Team Edison where are you??

[DaMeatMan]

I agree with everything you said and the reasons, with these additions:

- I'm way past frustrated with the age assumptions you mentioned. I use the app everyday to operate as many functions as are available/needed
- I'm also well past (74 y/o soon) most of the ages mentioned in this thread and forum. I am very well informed on ICE car operational measurements with deep hands on experience with ICE engines because I was interested and challenged by working on them myself. Sure, I would not refuse some additional, configurable instrumentation but it's not a big deal. Faster charging would also be fine but, again, not a big deal.

Everything I need to safely operate the vehicle and have fun is available to me as-is. NONE of the rants in OP make me upset at all.

I purchased my MME with primary goals of:

A) Not an ICE or hybrid. (I previously had a Ford Energi Hybrid, and while car itself was fine and had fun instrumentation, the roughly 20 mile electric range convinced me that it would be my last hybrid.)
B) Having an EV that is sporty, unique-ish (i.e. not a T----), exciting, safe and fun to drive with decent range
C) Ability to 'refill' at home and wake up to a full 'tank'

My MME satisfies ALL of these needs as built by Ford. It is one year old next month and it has been operationally 100% perfect! I am 100% happy with it. Although the dang wind noise is not wonderful. (Yes, I had the mirror wind noise kit installed, but with no change for the better).

Read above just a few posts above this one... ???

No idea what your getting all worked up about. You obviously did bot read this post, your obviously triggered by age, but your triggers are (your responsibility, not mine or anyone elses). It's amazing how so many folks could read through so much, pick out one line that triggers them, ignore everything else, and completely hijack the thread.

If you want to rant about how tech h savvy you are at your age, by all means start a thread! The opening post of this thread did not mention age even once, and this thread has nothing to do with age! Age came up via another posters comments, and I simply responded to it, as I mentioned above.

You folks all need to chill out, actually take a second to read what the heck your responding to, and stop piling in for the sake of piling in, and the thing your so upset about is not even something I said, but rather (you folks) are repeating this narrative, getting yourselves all worked up over something that (your saying), not me!

Sponsored

 

[Dear_OP]

There is a mind-shift when buying or owning an EV. There are certain demographics (ie me) who are figuring out the transition from traditional vehicle to driving a digital device on wheels. Coming from ICEV I still miss the analog feel and with it limitations in terms of readouts, tech convenience, AI integration etc. A growing demographics are those that grew up with smart devices that are highly customizable for their needs. I think the OP and a few others are in this category.

I'm slowly adapting to the modern EV approaches. Doesn't mean that I like it, but I am beginning to understand and maybe even appreciate it. It is also a bit of a reset on owning these computers on wheels. And we know computers, smart phones and whatever smart devices get dated very quickly if it doesn't get updates/refreshes.

The MME is a great first shot by Ford. I hope the company will continue to improve upon it iteratively. I agree the UI in the MME especially the gauge cluster feels dated already. It is after all a 2021 product. Then again, Ford should be able to update the interface since it is a screen display.

 

[DaMeatMan]

Alex on Autos reviews what Ford is offering in the 2024 gas Mustang, and he absolutely loves the level of customization found in Ford's new software. Hmm.. who would have thought folks would love to customize and personalize their rides.... ?‍



But hey, we silly EV folks don't need customization. I mean the Mach-E ain't a "real Mustang" right? Lol..

Anyway I'll go back to enjoying my Mach-E, i mean this looks kinda cool right?? I mean look at that usless car graphic and all that wasted dead space on the screen.. oh look, it says "ground speed"... I'm flying!! woohooo! I can hardly contain myself! ???

 

[Snakebitten]

I got gently schooled just for not classifying the OP as a rant. ?

I'm a nerd-geezer myself and didn't recall a single mention of age either.

Sometimes these threads can take on a life of their own. We can be an entertaining species.

 

[User100723]

Your just underestimating how things are engineered. It would make no sense to release the car and not let it be capable of being constantly charge to 100%, ford knows it wears the battery, and initially they software gated a significant portion in order to compensate for concern of this eventuality, then realized it didn't matter and released it the consumer anyway. If charging to 100% caused irreparable damage to the vehicle with any certainty I would redefine what 100% was.

Plus I’d think you’ll have way more complaining online and in media about “why my car only charges to 90%, i paid for 100% of the battery, iT’s A cOnSpIrAcY” etc. etc. and the evermore etc.

 

[User100723]

I mean it's 2024, the Mach-E has one of the largest batteries in its class, yet charges slower than virtually every other competitor, many of which charge twice as fast with half the size pack.

Erm, I’m no battery expert, but I think there just might be a correlation between the bigness of the battery and the fastness of the juicing. Unless I’m totally misunderstanding and you meant “competitors charge in half the time despite having twice the battery capacity”. In which case, yeah, the Mustang Mach E could do better. A lot of us are still in shock that Hyundai of all companies not only caught up to, but actually beat Tesla out of nowhere with those impressive recharge times. And that too on their very first attempt!

Agree with you on the slow dev time for the Mustang Mach E though. It’s taken more than three years for this car to finally warm up to the competition. Three years ago, there was basically no competition, so it managed quite fine. Now, we’re just getting started, and Ford really needs to pick up pace now. They already have a solid EV, they just need to make it the best now.

Oh, and please, for goodness’ sake, please please PLEASE, tone down that double-honk and those bassy startup seatbelt-door chimes! This is a zero-emission EV, not a cancerous-polluting ICEV. Remove the 2x max allowed remote starts, fix the automatic shutdown of a remote climate control session when popping the frunk, and allow the car to quietly turn itself off if left inactive with no occupants/door activity for a set duration (as opposed to that ridiculous double-honk).

This can’t possibly be that hard to correct.

 

[User100723]

Well I am a few years older, a woman, and retired a number of years ago after 31 years with IBM. Don’t tell us boomers we dont know how to use technology. Maybe one of the reasons boomers own this car is because we can afford it.
This comment is for the OP!!

I think “boomer” has become a generic term referring to anyone having a midlife crisis. Average age 45-54, irrespective of gender/culture.

And yeah, I’ve a near 80 year old lady in my line that knows how to manage profiles and sideload work apps onto *gasp* iPhones! Granny be scoffing at them minors screaming for third party app stores on an iPhone.

sorry got a bit sidetracked there…

 

[DaMeatMan]

Erm, I’m no battery expert, but I think there just might be a correlation between the bigness of the battery and the fastness of the juicing. Unless I’m totally misunderstanding and you meant “competitors charge in half the time despite having twice the battery capacity”. In which case, yeah, the Mustang Mach E could do better. A lot of us are still in shock that Hyundai of all companies not only caught up to, but actually beat Tesla out of nowhere with those impressive recharge times. And that too on their very first attempt!

I should have been more clear and mentioned the charge rate in KW, and not just time. We essentially have a 100Kwhr pack that charges at 150kw -160kw max, but in reality when you look at the charge curve we spend more time closer to 100kw. Which essentially means Ford is taking a very conservative route by charging at approximately a 1C - 1.5C rate.

However the new norm is a charge rate of 220kw - 350kw, on cars with smaller batteries than our own, and this again points to Ford's overly conservative nature in design and development.

As another example of this, the 5 second power limit that we are all too familiar with was essentially a very lazy way of limiting power without actually basing it on current component temps. They essentially said, mash the pedal for 5 seconds ans we are going to limit power after that no matter what the drive train temps said. Even if they were within temp specs, you still lose power. Same aplied to the initial charge curve, they gave max power for a few seconds, then immediately ramp down, no matter if temp is within spec. It is only now in 2024 (4 model years later) that Ford engineers decided to actually do what everyone else does, which is also the most logical thing to do, by basing power de-ratings on current live temperatures from various component sensors.

So getting back to the original question I asked in the title of this thread, Team Edison where the heck are you, and why aren't you folks applying that same "move fast and innovate" approach to your software development??

 

[User100723]

I should have been more clear and mentioned the charge rate in KW, and not just time. We essentially have a 100Kwhr pack that charges at 150kw -160kw max, but in reality when you look at the charge curve we spend more time closer to 100kw. Which essentially means Ford is taking a very conservative route by charging at approximately a 1C - 1.5C rate.

However the new norm is a charge rate of 220kw - 350kw, on cars with smaller batteries than our own, and this again points to Ford's overly conservative nature in design and development.

As another example of this, the 5 second power limit that we are all too familiar with was essentially a very lazy way of limiting power without actually basing it on current component temps. They essentially said, mash the pedal for 5 seconds ans we are going to limit power after that no matter what the drive train temps said. Even if they were within temp specs, you still lose power. Same aplied to the initial charge curve, they gave max power for a few seconds, then immediately ramp down, no matter if temp is within spec. It is only now in 2024 (4 model years later) that Ford engineers decided to actually do what everyone else does, which is also the most logical thing to do, by basing power de-ratings on current live temperatures from various component sensors.

So getting back to the original question I asked in the title of this thread, Team Edison where the heck are you, and why aren't you folks applying that same "move fast and innovate" approach to your software development??

Got it, and agree! It’s crazy it took them 3 years to remove a 5-sec power limit on their top tier models.

 

[woody0486]

Have you considered that YouTube is not available due to government regulations? It’s MORE work to have to disallow apps and implement differences than not. So there is likely a reason for it.

 

[RandyMache]

I’m willing to bet, most people, not even just old people, want their car to go from A to B, more than watching YouTube on another device.

I do enjoy watching youtube while I fast charge. I would like to see more entertainment as I charge.

 

[Fixbear]

I 100% knew I was buying a first gen vehicle and I was, and am fully prepared to deal with being an early adopter. That said, I think you miss my point.

Ford has just released a brand new (refreshed Mach-E) with brand new hardware and software. Despite being almost 4 years in, and launching a brand new refresh, they completely ommitted all these tiny little things that keep the Mach-E from being great. Virtually every single reviewer of the new refresh says this, I'll pointvto Kyle's as just one example of this.

We are talking about (intentional) design choices, either through silly logic, or via inaction to change what virtually every single reviewer has criticized about the Mach-E (since launch in 2021). The lead engineers are aware, Ford is well aware, they keep telling reviewers "it's in the pipeline", but it's almost 4 years later and these silly little issues are ignored. This is such low hanging fruit, that requires such little effort and resources to change, (this is software) nit hardware, yet would improve upon what many have been complaining about for YEARS! LOL



I mean it's 2024, the Mach-E has one of the largest batteries in its class, yet charges slower than virtually every other competitor, many of which charge twice as fast with half the size pack. Allot of this is a software design choice in how the BMS logic is programmed, and I never mentioned it in my original post, because it also contains elements of hardware. But their is no excuse to not improve software design choices that either don't make sense, or leave the customer lacking what could otherwise be a much better user experience.

It's not software design, but battery architecture. Tesla and some others use 800 volt design. Since most common insulation is designed for 600V going to 800 from 400 creates a big cost difference. That voltage change half's the charge time.


Lastly I'll add this. I've owned my vehicle for over 3 years now, and just within the last month or so I can now open the frunk electronically via software, when I was supposed to be able to do this on day 1. Again this is a silly little thing, but I'm pointing out how HORRENDOUSLY SLOW they are at fixing very obvious known issues,
When we bought the vehicle , ((job 1 Feb 21) we were promised the Frunck button in a couple of months. Two and a half years later we get it. I agree on there software lack of ability.

and that is very concerning when Farley knows and acknowledges that what makes these vehicles unique is NOT the electric drivetrain, but rather that they are computers on wheels, and software is such a huge aspect of the user experience, and it can make or break the product, and you would expect that the prioritize software accordingly particularly when their CEO is the one saying this, not me.

In the first Fordpass we had low voltage battery but unreliable Phone as a key. Especially if you had 3 users. We could keep messages and updates, and trip Logs. With 5 that's all gone. They keep taking away information that we used. I expect users didn't know how to use it and made complaints that self education would have easily solved.

 

[Fixbear]

Erm, I’m no battery expert, but I think there just might be a correlation between the bigness of the battery and the fastness of the juicing. Unless I’m totally misunderstanding and you meant “competitors charge in half the time despite having twice the battery capacity”. In which case, yeah, the Mustang Mach E could do better. A lot of us are still in shock that Hyundai of all companies not only caught up to, but actually beat Tesla out of nowhere with those impressive recharge times. And that too on their very first attempt!

Agree with you on the slow dev time for the Mustang Mach E though. It’s taken more than three years for this car to finally warm up to the competition. Three years ago, there was basically no competition, so it managed quite fine. Now, we’re just getting started, and Ford really needs to pick up pace now. They already have a solid EV, they just need to make it the best now.

Oh, and please, for goodness’ sake, please please PLEASE, tone down that double-honk and those bassy startup seatbelt-door chimes! This is a zero-emission EV, not a cancerous-polluting ICEV. Remove the 2x max allowed remote starts, fix the automatic shutdown of a remote climate control session when popping the frunk, and allow the car to quietly turn itself off if left inactive with no occupants/door activity for a set duration (as opposed to that ridiculous double-honk).

This can’t possibly be that hard to correct.

I actually like the double chirp when the car self locks. It confirms for me that the car I left running isn't going anywhere.

 

[User100723]

I actually like the double chirp when the car self locks. It confirms for me that the car I left running isn't going anywhere.

Honking during self lock when walk away is perfectly fine, double-honking at me just because I forgot my coffee on the porch and the wind blew the door shut is not necessary at all. Especially when the grandkid is sleeping in the car seat.

 

[LaClevel]

going back to the speedometer in the center of the display topic... @Ford Motor Company please at least give drivers the option of centering the speed readout. As a UI device its great to have the car centered when I'm in BlueCruise mode with lane keeping, and then when I'm in control to have the speed centered. This is good UI to differentiate the two modes. Also, for anyone 6' or taller, like myself, the speed to the right is hidden by the steering wheel. So either put it where everyone can see it, or at least give the driver the option of putting it where it's easily visible. That's how the car was when I bought it, and I loved it.

Sponsored