IONNA + BlueOval Network

[RickMachE]

You should be able to just plug in - no need to use the app - and your receipt from Ford should include all your charging details. What other details are you looking for?

Sure, if I had Plug & Charge turned on, I could just plug in. But I have it off, because on trips I'm using the Tesla app and membership to save money, and don't want a failed Tesla session to result in Ford billing me for the charge at the higher rate.

Ford receipts sometimes are delayed, and no where does it says IONNA. I have to look at the address and see which charging event it was. On this particular trip, I fast charged over 70 times across 5,400+ miles.

There have also been issues with Ford receipts being totally wrong. I want to see the cost I'm incurring while I'm charging, doesn't show in Ford app.

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[Charge_Rob]

Sure, if I had Plug & Charge turned on, I could just plug in. But I have it off, because on trips I'm using the Tesla app and membership to save money, and don't want a failed Tesla session to result in Ford billing me for the charge at the higher rate.

Ford receipts sometimes are delayed, and no where does it says IONNA. I have to look at the address and see which charging event it was. On this particular trip, I fast charged over 70 times across 5,400+ miles.

There have also been issues with Ford receipts being totally wrong. I want to see the cost I'm incurring while I'm charging, doesn't show in Ford app.

Sounds like a great opportunity to turn Plug & Charge on

 

[RickMachE]

Sounds like a great opportunity to turn Plug & Charge on

Not worth the effort. In the past, Plug & Charge's switch in the app wouldn't respond, and Ford couldn't resolve it until an app update weeks later. Not going to have an issue an entire trip for a switch.

 

[dan_meh]

@RickMachE is on to something: Ford’s end of the Pug and Charge interactions could use improvement. I want P&C to recognize memberships to get discounted rates. Rick has another improvement idea: some way to store session data that isn’t a receipt.

One of the things that I like about Ionna is its session data. If we’re dreaming, I would love Ford to collect the data and normalize it. Imagine if plug and charge could integrate with trip data. I want it to say, “you went on road trip. Here’s your data… the first leg, you started at 100% soc and arrived at the first charging station with 20%, using x kWh of your battery. You changed for 30 minutes. Here’s a link to the session data…. (Curve, amps, time, etc). You got back on the road for your next leg of the trip at 80%… [repeat…]

 

[Tosh]

@IONNA_Official, this is great news! Also, please put a station in Baker City, OR.

Burns! Bend! Pendleton!

 

[dan_meh]

I wrote:

Is there any way to nominate new locations or areas? Like, I know there’s site considerations, host considerations, funding considerations, but is there a way to suggest areas or corridors?

Maybe we’re nominating here?

Seriously… demand is high!!

We need more in rural areas. Tooany of the NEVI installations in rural areas are not reliable requiring high repairs

Also, please put a station in Baker City, OR.

Come to Canada... please!!

Burns! Bend! Pendleton!

 

[RickMachE]

@RickMachE is on to something: Ford’s end of the Pug and Charge interactions could use improvement. I want P&C to recognize memberships to get discounted rates. Rick has another improvement idea: some way to store session data that isn’t a receipt.

One of the things that I like about Ionna is its session data. If we’re dreaming, I would love Ford to collect the data and normalize it. Imagine if plug and charge could integrate with trip data. I want it to say, “you went on road trip. Here’s your data… the first leg, you started at 100% soc and arrived at the first charging station with 20%, using x kWh of your battery. You changed for 30 minutes. Here’s a link to the session data…. (Curve, amps, time, etc). You got back on the road for your next leg of the trip at 80%… [repeat…]

Ford testing passing on the discount from what I've read, and it worked fine. They never rolled it out. I speculated these are the reasons:

- No profit in it. They proposed a fee for EA only (before Tesla was an option) that was $2 more per year than EA. And yearly, whereas EA could be turned on and off monthly.

- Cost of staff to answer billing questions, fix billing issues, solve why it wasn't passing on the discount, ...

- Doesn't provide any increase in customer loyalty to Ford that they could measure.

- They were grappling with the total cluster of an estimate for the take (acceptance) of BlueCruise at $2,100 for 3 years or $800 for one year, which they likely baked into their future revenue numbers. That overshadowed everything, as they ended up with $495 a year or $49.95 a month (and maybe a 3 year number, I don't recall).

 

[silverelan]

Burns! Bend! Pendleton!

Pendleton now has the Arrowhead travel plaza plus there’s the new PFJ at Stanfield.

Baker City is the key to skipping the EA way off the freeway at Huntington or the two V3 Superchargers in Ontario.

 

[dan_meh]

Ford testing passing on the discount from what I've read, and it worked fine. They never rolled it out. I speculated these are the reasons:

- No profit in it. They proposed a fee for EA only (before Tesla was an option) that was $2 more per year than EA. And yearly, whereas EA could be turned on and off monthly.

- Cost of staff to answer billing questions, fix billing issues, solve why it wasn't passing on the discount, ...

- Doesn't provide any increase in customer loyalty to Ford that they could measure.

- They were grappling with the total cluster of an estimate for the take (acceptance) of BlueCruise at $2,100 for 3 years or $800 for one year, which they likely baked into their future revenue numbers. That overshadowed everything, as they ended up with $495 a year or $49.95 a month (and maybe a 3 year number, I don't recall).

On the bright side, with Ionna, I don’t care! I’ve used it a few times and I just use a credit card, like I’ve paid for fuel since college. With readers that work, subscriptions, Plug and charge, apps and all that nonsense is off my mind. Plug, tap, fuel. Easy peasy.

 

[Herbknowsit]

Didn’t see any Michigan Ionna locations. Could this be due to the two utility monopolies not giving them a decent price for juice?

 

[Fremont Kid]

On the bright side, with Ionna, I don’t care! I’ve used it a few times and I just use a credit card, like I’ve paid for fuel since college. With readers that work, subscriptions, Plug and charge, apps and all that nonsense is off my mind. Plug, tap, fuel. Easy peasy.

Dan, while agree with you mostly, I find Plug and Charge even easier than swiping a credit card. Just connect the charger then the charger and vehicle perform handshakes...that's it.

 

[Fremont Kid]

Clearly some IONNA locations are superior. But the Wisconsin Dells location when I visited has no facilities (it's behind a restaurant), and in fact a tech was fixing a charger.

I used Ford's app to activate, which means you get no charging data upon completion, which is a negative. I want to see details of my charging.

Have to know if the charging station is a 'Rechargery' which has chargers and amenities, or just a charging location.

 

[dan_meh]

Dan, while agree with you mostly, I find Plug and Charge even easier than swiping a credit card. Just connect the charger then the charger and vehicle perform handshakes...that's it.

If it works for you, that’s awesome. Honestly, I’m happy that Ford offers it.

I just want to praise the subject of this thread (Not Ford) for something less appreciated. The EV Internet loves plug and charge. I love the fact that I can just roll up and fuel.

“But wait!” You might say, “I also roll up and charge!”

You do now. But you first downloaded an app from ford. You put in your credit card information. If that credit card information is stolen, you do it again. Probably, you do it after you roll up to the station and can’t figure out why your session won’t start.

You also have unnecessary “care and feeding“ of the plug and charge system. Are you an EA member? Did you roll up to am EA station? Don’t forget to turn it off for your EA session and then turn it on again for the EVGo (or whatever). Don’t forget to turn it on when you’re wife is driving and turn it off when your friend borrows the car. Oh, and turn it on again when your wife drives to Long Island or you’re getting a call from the Applegreen on the NJ Turnpike.

I can see how, in many circumstances, especially single-driver and RTFM! households, it would work. But if you’re trying to lower effort, tap-and-charge is an excellent alternative to plug-and-charge.

EDIT: I should have ended on a constructive note. If Ford could fix the care and feeding problems, I would like it more. But I’m picking up on @RickMachE ‘s point and the conversation going on in the Connected Navigation space: Ford isn’t moving fast to close the gaps and reduce friction, so… credit card! Ford could:

• Link P&C to subscription
• Remove the RTFM of it all and go for Neilsen’s “prevent errors.” Like, if you get into your car, use connected navigation to set a destination that requires a charge, maybe it says, “I noticed that you have P&C turned off. Want to turn it on?”
• Maybe I could set it up to PayPal or Apple/Google Pay for a payment method so that I don’t have the Credit Card problem (I do this with subscriptions that allow it).

I dunno… these are improvements on the Ford side and don’t have anything to do with Ionna. Maybe the one thing is that if Ionna ever decides to go subscription, then it should work that out? But for now, this pleases me greatly:

https://www.ionna.com/blog/were-cutting-pre-authorization-pricing/

 

[Fremont Kid]

If it works for you, that’s awesome. Honestly, I’m happy that Ford offers it.

I just want to praise the subject of this thread (Not Ford) for something less appreciated. The EV Internet loves plug and charge. I love the fact that I can just roll up and fuel.

“But wait!” You might say, “I also roll up and charge!”

You do now. But you first downloaded an app from ford. You put in your credit card information. If that credit card information is stolen, you do it again. Probably, you do it after you roll up to the station and can’t figure out why your session won’t start.

You also have unnecessary “care and feeding“ of the plug and charge system. Are you an EA member? Did you roll up to am EA station? Don’t forget to turn it off for your EA session and then turn it on again for the EVGo (or whatever). Don’t forget to turn it on when you’re wife is driving and turn it off when your friend borrows the car. Oh, and turn it on again when your wife drives to Long Island or you’re getting a call from the Applegreen on the NJ Turnpike.

I can see how, in many circumstances, especially single-driver and RTFM! households, it would work. But if you’re trying to lower effort, tap-and-charge is an excellent alternative to plug-and-charge.

EDIT: I should have ended on a constructive note. If Ford could fix the care and feeding problems, I would like it more. But I’m picking up on @RickMachE ‘s point and the conversation going on in the Connected Navigation space: Ford isn’t moving fast to close the gaps and reduce friction, so… credit card! Ford could:

• Link P&C to subscription
• Remove the RTFM of it all and go for Neilsen’s “prevent errors.” Like, if you get into your car, use connected navigation to set a destination that requires a charge, maybe it says, “I noticed that you have P&C turned off. Want to turn it on?”
• Maybe I could set it up to PayPal or Apple/Google Pay for a payment method so that I don’t have the Credit Card problem (I do this with subscriptions that allow it).

I dunno… these are improvements on the Ford side and don’t have anything to do with Ionna. Maybe the one thing is that if Ionna ever decides to go subscription, then it should work that out? But for now, this pleases me greatly:

https://www.ionna.com/blog/were-cutting-pre-authorization-pricing/

OK. Although I was able to register quite easily for Plug and Charge through the Ford Pass App. CC information has never been compromised through Ford. I'll admit that hackers are a persistent threat.

I'm with you though that the easier the better. I actually called Ionna last year prior to driving from Colorado Springs to Richmond, VA. I petitioned them to NOT use an app. The lady laughed with me and said she appreciated the feedback. I'm glad Ionna still has not required an app.

All the best.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

That’s is super helpful that they painted the connector type and slot number on the pavement. That should be standard everywhere, at least a big sign with that info would help.

And here I was thinking that was the amperage of the charger!

(Not really. Well, only for a second )

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