should be at all stations, but that's a separate issue.

My other issue with it, as I said previously, is that I don't get discounted rates. AAA Insurance, for example, provides a discounted rate with EVgo so going the Ford route also costs more.

Lastly, in California EVgo has reservations where you can reserve a unit before you get there. That's not possible through Ford either.

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