Fordpass charging logistics: when will we know?

[JamieGeek]

Oh okay. Wasnt aware of that.
I have very little expectations from the Ford Pass app and actually uninstalled it from my phone because it keeps running down my battery. So far it has been a major disappoint to me because I was expecting an improvement to MyFordMobile.....which is pretty nice IMO.

Yeah MFM is pretty good. I really liked it when they added watch support (on the Android side). I could start my Focus Electric just by tapping my watch.

Playing around with the Ford Pass app I was trying to see if I could get it to start a charge on a local EVGo station. This is about as far as I got:

I note a couple of things:

• no button to start charging (but I'm not at the charger--might have to take a ride) and
• At the top it says 1 of 1 available but then lower down it says "unknown availability" ! LOL

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[DaveRuns]

I recommend you scout your area for the DCFC facilities available to you and then set up an account with each. It should be no cost to open an account and you only pay when you use them to charge. That way you are ready to go if the need arises.

If you have AC Level 2 at home or work then you will rarely use DCFC so just keep the cards with your car or load the app on your phone. Either will work.

You dont need an account with EA. That is pay at the pump type of transaction. If Plug and Pay functions at your EA station of choice then it will be more convenient then whipping out your debit/credit card like at a normal fuel pump.

Does it cost to use L2 chargers around town?

 

[DaveRuns]

Oh okay. Wasnt aware of that.
I have very little expectations from the Ford Pass app and actually uninstalled it from my phone because it keeps running down my battery. So far it has been a major disappoint to me because I was expecting an improvement to MyFordMobile.....which is pretty nice IMO.

Ford posted an update to the app to supposedly fix against battery drain.

 

[SnBGC]

Does it cost to use L2 chargers around town?

Sometimes.
It is free to use at my daughter's apartments and most shopping centers.
Have to pay at places like fitness gyms, grocery stores and other retailers at IKEA.

Some dealerships have DCFC available to the public. There is one at Jaguar in Chandler and you need to pay via the Charge Point app. It is just a 25 or 50kW station looks like.....not sure if you pay by kW or minute. The L2 AC stations charge by the minute I believe. Something like 3 cents per minute if I remember correctly...??

Edit. Corrected typo. Had Ford Pass instead of Charge Point app...

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

Yeah MFM is pretty good. I really liked it when they added watch support (on the Android side). I could start my Focus Electric just by tapping my watch.

unfortunately they never created a Tizen app, so no Samsung Galaxy Watch support

 

[SnBGC]

Ford posted an update to the app to supposedly fix against battery drain.

Yeah. I saw that and tried it again with same results so I had to uninstall again. I have downloaded and reinstalled several times with no apparent improvements. Will wait until I get close to a car and then download it one last time and see if anything improves.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Hang on guys. The WHOLE POINT of the "Fordpass Charging Network" is to have ONE bill to pay and ONE account that you can use to charge in lots of places. Ford's nav system will only direct you to those chargers in the FCN (it's actually a setting) so you SHOULD be OK. At least, that's how Ford has been presenting it. The idea is that you are NOT supposed to need fobs and accounts with a bunch of different networks; just your Fordpass Account SHOULD suffice. However, since the chargers natively may require those things then how will it work? That's the central point I was trying to make.

Well, hopefully. Considering atm Fordpass ignores 100% of the DCFC on this island and doesn't have a selection for that network (Greenlots), I'm not terribly hopeful for the app. And since Greenlots is still advertising plug and charge capability for Fordpass ... well that's a bit disturbing.

EDIT: The local DCFC stations do show up on the ford website as in network. Just not on Fordpass.

 

[JamieGeek]

unfortunately they never created a Tizen app, so no Samsung Galaxy Watch support

Nope but I used to use a Moto 360 smartwatch with my Galaxy G6 and then my Note.

Samsung tries to hide it but you can find Android under there if you dig deep enough LOL.

 

[BlueMach]

My question is how do we know what apps, cards, or fobs we will need (in regards to charging stations)? If we pull up to a station and it’s not supported by FordPass, I’d hate to be left stranded or waste valuable time waiting to figure it all out. I’ve never had an EV before, so I’m generally clueless about all this.

If it's not supported by FordPass, we're just "normal" customers to the networks, meaning each network is different. Some require membership, some allow you to tap a credit card, rates are all over the place depending on state and network too. I assume (hope?) that the car will prefer to route us through FordPass Network chargers before "roaming" us to others?

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

Nope but I used to use a Moto 360 smartwatch with my Galaxy G6 and then my Note.

Samsung tries to hide it but you can find Android under there if you dig deep enough LOL.

on the phone, yeah. but the Watches (and TVs for that matter, among other things) are Tizen, which is its own thing.

 

[DBC]

My question is how do we know what apps, cards, or fobs we will need (in regards to charging stations)? If we pull up to a station and it’s not supported by FordPass, I’d hate to be left stranded or waste valuable time waiting to figure it all out. I’ve never had an EV before, so I’m generally clueless about all this.

@SNbGC has done a super job laying everything out for you in some detail. I'll just add that this is much simpler in practice than you might think.

One reason for this is that you will rarely need to use DC charging, and if you're not using DC charging then it can't be complicated. I can't remember the last time I used one, and that was more experimental than anything. Along these lines, I know about 10-15 people who own Teslas and not a single one has ever taken it on a trip which required DC charging. When I ask if they've used that nifty Supercharger network yet the answer is always "Nope". It turned into something of a running joke, though maybe they have used the Supercharger network by now. Haven't seen them in almost a year because of the pandemic.

Even if you are going further than the MME's range you may not need DC charging. A few times on an "out and back" day trip I've been right at the edge of my range, but in these cases I usually just use conveniently located J1772 chargers. They have given me me enough added range so DC charging wasn't needed. I think I may not have even had the necessary card but I've never had an issue just using a credit card just like you would at a gas station.

These folks wouldn't even take the Tesla to Palm Springs. I'd take that trip in an S or an X without thinking about it, but I haven't had a BEV comfortable enough to take on a longer trip or that would charge over 50 KW. One reason why I'm looking forward to that 117" wheelbase and 150 KW charging.

If you are going on a trip (aka "adventure") just plan your route and stops before you go. Even if you are ready that will give you a little more structure and remove the need to worry along the way. And definitely try the station you will be using before you go. That will likely be an EA station.

 

[dbsb3233]

Oh okay. Wasnt aware of that.
I have very little expectations from the Ford Pass app and actually uninstalled it from my phone because it keeps running down my battery. So far it has been a major disappoint to me because I was expecting an improvement to MyFordMobile.....which is pretty nice IMO.

FordPass keeps crashing on my Android phone. About once every week, up pops the "FordPass has stopped" error message.

 

[Woeo]

Hang on guys. The WHOLE POINT of the "Fordpass Charging Network" is to have ONE bill to pay and ONE account that you can use to charge in lots of places. Ford's nav system will only direct you to those chargers in the FCN (it's actually a setting) so you SHOULD be OK. At least, that's how Ford has been presenting it. The idea is that you are NOT supposed to need fobs and accounts with a bunch of different networks; just your Fordpass Account SHOULD suffice. However, since the chargers natively may require those things then how will it work? That's the central point I was trying to make.

You do you.

I will be happy my accounts are aggregated by FordPass, but I will make the trivial effort to establish accounts at all networks in my area in advance of needing a charge. If you are prepared to leave FordPass behind Ford may strive to keep you onboard with good service, low fees, and wide acceptance.

[In truth, I have those accounts established for my PHEV for those rare circumstances I found myself at a destination where it made sense to charge for a bit. So, I will merely transfer the ziploc baggie of rfid cards, barcodes, and account information from one glovebox to the other. Having already done so I can attest establishing the accounts was simple enough. Look on Plugshare for networks in your area. If you encounter a new one in your travels, sign up.]

 

[DaveRuns]

You do you.

I will be happy my accounts are aggregated by FordPass, but I will make the trivial effort to establish accounts at all networks in my area in advance of needing a charge. If you are prepared to leave FordPass behind Ford may strive to keep you onboard with good service, low fees, and wide acceptance.

[In truth, I have those accounts established for my PHEV for those rare circumstances I found myself at a destination where it made sense to charge for a bit. So, I will merely transfer the ziploc baggie of rfid cards, barcodes, and account information from one glovebox to the other. Having already done so I can attest establishing the accounts was simple enough. Look on Plugshare for networks in your area. If you encounter a new one in your travels, sign up.]

Sounds like good advice. As long as it’s free to sign up, I’ll do so.

 

[timbop]

You do you.

I will be happy my accounts are aggregated by FordPass, but I will make the trivial effort to establish accounts at all networks in my area in advance of needing a charge. If you are prepared to leave FordPass behind Ford may strive to keep you onboard with good service, low fees, and wide acceptance.

[In truth, I have those accounts established for my PHEV for those rare circumstances I found myself at a destination where it made sense to charge for a bit. So, I will merely transfer the ziploc baggie of rfid cards, barcodes, and account information from one glovebox to the other. Having already done so I can attest establishing the accounts was simple enough. Look on Plugshare for networks in your area. If you encounter a new one in your travels, sign up.]

Did you even read the original post????

The question wasn't about how to set up a dozen accounts on my own, it was related to the Fordpass account that is supposed to aggregate all of those under 1 single account - that is included with the purchase of a Mach E for 2 years.

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