[Guide] Better Jump Point Access (Battery Access)

[rinsmars]

Thanks to all the idea and template contributors. Template worked perfectly for me and the job was done in 10 minutes. Two 2-1/2 inch holes done with a hole saw and 2 hole covers via Amazon.

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[Finkerton]

3 in. hole for the positive and 2.5 in. for the negative (smaller to avoid being on top of the crossbar).
I used this cover for the 3 in. I cut its bottom to make it a little shorter.

Thinking of going this route. @chrisGT any chance you can post a picture from above with the plugs out so I can see what the access looks like? Is there plenty of space for larger connectors like with higher wattage inverters? Thanks in advance!

 

[RetiredDP]

fabulous! lol now i gotta find someone near me who can do this. I dont own any tools.

Home Depot...EVERYONE needs a 3/8ths electric drill, some bits, a center-punch. Make sure you buy a variable-speed drill.

 

[tobin1920]

I followed* @DevSecOps ‘s instructions in the op and give myself a solid B-

If you use the guide in the op, follow all of it exactly - including using a 2” (not a 2 1/2”) hole. My 2 1/2” Hillman plugs arrive tomorrow so I’ll see how it sits but my + hole (leaving that one on the table) extends pretty far under the center trim. Hopefully the cap doesn’t cause the side of the center trim to bulge up much.

I lost a clip into the abyss and it’s gone forever. It’s really going to bother me and I’m going to always convince myself I hear a rattle or smell melting plastic but hopefully that will fade with time and my car won’t explode.

I couldn’t imagine cutting the holes without taking the trim off, there was a TON to clean up. Tiny plastic shavings everywhere!

thanks again to DSO!

 

[DevSecOps]

I followed* @DevSecOps ‘s instructions in the op and give myself a solid B-

If you use the guide in the op, follow all of it exactly - including using a 2” (not a 2 1/2”) hole. My 2 1/2” Hillman plugs arrive tomorrow so I’ll see how it sits but my + hole (leaving that one on the table) extends pretty far under the center trim. Hopefully the cap doesn’t cause the side of the center trim to bulge up much.

I lost a clip into the abyss and it’s gone forever. It’s really going to bother me and I’m going to always convince myself I hear a rattle or smell melting plastic but hopefully that will fade with time and my car won’t explode.

I couldn’t imagine cutting the holes without taking the trim off, there was a TON to clean up. Tiny plastic shavings everywhere!

thanks again to DSO!

I have a post somewhere with the clip part number. A pack is like $5. I'll find it and post it later when I'm home. Your trim will be fine with the larger cap. Don't fret so much, it'll be fine.

 

[portlandg]

The panel cover came this way from the factory. You don't have this on yours?

yes we do

 

[DevSecOps]

@tobin1920

Here's my post with the clip part number:

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...e-three-panels-in-the-frunk.13360/post-324306

 

[JoeBeach]

Would love to find a way to attach a BatteryMinder set of leads to those battery leads under the plastic covers. The battery posts are not standard however.

 

[alangant]

Would love to find a way to attach a BatteryMinder set of leads to those battery leads under the plastic covers. The battery posts are not standard however.

Once I cut two 3" access holes in the frunk cover, Battery Minder clip leads work just fine.

 

[JoeBeach]

Yes, I saw that. I might try to sneak the lead under the edge of the cover if I can get the BatteryMinder cables attached.

 

[dtbaker61]

Thinking of going this route. @chrisGT any chance you can post a picture from above with the plugs out so I can see what the access looks like? Is there plenty of space for larger connectors like with higher wattage inverters? Thanks in advance!

You probably don't want to use more than 1500 watt inverter if pulling direct..... connection point access should be limited to 160 amps max as that is the fused max the dc-dc can pull from the HV battery.

If you plan to draw more power, like 3000watt peaks, from a bigger inverter to support bigger peak loads, I.d suggest using mme to export as a charger in parallel w external battery pack to keep export amps down. Under big loads the external pack will buffer load, and flow from mme will be limited since voltage sag will only be a volt or so.... maybe 40 Amp draw max as the MME will act as a charger to bring the external battery back up to float voltage.

 

[Kmp14]

I don't know if this will help anyone, but I thought I'd make a template that references the positive and negative indicators on the cover as locators. Standard disclaimer- use it at your own risk.

The PDF template needs to be printed with no margins and 100% scale. Print it and cut the + and - reference points out first. Fit it on your access panel and make sure that the top-line on the template aligns with the top cover and both holes locate correctly. You can then mark your center holes for the cut-outs and use a 2 1/2" hole saw with these covers - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MN6GQIY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For some reason, the PDF is clipping just a bit of the bottom cut-out circle, but it matches up with my original Word template and the actual cut-out (I can't upload the Word document, or I would).

My advice is that after you've located your access holes, trace the outline with a pencil to make sure it is in a good location for you. I don't recommend that you drill the holes with the panel installed on the car. I bent the retaining tabs on my Hillman covers a bit so they are easier to take out. I also bought an inexpensive deburring tool that cleans the edges up nicely - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JGVDRQC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I think the most difficult part is deciding where to place your access holes, so hopefully, this helps someone out.

Edit- Added center point template. Again, use it at your own risk. I turned my hole saw upside down and traced the outline in pencil to find my original positioning. You can also put a pencil down the arbor hole and mark the center too.

I used your template this morning, got my holes drilled and plugs inserted, worked perfectly, thanks for creating it!!

 

[Just Lurking]

which is why I am probably going to change from holes to a whole section on a hinge so you can get to all three, and maybe even the fuse box at the same time.

This comment was from a while back, and just curious if you moved forward with this plan or whether you decided you were happy enough with the holes?

If you plan to draw more power, like 3000watt peaks, from a bigger inverter to support bigger peak loads, I.d suggest using mme to export as a charger in parallel w external battery pack to keep export amps down. Under big loads the external pack will buffer load, and flow from mme will be limited since voltage sag will only be a volt or so.... maybe 40 Amp draw max as the MME will act as a charger to bring the external battery back up to float voltage.

Do you see any reason why this wouldn't work with a large home battery, like a Panasonic Evervolt (11Kwh) or PowerWall or whatever?

I *really* want to leverage the 90 Kwh battery that's already sitting in my driveway in the event of a power outage, and 1.5 Kw * 24 hours = 36Kwh. Add in solar, and even in the depths of winter if I can get 5-10 Kwh per day, that's a pretty healthy amount of power to run the essentials. Skip the electric dryer/dishwasher, don't run the oven, and there might even be enough power to run an inverter-based heat pump on low to keep temperatures moderate.

 

[dtbaker61]

Do you see any reason why this wouldn't work with a large home battery, like a Panasonic Evervolt (11Kwh) or PowerWall or whatever?

The larger pre-packaged ac-coupled battery backup systems have their own inverters inside, and generally do not have any port to plug in a supplementary battery. NONE of the 'big boys' have 12v input, which is the only thing that is relatively easy to export from the MME.

I *really* want to leverage the 90 Kwh battery that's already sitting in my driveway in the event of a power outage, and 1.5 Kw * 24 hours = 36Kwh. Add in solar, and even in the depths of winter if I can get 5-10 Kwh per day, that's a pretty healthy amount of power to run the essentials. Skip the electric dryer/dishwasher, don't run the oven, and there might even be enough power to run an inverter-based heat pump on low to keep temperatures moderate.

Since the MME export is limited to 12v and no more than 160amps from the dc-dc converter, you would really want to limit peak load to something less than 2000 watts. If you have a couple small batteries as a short-term solution, and 'back them up' with the MME, you *can* run your basic loads for days.

I have a 'garage shelf' off-grid system in the garage that has: (4)12v-100ah batteries in parallel, 3000watt inverter, charge controller and 400watt solar to keep it charged. I use the system daily to charge cordless power tools, garage lights, run my Lomi composter, stuff like that. This is more than just an Inverter.... It's about $3k for materials and labor to install everything.

I monitored all my 120v loads for a couple days with an Emporia monitoring system, and found that my 'average' background load bounced around 200-300 watts with occasional bumps up to 500watts when circulation pumps came on for (natural gas) boiler/hot water, and very occasional spikes to 1500watts when I ran the coffeemaker, teapot, or other big appliances like washer. I did not monitor any 240v loads (since I wouldn't use them during an emergency).

The off-grid system with 4 batteries can handle house loads for a couple hours, but if I need to, I can just use regular jumper cables in a pinch to 'export' 12v from MME to the 4 battery base pack. Since the base pack might be as low as 12.0-12.6 volts under load or partially depleted, and the MME is at 14.4 when 'on', the current is self limiting by the voltage difference and internal resistance plus whatever the continuous load is. charge current is automatically reduced and approaches the load current as the batteries are charged and get closer and closer to 14.4v when 'maintained' by the MME.

I've tested in an 'outage' situation by disconnecting from the grid, and it works just fine.... I could run my house from the MME for more than 5 days, without any solar input, in an emergency.

 

[doogie63]

Ford should make a whole new panel but this time with an access door. Or could you cut out a square and make your own access panel? Should be able to proxy a panel to it. Both are plastic so glue should be able to hold it.

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