Less cooling fan noise

[B25Nut]

One minor annoyance I've had is how loud the cooling fan was during charging. For the past month, there has been hardly any noise at all, even when it is over 95 degrees in the garage while charging. Is this the result of the several recent OTA updates over the past month? Is the MME now charging at a lower rate so that it needs less cooling? The draw from my home electrical system is still 11 kWh, the same it has always been.

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[generaltso]

There was an update a while ago that reduced the fan noise while L2 charging. Sounds like your car finally got it OTA. It doesn’t reduce the charging speed, just the noise.

 

[Logal727]

Yeah, it was part of the OTA Blue Cruise package of updates if you didn’t already have it from a dealer visit

 

[azruby]

Apologies for the basic question, I'm a rookie Mach-E owner & still learning. How do I confirm if I have that update (reducing fan noise)? Mine is so loud that I can't charge overnight which is going to be a major problem. I'm in Phoenix so really hot temps - charging in the garage with inside temp well into the mid-90s. (2022 GT, May build) Appreciate the insights!

 

[Mach-Lee]

Apologies for the basic question, I'm a rookie Mach-E owner & still learning. How do I confirm if I have that update (reducing fan noise)? Mine is so loud that I can't charge overnight which is going to be a major problem. I'm in Phoenix so really hot temps - charging in the garage with inside temp well into the mid-90s. (2022 GT, May build) Appreciate the insights!

A 2022 will have this software already. Recommend you have the recall update done so you have the latest software.

In Phoenix it would be normal for the fan to be loud charging when it's above 95ºF.

 

[macchiaz-o]

Apologies for the basic question, I'm a rookie Mach-E owner & still learning. How do I confirm if I have that update (reducing fan noise)? Mine is so loud that I can't charge overnight which is going to be a major problem. I'm in Phoenix so really hot temps - charging in the garage with inside temp well into the mid-90s. (2022 GT, May build) Appreciate the insights!

Which EVSE ("ac charger," "wallbox," "giant plug") are you using?

If it's adjustable, lower the maximum charge amps to 30 or less. I have mine set to 30... My garage is the same temp as yours. All I heard when I checked on it just now was a whirring sound like a pump, much quieter than my dishwasher. I'm not hearing the really loud fans like I used to when I had the max current set to 42 or 48 amps.

 

[azruby]

@macchiaz-o: Still using the provided mobile charger but thanks to your feedback, going to get serious about better options - do you mind sharing what you use?

 

[macchiaz-o]

@macchiaz-o: Still using the provided mobile charger but thanks to your feedback, going to get serious about better options - do you mind sharing what you use?

When I was surveying my options over a year ago, the two that came to the top for me were the ChargePoint Home Flex and the Ford Connected Charge Station. This was because of their high heat ratings (very very few EVSEs are rated so highly on temperatures). Here is the spec for the FCCS, for example:

I also want the EVSE to be UL Listed or Intertek tested. This eliminates most of the Amazon options, for instance.

I also want to be able to configure the maximum amperage.

So when it came down to it, I had a ton of FordPass Rewards points from the vehicle purchase (especially because I used the FordPass Rewards Visa card). And also, the ChargePoint Home Flex was out of stock. So I went with the FCCS because a local dealer had several in stock and would accept rewards points towards payment, making it less expensive than the CPHF.

If I had to buy one today though, I'd go for the CPHF (if it's available). They're both reliable at charging the vehicle, their main task. But the CPHF is a better "smart" device, it's more reliable for those features and provides more, better stats/graphs and so forth.

Be sure to check your options as an SRP or APS customer... They offer $250 rebates on some chargers. I see that right now, SRP's offering for the CPHF is out of stock. It barely ever comes back in stock and they quickly sell out.

One other note, the CPHF comes with either a 14-50 or 6-50 connector in case you're planning to plug it in rather than have it hardwired/permanently connected. You will probably want the 14-50 option since that matches most other EVSEs including Ford's mobile charger. But for some reason, SRP Marketplace never listed that version. I called and emailed them many times about it but they won't budge.

https://srpmarketplace.com/electric-vehicle-chargers/

https://marketplace.aps.com/ev-chargers/

 

[macchiaz-o]

I was just looking through SRP's web site and noticed that they'll now let you apply for the $250 rebate on certain EVSEs (from a table on their site) that you purchase from someplace other than SRP Marketplace. This is a new thing they started 1/1/2022 and also something I nagged to them about last year ?.

https://www.srpnet.com/energy-savings-rebates/home/rebates/ev-charger#2

This means an SRP customer could now buy the ChargePoint Home Flex 14-50, that SRP's own marketplace never offered, from somewhere else and still apply to get a $250 discount rebated on it.

 

[Jim_I]

I would rather have the fan and pump noise. It kept the charge port cool.

Now, my EVSE running at 40 Amps shuts down because the charge port and the handle on the cord get too warm. The tech at Enel X said the car was sending a shutdown code to the EVSE.

Going next week to have it checked at the dealership.

Jim

 

[SnBGC]

I would rather have the fan and pump noise. It kept the charge port cool.

Now, my EVSE running at 40 Amps shuts down because the charge port and the handle on the cord get too warm. The tech at Enel X said the car was sending a shutdown code to the EVSE.

Going next week to have it checked at the dealership.

Jim

I think that signal is more like "I am done charging so you can kill the power to the J1772 handle/connector now. Thanks!"

In your case it might be saying "I am too hot over her and going to take a break. You can take a break too and I'll let you know when I have cooled down enough to resume charging."

Either way you end up with the same result which does need to be looked at.

 

[azruby]

When I was surveying my options over a year ago, the two that came to the top for me were the ChargePoint Home Flex and the Ford Connected Charge Station. This was because of their high heat ratings (very very few EVSEs are rated so highly on temperatures). Here is the spec for the FCCS, for example:

I also want the EVSE to be UL Listed or Intertek tested. This eliminates most of the Amazon options, for instance.

I also want to be able to configure the maximum amperage.

So when it came down to it, I had a ton of FordPass Rewards points from the vehicle purchase (especially because I used the FordPass Rewards Visa card). And also, the ChargePoint Home Flex was out of stock. So I went with the FCCS because a local dealer had several in stock and would accept rewards points towards payment, making it less expensive than the CPHF.

If I had to buy one today though, I'd go for the CPHF (if it's available). They're both reliable at charging the vehicle, their main task. But the CPHF is a better "smart" device, it's more reliable for those features and provides more, better stats/graphs and so forth.

Be sure to check your options as an SRP or APS customer... They offer $250 rebates on some chargers. I see that right now, SRP's offering for the CPHF is out of stock. It barely ever comes back in stock and they quickly sell out.

One other note, the CPHF comes with either a 14-50 or 6-50 connector in case you're planning to plug it in rather than have it hardwired/permanently connected. You will probably want the 14-50 option since that matches most other EVSEs including Ford's mobile charger. But for some reason, SRP Marketplace never listed that version. I called and emailed them many times about it but they won't budge.

https://srpmarketplace.com/electric-vehicle-chargers/

https://marketplace.aps.com/ev-chargers/

Thanks so much for all this info, super helpful! I'm APS and had looked at the ChargePoint but even with the rebate was a little hesitant because of price. But I'm going to try it and really hope that being able to reduce the amps will help with the noise, because right now no one in my house can sleep if I charge my car at night!

This is such a great resource, I really appreciate the help.

 

[Jim_I]

I think that signal is more like "I am done charging so you can kill the power to the J1772 handle/connector now. Thanks!"

In your case it might be saying "I am too hot over her and going to take a break. You can take a break too and I'll let you know when I have cooled down enough to resume charging."

Either way you end up with the same result which does need to be looked at.

Unfortunately that is not what happens. The charge cycle will run at 40 Amps for about 30-35 min and then shuts down. It does not start back up again. I get a message on the FordPass app that says "Scheduled Charge Did Not Begin", which is not the case as the battery clearly shows it has received about 5 kWh worth of a charge - correct for a 30-35 min charge cycle. But it stops before it reaches the 90% level I have set. It does not matter what level the battery is at when the charge starts. It will run for about 30-35 min and then stop. And the charge port and the cable handle are very warm.

All this started right after the BlueCruise software updates were installed. I never had a problem with the charging cycle before that. It would start at 11:00 PM and charge until it reached 90% and then shut down.

So I agree that it needs to go in for a checkup.

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