Mach-E Long term storage

[SONEWBE]

Do you really think the car will get updates when not driven for weeks or months at a time?

Always…no. Sometimes…yes. My car received 2 updates earlier this year while in storage for 2 months. Most of my updates have been completed while garaged. I‘ve only completed 2 updates after driving the car.

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[Mach-Lee]

You wouldn’t plug in the big battery? I’ve always been told that it should be left at 50% and plugged in.

No, because glitches happen that can reset your charging location, then the car will automatically charge to 100%. This would be very bad for the battery if you are on vacation for six months and can't drain it back down to safe storage level.

If Ford implements a global charge limit that could be set to 50%, then my advice to plug in may change. But it's safer to stay unplugged. Also it's not necessary to plug in because the high voltage battery will not drain that much in 6 months. 10% at the very most.

 

[SigSauer]

Model A Ford? Awesome. You're living the dream!

Owned since 1972

 

[SONEWBE]

I have another possible suggestion in addition to the excellent advice in this thread for long term storage of a mache. I'm about to leave my car in the garage for 3 months while I'm on extended travel. In addition to leaving the car unplugged and connected to trickle charger, I was wondering if I could also remote start the vehicle if the 12v battery gets too low to install OTA updates. I found that starting the car charges the LVB fairly quickly compared to a trickle charger. Last year I had a lot of difficultly when I returned and my car failed to install updates. I took me 3 months working with Ford and my dealer to get the updates installed via FDRS.

Within the last month I have received multiple updates, including 3 in one week. My LVB was down to 30% at one point due to not driving the car between updates. My HVB was already at my charge limit, so charging never starting. To reduce demand on the LVB, I'll turn the car HVAC off.

Any thoughts?

 

[Mach-Lee]

I have another possible suggestion in addition to the excellent advice in this thread for long term storage of a mache. I'm about to leave my car in the garage for 3 months while I'm on extended travel. In addition to leaving the car unplugged and connected to trickle charger, I was wondering if I could also remote start the vehicle if the 12v battery gets too low to install OTA updates. I found that starting the car charges the LVB fairly quickly compared to a trickle charger. Last year I had a lot of difficultly when I returned and my car failed to install updates. I took me 3 months working with Ford and my dealer to get the updates installed via FDRS.

Within the last month I have received multiple updates, including 3 in one week. My LVB was down to 30% at one point due to not driving the car between updates. My HVB was already at my charge limit, so charging never starting. To reduce demand on the LVB, I'll turn the car HVAC off.

Any thoughts?

There is no point in doing that if you've already put on trickle charger. And you can only remote start twice before it's disabled until the next key cycle.

Also, you will not get OTAs during the 3 months since the vehicle will not be turned on. You'll have to catch up on them when you get back.

 

[SONEWBE]

Thanks for the info. Didn’t know about the remote start limitation. Is your second point due to entering ”deep sleep” mode?

 

[RickMachE]

Thanks for the info. Didn’t know about the remote start limitation. Is your second point due to entering ”deep sleep” mode?

No, it is referring to needing to start the vehicle to get updates.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Thanks for the info. Didn’t know about the remote start limitation. Is your second point due to entering ”deep sleep” mode?

No, the vehicle must be on to check for and download updates. That will not happen when the vehicle is off/parked.

 

[Auto Motive]

No, the vehicle must be on to check for and download updates. That will not happen when the vehicle is off/parked.

Our updates arrive at 1am when the car is off not plugged parked in the garage. Never a missed ota. Did I miss something on this post.?

 

[RickMachE]

Our updates arrive at 1am when the car is off not plugged parked in the garage. Never a missed ota. Did I miss something on this post.?

This is a common misunderstanding. The schedule is not for downloading updates, it is for applying updates that require the car to be immobile.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Our updates arrive at 1am when the car is off not plugged parked in the garage. Never a missed ota. Did I miss something on this post.?

That’s not how it works, the 1AM is the time to install inhibit updates that are already downloaded. New updates will not download because the car hasn’t been turned on. As I said before, if you park and go on vacation you won’t get any new updates.

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