Don't bother. This is 100% normal. Put it this way, the reason it's loud is because Ford doesn't want you MME to become the new Chevy Bolt i.e. it's preventing your car from becoming a huge fireball. Don't stress out about it. Even the new Teslas and Bolt's (post software update) are also noisy. It's cooling off the battery to protect it.
Yup, and if you really hate it, see if you can step down the amperage on your L2 charger. That should reduce the charging rate (and therefore the temperature) and take the noise along with it.
My wife took my son out today in her car and, as she's leaving, calls me while still in the driveway "Honey, your car is making a REALLY LOUD noise, is there something wrong with the car?" "It's ok -- it's just charging." "Sounds like a diesel engine in our driveway!"
My wife tonight said "the car is really loud". For now it doesn't bother me but one day when the whole street is full of electric cars I can imagine the noise pollution will be excessive. I'm not sure what it will be like but I can see this as being of the major turn offs to ev adoption. 1 car alone is one thing 50 on a street might become issue.
I think the MME is right now an outlier in the "charging noise" department, plus Ford Corporate posted about this issue on another thread and confirmed they are working on a fix. I know my Volt never made anything near this much noise, if any noise at all.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind about your question and this thread.
Thanks, I appreciate the thorough response. (I'm totally new to EVs.)There are a couple of things to keep in mind about your question and this thread.
First the question about noise and charging originally came from a European Union forum member. The electrical system is a bit different there compared to the San Francisco Bay Area . The OP has 3 phase 240 volt power which creates its own set of unique problems, just as ours does. It’s also possible the OP has an issue with his car.
Second, as @trutolife27 said heat equals noise. Higher kWh charging will generate more heat which increases the need for the car to keep the battery cool during the charging process. That cooling is what causes the noise, fans and pumps aren’t silent.
The higher the amps on your EVSE (charger), the more heat will be generated and the greater noise you’ll get. A 48 amp charger such as the Ford Connected Charger, ChargePoint, Juice Box, etc. can cause s lot more noise from their charging than a 120 volt charger would. It’s the trade off for faster charging.
Also keep in mind that ambient temperature plays a roll. If you’re living in Tracy, right about now your garage will be pushing above 100 F. Cooling is less efficient in those circumstances. The fans will need to work harder and longer to keep cooling temps under control.
With all that said, most of this isn’t really an issue. I charge my car up on a 32 amp charger. 99% of the time n vet made a sound. The Ford Mobil charger, included with the car, is lower still. They’ll be quiet. Many of the more advanced EVSE’s will allow you to select a charging rate via software too.Thus, you could set it to 32 amps or so during the heat of summer and crank it back up to 48 amps once things cool down.
120 volts. By definition this is trickle charging. Charging your car at 120 volts using the proper adapter could take 4 full days if you’re at 0% on your charge.
There may be an arrow or 75 in my missive above. If there is someone will point them out.
Hood luck.
What amp are you charging at? Charging at a higher amp plus hot weather = lots of hot air for the fans to remove. If you have an adjustable L2 charger, lower the amps to anything below 32. It'll charge slower but it'll also product a lot less heat.
I had the same issue, but moving it down to 32A usually works for me on a hot day.
