Preparing for Mach-E charging at home - preparation and installing charger

[dtbaker61]

I'm still not even 100% sure I'll put in 240v at all. We're pretty low-usage drivers (retired). 120v will add 40-50 miles/day, which is more than we usually drive in an average day. And at least 2 or 3 days/week we don't even leave the house, where it can charge 40+ hours straight.

I'll have the luxury of getting the car first and using 120v before deciding whether to install 240v. That is, if we buy the car at all (have to see how/when the economy and the stock market recovers).

so why buy a charger or install a circuit at all?

You can use the included Mobile charger on 120v from the nearest outlet for a while and see if that is fast enough for ya.

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[Maquis]

so why buy a charger or install a circuit at all?

You can use the included Mobile charger on 120v from the nearest outlet for a while and see if that is fast enough for ya.

Right...you answered your own question "if it's fast enough"!

You will add about 30-35 miles of range on a 10 hour nightly charge. That may be enough for some.

There are a couple of really detailed threads on the topic "Why buy a charger"....let's not turn this one into another!

 

[bncwhite]

I'm trying to plan where I'm installing my Chargepoint tomorrow and I hoped someone would feel generous with their time to make some measurements for me. Since the tax credit is about to expire, I can't wait for the "small station wagon" to arrive. This was hard to search for to see if someone already asked this.

I've got blue tape on the garage floor to help me visualize my distances from the area where I'm going to mount the Chargepoint. If I backed into the garage, I MIGHT, just barely, be able to still charge. I've looked at Ford's tech specs sheet for the vehicles' dimensions so that I could put the blue tape down.

Something doesn't appear right. I've triple-checked my measurements and the car looks like it is longer than my 2019 Edge(sold it). I googled for the Edge's dimensions, which is 188.8", and the Mach-E is 186". I had plenty of space to walk in front of the Edge when parked in the garage. When I look at the blue tape on the ground, it looks much tighter than when the Edge was parked there. The Mach-E is only 2.8" shorter but the tape makes it look longer...

Would someone mind measuring and telling me the distance, in inches, between:

1) the center of the charge port and the front edge of the Mach-E.
2) the front edge of the Mach-E and the center of the front tire.
3) the back edge of the Mach-E and the center of the rear tire. (for a different idea brewing...)
4) the center of the charge port and the center of the front tire.

I'll be using this info to add blue tape to the floor.

Also, is the center of the port connection really 36" from the ground? It seems low when I stand there with the measuring tape and Chargepoint vehicle connector in hand visualizing what it would be like when the car is there.

This answer will help me determine which side of my breaker panel the mount will be and how low to put it so I could possible charge while backed-in.

 

[gordonf238]

I had mine installed in my driveway. I keep my Can-AM in the garage along with all the kids stuff. Just no room to keep the Mach-E parked in there. Electrician had to run a 60-amp line all the way from my main panel. It wasn't an easy job but he did it well.

I even had him put an aux 240V outlet there in case the charger station for some reason malfunctioned. This way I can use the mobile charger in the car and plug into the 240V outlet on the pedestal.

 

[dbsb3233]

Would someone mind measuring and telling me the distance, in inches, between:

1) the center of the charge port and the front edge of the Mach-E.
47"
2) the front edge of the Mach-E and the center of the front tire.
33"
3) the back edge of the Mach-E and the center of the rear tire. (for a different idea brewing...)
33"
4) the center of the charge port and the center of the front tire.
14"

34.5" floor to center of charge port connector circle.

 

[atomdeathstroke]

I just had my electrician install it last week. Super fast charging compared to my 110v. I'm having major issues with the fordpass app which sucks. Only reason i paid more for the ford charger was the hopes it would integrate with the fordpass application but it's just plagued with issues.

 

[dbsb3233]

I had plenty of space to walk in front of the Edge when parked in the garage. When I look at the blue tape on the ground, it looks much tighter than when the Edge was parked there.

There's always the age-old methods of maximizing the space in the front of the garage by pulling in barely enough to close the door, by using a parking stop guide of some kind. The old fashioned method is to hang a tennis ball from the ceiling at just the right spot, but there's also rubber blocks and mats for that purpose.

Since the hood of the car is low and curved, just putting tape on the floor to visualize it can be a bit deceiving. When walking around the front of the car, it's only your knees that need to clear it. Your arms and upper body can hang over some when walking by. Probably why it seems longer just seeing the tape than it feels when an actual vehicle is there.

 

[Maquis]

I'm trying to plan where I'm installing my Chargepoint tomorrow and I hoped someone would feel generous with their time to make some measurements for me. Since the tax credit is about to expire, I can't wait for the "small station wagon" to arrive. This was hard to search for to see if someone already asked this.

I've got blue tape on the garage floor to help me visualize my distances from the area where I'm going to mount the Chargepoint. If I backed into the garage, I MIGHT, just barely, be able to still charge. I've looked at Ford's tech specs sheet for the vehicles' dimensions so that I could put the blue tape down.

Something doesn't appear right. I've triple-checked my measurements and the car looks like it is longer than my 2019 Edge(sold it). I googled for the Edge's dimensions, which is 188.8", and the Mach-E is 186". I had plenty of space to walk in front of the Edge when parked in the garage. When I look at the blue tape on the ground, it looks much tighter than when the Edge was parked there. The Mach-E is only 2.8" shorter but the tape makes it look longer...

Would someone mind measuring and telling me the distance, in inches, between:

1) the center of the charge port and the front edge of the Mach-E.
2) the front edge of the Mach-E and the center of the front tire.
3) the back edge of the Mach-E and the center of the rear tire. (for a different idea brewing...)
4) the center of the charge port and the center of the front tire.

I'll be using this info to add blue tape to the floor.

Also, is the center of the port connection really 36" from the ground? It seems low when I stand there with the measuring tape and Chargepoint vehicle connector in hand visualizing what it would be like when the car is there.

This answer will help me determine which side of my breaker panel the mount will be and how low to put it so I could possible charge while backed-in.

If your EVSE has a 20’ cable, I don’t think there’s any way you’ll be able to charge with the car backed in unless everything is perfect - unit is perfectly lined up with the drivers side, the unit is mounted really low, and you can park with the rear of the car against the wall.

 

[bncwhite]

I just had my electrician install it last week. Super fast charging compared to my 110v. I'm having major issues with the fordpass app which sucks. Only reason i paid more for the ford charger was the hopes it would integrate with the fordpass application but it's just plagued with issues.

Thanks for the feedback on the ford connected charge station! I really wanted to get one for the possibility of features being added to it down the road. After extension searches on the forum, your post and many others about Ford's EVSE makes me glad I ended up with the ChargePoint.

@Ford Motor Company I ordered one of your EVSEs to ship to my house. The order was cancelled without sending me an email or phone call...just cancelled... I didn't know it was cancelled until I logged in to check the status of the order. When I saw it was cancelled, I called the dealer I ordered it from. They said it was cancelled because I lived in a different city 50 miles away on the other side of the metro so that caused a fraud alert to cancel the order. I chose the dealer because the FCCS was approximately $80 cheaper than the closest dealership selling it at full price.

After talking to that dealer and told them I was going to submit another order because it was cheaper than placing a call over the phone. They were surprised it was below their invoice. I jumped online to place another order to pick it up at the same dealer so it wouldn't go through the fraud filter again. That dealer changed their price to full price!

That's some shady business practice. I'm betting the real reason the order was cancelled so I would have to order again at full price. What a sucky customer service experience!!!

 

[bncwhite]

If your EVSE has a 20’ cable, I don’t think there’s any way you’ll be able to charge with the car backed in unless everything is perfect - unit is perfectly lined up with the drivers side, the unit is mounted really low, and you can park with the rear of the car against the wall.

It's 23'. It's gonna be tight. That's why I asked for the measurements. Thanks @dbsb3233

 

[dtbaker61]

I just had my electrician install it last week. Super fast charging compared to my 110v. I'm having major issues with the fordpass app which sucks. Only reason i paid more for the ford charger was the hopes it would integrate with the fordpass application but it's just plagued with issues.

Fordpass has almost nothing to do with Charging other than *sometimes* updating the battery state of charge. What integration were you hoping for?

The standard mobile charger at 32amps is plenty fast for most people to charge at home overnight from near empty, why do you want to charge faster?

 

[bncwhite]

Fordpass has almost nothing to do with Charging other than *sometimes* updating the battery state of charge. What integration were you hoping for?

The standard mobile charger at 32amps is plenty fast for most people to charge at home overnight from near empty, why do you want to charge faster?

In my situation:

1) I want to be able to charge during off-peak hours and then as part of my bedtime routine, go unplug the vehicle so I can jump in and go. One less task in the morning. It is a decision-fatigue avoidance technique.

2) We are leaving the mobile charger in the car for emergency cases or out-of-town charging. One less thing to forget when hitting the road.

3) Sometimes, the time between my drives is less than the amount of time required to fully charge.

4) Flexibility to fully charge the night before a weekend road-trip by coming home at the end of Friday, top-off in about an hour, and hit the road with a full charge.

5) Trying to future-proof with a 30% tax credit expiring next week. This point just helps all of us OCD people that hate a list ending with an abnormal count.

 

[atomdeathstroke]

Fordpass has almost nothing to do with Charging other than *sometimes* updating the battery state of charge. What integration were you hoping for?

The standard mobile charger at 32amps is plenty fast for most people to charge at home overnight from near empty, why do you want to charge faster?

The ford pass app connects to your ford charger app so you can view charging insights, make charging adjustments, etc.... It either failes to load and makes you factory reset the whole system or fails to connect to the ford network.

These two apps should be a single app and they need to hire better developers or more developers to work on this. Just look at appstore reviews to learn all you need to know about the reliability and quality of the application. Tesla doesn't have these issues. If ford wants to impress, they need to step up their game on the software side.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

There's always the age-old methods of maximizing the space in the front of the garage by pulling in barely enough to close the door, by using a parking stop guide of some kind. The old fashioned method is to hang a tennis ball from the ceiling at just the right spot, but there's also rubber blocks and mats for that purpose.

Since the hood of the car is low and curved, just putting tape on the floor to visualize it can be a bit deceiving. When walking around the front of the car, it's only your knees that need to clear it. Your arms and upper body can hang over some when walking by. Probably why it seems longer just seeing the tape than it feels when an actual vehicle is there.

This is what I did. I have rubber blocks to stop me. Also consider how long your EVSE cord is. Mine is 25 feet long and reaches from near the garage door to the charge port easily (drive in, not backed in).

 

[dbsb3233]

1) I want to be able to charge during off-peak hours and then as part of my bedtime routine, go unplug the vehicle so I can jump in and go. One less task in the morning. It is a decision-fatigue avoidance technique.

The rest of those I got, but this one I'm a little confused on. You want to unplug before bed? That would normally be considered the off-peak period where you want to charge (nighttime while sleeping). Unplugging in the morning takes like 10 seconds. Don't even have to worry about remembering because the car won't even go in gear while plugged in. It'll remind you if you forget.

You can just set the charging schedule in the car. Don't need the app for that. In fact, that's the only way I do it. The app is kind of a pain to deal with. I find it much simpler to set the schedule on the screen in the car.

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