Unexpected encounter with Mach E Technician Trainer

[DevSecOps]

Thank you for the tip.

Also, there’s no “AC charging”. They’re both DC charging (at home and at a station). The difference is the amperage. That little brick of a charger we have in our garage likely has a rectifier circuitry in it.

That's incorrect.

The difference between AC charging and DC charging is the location where the AC power gets converted; inside or outside the car. Unlike AC chargers, a DC charger has the converter inside the charger itself. That means it can feed DC power directly to the car's battery and doesn't need the onboard charger to convert it. From home you are feeding AC power into the vehicle which then converts it to DC. This is also why home EVSEs (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) aren't really called chargers. The AC/DC charger is actually in the car.

The button on the charger port does absolutely nothing, zero, zilch, nada to AC (L1 or L2) charging. Try it. Go push it when charging and you'll see nothing happens.

For DCFC, you can safely stop a charge by app, at the cabinet, via the car UI, using the button on the handle or using the charge port button. Yes there was bad software that caused a charge port fault, but that was addressed a long time ago. You don't "need" to use the button. In fact, I think Ford is the only company that has a button at the charge port. Use whatever method you like just be sure to wait for the lock to completely disengage from the vehicle before yanking on it.

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[Anders31]

This is also why home EVSEs (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) aren't really called chargers. The AC/DC charger is actually in the car.

Yep, right, EVSE is just a smart switch, it communicates with the car, then toggle the power relay, nothing MORE

Also the communication protocol is bi-directional and can carry lot of information too

 

[dbsb3233]

The button on the charger port does absolutely nothing, zero, zilch, nada to AC (L1 or L2) charging. Try it. Go push it when charging and you'll see nothing happens.

I'm just going by memory here, but I think the blue lights go off (and the charging stops) when hitting the button while charging on L2.

 

[DevSecOps]

I'm just going by memory here, but I think the blue lights go off (and the charging stops) when hitting the button while charging on L2.

I haven't tried that in over 2 years, so I might be incorrect but I'm fairly certain it doesn't stop the charge. Try it and let me know.

Additionally, the owners manual says to use the button on the charge coupler and says nothing about the charge port button for AC charging disconnect:

 

[hybrid2bev]

I haven't tried that in over 2 years, so I might be incorrect but I'm fairly certain it doesn't stop the charge. Try it and let me know.

Additionally, the owners manual says to use the button on the charge coupler and says nothing about the charge port button for AC charging disconnect:

Pressing the port unlock button does (at least temporarily) stop AC charging and turns the circle segments from blue to white.

This is how I stop the charging when I'm at work. I press the charge port button first then I quickly press the handle latch. (The cord latch handles at work do not have much movement to them, so I don't trust it to stop the charging, thus why I press the port button first. Silly I know, but that's the habit I'm in now. )

 

[DevSecOps]

Pressing the port unlock button does (at least temporarily) stop AC charging and turns the circle segments from blue to white.

This is how I stop the charging when I'm at work. I press the charge port button first then I quickly press the handle latch. (The cord latch handles at work do not have much movement to them, so I don't trust it to stop the charging, thus why I press the port button first. Silly I know, but that's the habit I'm in now. )

I don't think it actually stops the charge though. If you leave the charger it just keeps charging. For example, you start a charge, press the button, leave it and check the charge activity you'll see there's only one charge. You don't have two charge sessions.

So I don't think you're stopping the charge via the button, instead you're stopping it by depressing the evse handle button.

 

[stealthytolkien]

That's incorrect.

The difference between AC charging and DC charging is the location where the AC power gets converted; inside or outside the car. Unlike AC chargers, a DC charger has the converter inside the charger itself. That means it can feed DC power directly to the car's battery and doesn't need the onboard charger to convert it. From home you are feeding AC power into the vehicle which then converts it to DC. This is also why home EVSEs (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) aren't really called chargers. The AC/DC charger is actually in the car.

The button on the charger port does absolutely nothing, zero, zilch, nada to AC (L1 or L2) charging. Try it. Go push it when charging and you'll see nothing happens.

For DCFC, you can safely stop a charge by app, at the cabinet, via the car UI, using the button on the handle or using the charge port button. Yes there was bad software that caused a charge port fault, but that was addressed a long time ago. You don't "need" to use the button. In fact, I think Ford is the only company that has a button at the charge port. Use whatever method you like just be sure to wait for the lock to completely disengage from the vehicle before yanking on it.

With all due respect, I think you’re missing the point while reinforcing my point through your write up.

I am in 100% agreement with everything you said here about the point of rectification. Don’t get me wrong. And then you turned your point toward the unlock button which is not what I was trying to bring into the discussion at all so that’s irrelevant.

I was making a rather simple and much larger meta point that electrical engineers would agree that “ALTERNATING CURRENT DOES NOT CHARGE BATTERIES, ONLY DIRECT”. So, “AC charging” terminology is a bit of a misnomer that’s all

Convert the alternating current wherever you like (inside or outside), like you said. Batteries need direct current juice to charge. That was it.

 

[DevSecOps]

With all due respect, I think you’re missing the point while reinforcing my point through your write up.

I am in 100% agreement with everything you said here about the point of rectification. Don’t get me wrong. And then you turned your point toward the unlock button which is not what I was trying to bring into the discussion at all so that’s irrelevant.

I was making a rather simple and much larger meta point that electrical engineers would agree that “ALTERNATING CURRENT DOES NOT CHARGE BATTERIES, ONLY DIRECT”. So, “AC charging” terminology is a bit of a misnomer that’s all

Convert the alternating current wherever you like (inside or outside), like you said. Batteries need direct current juice to charge. That was it.

I had a feeling that would be your response. Your claim was that the only difference was amperage and that's not true. For example, charging on DCFC at 18kW when over 90% SOC could very well be at 48A 360V. Thus the amperage could be the same as an evse only with a higher voltage. As a whole the industry, owners manuals etc all classify the type of charging AC vs DC as the type of power delivered to the car. They don't classify charging based on what is ultimately delivered to the battery.

 

[stealthytolkien]

I had a feeling that would be your response. Your claim was that the only difference was amperage and that's not true. For example, charging on DCFC at 18kW when over 90% SOC could very well be at 48A 360V. Thus the amperage could be the same as an evse only with a higher voltage. As a whole the industry, owners manuals etc all classify the type of charging AC vs DC as the type of power delivered to the car. They don't classify charging based on what is ultimately delivered to the battery.

Oh fair enough. You did correct my understanding based on the point where the rectification happens. Good to know. Not “just” the amperage.

AC charging however is still just not the best term used for it electrically and I’m prepared to die on that hill lol.

 

[Ev Blau]

I haven't tried that in over 2 years, so I might be incorrect but I'm fairly certain it doesn't stop the charge. Try it and let me know.

Additionally, the owners manual says to use the button on the charge coupler and says nothing about the charge port button for AC charging disconnect:

I’ve never unconnected my Ford charger (guess I’m calling it an EVSE now?) from the wall outlet in our garage. The manual says to do that. Is it only to save electricity costs or are there other reasons to do so? How many MME owners actually do this? TIA.

 

[DevSecOps]

I’ve never unconnected my Ford charger (guess I’m calling it an EVSE now?) from the wall outlet in our garage. The manual says to do that. Is it only to save electricity costs or are there other reasons to do so? How many MME owners actually do this? TIA.

I actually wouldn't recommend it at all. I think the reason they are saying to do this is in the case that you want to move it to somewhere else. The mobile charger for example wasn't really meant to be a full time EVSE, it was more meant to be something you use moving from location to location or while on vacation etc.

The reason you don't want to constantly plug in and remove an EVSE, that is not hard wired of course, is because it will wear on the contacts in the 14-50 outlet. Those contacts eventually become loose and then the contact between the male and female part of the plug isn't as good. This can cause arcing and possibly a fire. So it's always best to leave a plug type EVSE plugged in as much as possible.

The Owners Manual isn't always the place to go for sound advice, regardless of what Rick says.

 

[Ev Blau]

I actually wouldn't recommend it at all. I think the reason they are saying to do this is in the case that you want to move it to somewhere else. The mobile charger for example wasn't really meant to be a full time EVSE, it was more meant to be something you use moving from location to location or while on vacation etc.

The reason you don't want to constantly plug in and remove an EVSE, that is not hard wired of course, is because it will wear on the contacts in the 14-50 outlet. Those contacts eventually become loose and then the contact between the male and female part of the plug isn't as good. This can cause arcing and possibly a fire. So it's always best to leave a plug type EVSE plugged in as much as possible.

The Owners Manual isn't always the place to go for sound advice, regardless of what Rick says.

 

[Ev Blau]

Thanks for your explanation. Makes sense. Since we don’t road trip much, only use the MME to drive around town or on recreational drives under 75 miles, we don’t charge every night. Try to charge to keep the SOC within 60-85%. So we never bought a Level2 charger although our garage has 2 dedicated outlets: a regular 120kwH and a 240kwH (which sits empty for the time being). One of these days we will probably get tired of waiting “forever” to charge the car, but we’re retired and not in so much of a rush anymore! LOL!

 

[Tyldum]

Yeah, I used to press the button at home until I figured out that it does nothing when AC charging. Since then, I just use the disconnect button on the J1772 handle. I don’t DCFC much but I have always used the button next to the charge port to initiate a charge session disconnect.

On EU models you actually have to press the button no matter what kind of charging you do...

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