Preconditioning Question - Still charging outside of preset hours?

[AlpaChino]

As we move into the winter months more and more of us will be depending on preconditioning to maximize our effeciency before traveling. I understand that preconditioning happens when departure times are assigned in fordpass/sync. However, is preconditioning, while utilizing my level 2 charger as to not use any battery power, still happening in the following circumstance?

Car is plugged into Level 2 charging, having just finished a set charge to 90%.

Still plugged in, I've remote started my MME at 10am. The charging window ended at 6am.

How literal is the charging window? Will I still be benefitting from starting and warming up the car, plugged in even outside of the designated charging window? Is it still drawing power from the wall? Or because I've started the car manually outside of the charge window it's warming up only on battery power?

Thanks for your responses.

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[SnBGC]

As we move into the winter months more and more of us will be depending on preconditioning to maximize our effeciency before traveling. I understand that preconditioning happens when departure times are assigned in fordpass/sync. However, is preconditioning, while utilizing my level 2 charger as to not use any battery power, still happening in the following circumstance?

Car is plugged into Level 2 charging, having just finished a set charge to 90%.

Still plugged in, I've remote started my MME at 10am. The charging window ended at 6am.

How literal is the charging window? Will I still be benefitting from starting and warming up the car, plugged in even outside of the designated charging window? Is it still drawing power from the wall? Or because I've started the car manually outside of the charge window it's warming up only on battery power?

Thanks for your responses.

I am curious as well but not able to find out myself because our version of "cold" here is what most people consider mild weather. Even so, I can take a guess based on what we have observed during the summer months.

If the cold weather conditioning functions the same as the warm weather conditioning.......then:

• If the car is plugged in and inside the charge window and awake, then it will condition the battery when necessary and use shore power to do so.
• If the car is plugged in and a departure time is approaching then it will condition the battery and cabin using shore power.
• If the car is plugged in and outside the charge schedule then it won't condition the battery.
• If you remote start the car while plugged in then it will use shore power irregardless of charge schedule set inside the car.

I have no idea if the cold weather programming is the same as warm weather strategy. Very curious to see what you guys discover as we get deeper into the winter months.

 

[RickMachE]

There's one way to control whether it uses the house current or not - assuming you care financially due to rates - and that's via an intelligent charger. My charger will not supply my vehicle with juice outside of the off-peak rate period unless I go into the app and tell it to. Therefore, I never have to worry about the car deciding it wants to do something that I would prefer it not do.

 

[AlpaChino]

There's one way to control whether it uses the house current or not - assuming you care financially due to rates - and that's via an intelligent charger. My charger will not supply my vehicle with juice outside of the off-peak rate period unless I go into the app and tell it to. Therefore, I never have to worry about the car deciding it wants to do something that I would prefer it not do.

Thanks for the response. Ideally I want it to charge between my designated times of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. . But if I leave it plugged in outside of that time and I decide to start it remotely to warm up the cabin and precondition it I would love it to use the level 2 charger to draw power and avoid taking any power from the battery.

 

[AlpaChino]

From what I'm gathering, it seems that the charge times are quite literal. If you start your vehicle outside of a planned departure time, and that time isn't within a planned "charging window" it will draw power from your battery and not your home.

 

[Lord Polymath]

So if I don't care when the car uses home power (no peak or off-peak hours here that I know of) should my charging schedule be 24/7?

 

[db4z]

There was video posted on this topic recently on YouTube. The owner suggested setting your charge window as large is possible (i.e. finish well pass your expected departure time) and a max charge limit (90%, 80%, etc.). That way your car will charge to that charge limit likely well before your departure time but then still use shore power as necessary for pre conditioning. I'm still waiting on my car so I'm not sure if it will only condition the battery during remote start and at extreme outside temperatures (i.e. below freezing or over something like 110f) or if it will always use shore power to maintain a ideal battery temp anytime it is plugged in the during the scheduled charging window. I'm guessing the car doesn't use shore power most of the time outside of the scheduled charging window to protect those that pay different electricity rates at different times of day from unexpected charges from using shore power at the wrong time.

 

[SnBGC]

From what I'm gathering, it seems that the charge times are quite literal. If you start your vehicle outside of a planned departure time, and that time isn't within a planned "charging window" it will draw power from your battery and not your home.

Hmmm....
Not sure about that. Easy to check though. I will get back to you on this particular question...

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