What am I doing wrong? (Scheduled Charging Not Working)

[joebruin77]

So either there is a problem with my app, a problem with my MME, or a problem with me. I am guessing it's me. I need your help.

Here is what I am trying to do. My wife's MME is currently at a charge level of 85% and it is around 8:15pm Wednesday night. Tomorrow Thursday morning, she wants to depart at 6:35am with the battery at 95%. So my goal is to plug in the EVSE tonight, but not have it start to charge until a couple hours before she is scheduled to leave. I want to have the MME reach the 95% level of charge right before she leaves.

Using the Ford pass app, I successfully set up a departure time of Thursday at 6:35am. I also set up preferred charging times starting at 4am and ending at 7am. After these settings were made, I then plugged the EVSE into the MME. I was hoping the charging would not start until around 4am. But the MME started charging right away even though it was around 8:20pm the night before and clearly not within my preferred charging window of 4am to 7am.

What am I doing wrong? I appreciate your suggestions and help.
Joe

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[hayzl313]

The car/app/Ford don't think the parameters you set are enough. The 10% charge takes x amount of hours depending on level 1 or 2 charging. This happens to me all the time and the car will tell me there is a conflict. It always gets to the end goal faster than the app thought but it doesn't matter. If you removed the departure time and set the parameters of 4am to 7am it will charge within that time but the departure time overrules the preferred charging time

 

[joebruin77]

The car/app/Ford don't think the parameters you set are enough. The 10% charge takes x amount of hours depending on level 1 or 2 charging. This happens to me all the time and the car will tell me there is a conflict. It always gets to the end goal faster than the app thought but it doesn't matter. If you removed the departure time and set the parameters of 4am to 7am it will charge within that time but the departure time overrules the preferred charging time

Thank you.

I deleted the departure time but left the charging window of 4am to 7am in place. I plugged the EVSE in. There is now a “plugged in, not charging” message on Ford Pass. It also shows a charge completed estimated time of 6:14am. So I think it worked.

Thank you for your help.

 

[AKgrampy]

Thank you.

I deleted the departure time but left the charging window of 4am to 7am in place. I plugged the EVSE in. There is now a “plugged in, not charging” message on Ford Pass. It also shows a charge completed estimated time of 6:14am. So I think it worked.

Thank you for your help.

Just curious - are you charging Lvl 1 or Lvl 2?

 

[joebruin77]

Just curious - are you charging Lvl 1 or Lvl 2?

I am charging level 2 at 32 amps

 

[RickMachE]

The car/app/Ford don't think the parameters you set are enough. The 10% charge takes x amount of hours depending on level 1 or 2 charging. This happens to me all the time and the car will tell me there is a conflict. It always gets to the end goal faster than the app thought but it doesn't matter. If you removed the departure time and set the parameters of 4am to 7am it will charge within that time but the departure time overrules the preferred charging time

Unless it thinks that it can't reach the 95% in 3 hours, in which case it will also start charging early.

 

[RickMachE]

So either there is a problem with my app, a problem with my MME, or a problem with me. I am guessing it's me. I need your help.

Here is what I am trying to do. My wife's MME is currently at a charge level of 85% and it is around 8:15pm Wednesday night. Tomorrow Thursday morning, she wants to depart at 6:35am with the battery at 95%. So my goal is to plug in the EVSE tonight, but not have it start to charge until a couple hours before she is scheduled to leave. I want to have the MME reach the 95% level of charge right before she leaves.

Using the Ford pass app, I successfully set up a departure time of Thursday at 6:35am. I also set up preferred charging times starting at 4am and ending at 7am. After these settings were made, I then plugged the EVSE into the MME. I was hoping the charging would not start until around 4am. But the MME started charging right away even though it was around 8:20pm the night before and clearly not within my preferred charging window of 4am to 7am.

What am I doing wrong? I appreciate your suggestions and help.
Joe

Why aren't you just charging to 100% for this trip?

 

[hayzl313]

Unless it thinks that it can't reach the 95% in 3 hours, in which case it will also start charging early.

Yes... And sometimes I have also had it charge within the set times and then stop at the cutoff with a "waiting to charge" message in the app.... Then it resumes again during the preferred times... I think the car is laughing at the rules we set and just does what it wants ?

 

[SprManKalEl]

It is worth mentioning that departure times are for preconditioning. If you set a departure time for 6:15am, and the temp (cool, medium or warm), the car will precondition the cabin to be at that temp at the set time. This is to alleviate the draw on the battery from conditioning at startup. I use this daily for my commute and can't wait for the winter to see it fully in action.

 

[joebruin77]

Unless it thinks that it can't reach the 95% in 3 hours, in which case it will also start charging early.

That's what I thought at first, but if the car is already at 85% and is plugged into a level 2 EVSE set to charge at 32 amps, wouldn't 2 1/2 hours be more than enough time for the MME to charge an additional 10%? Why would it have to start charging at 8:20pm the night before to go from 85% to 95% by 6:30am?

Why aren't you just charging to 100% for this trip?

With my Tesla, it is recommended not to charge to 100% unless necessary because it reduces overall efficiency. The energy captured through regenerative braking cannot go back into the battery if the battery is already at 100%. I had assumed the same logic applies to the MME. Is this not the case?

Also, last week, my wife drove the same route. She left at 100% and came back home with the battery at 27%. I figured if this time she leaves at 95%, she will come home with the battery at approximately 22%. So leaving at 95% will still give her a decent buffer or cushion but will also be a little bit better for the battery's overall health. At least that was my logic. If I am wrong, please lmk.

Thank you,
Joe

 

[RickMachE]

That's what I thought at first, but if the car is already at 85% and is plugged into a level 2 EVSE set to charge at 32 amps, wouldn't 2 1/2 hours be more than enough time for the MME to charge an additional 10%? Why would it have to start charging at 8:20pm the night before to go from 85% to 95% by 6:30am?



With my Tesla, it is recommended not to charge to 100% unless necessary because it reduces overall efficiency. The energy captured through regenerative braking cannot go back into the battery if the battery is already at 100%. I had assumed the same logic applies to the MME. Is this not the case?

Also, last week, my wife drove the same route. She left at 100% and came back home with the battery at 27%. I figured if this time she leaves at 95%, she will come home with the battery at approximately 22%. So leaving at 95% will still give her a decent buffer or cushion but will also be a little bit better for the battery's overall health. At least that was my logic. If I am wrong, please lmk.

Thank you,
Joe

You aren't an algorithm. As someone stated, the algorithm consistently overprojects the amount of time needed to charge.

Given your scenario, charging to 95% for that trip seems fine. However, you should feel comfortable charging to 100% when necessary. Most do, and don't worry about regen for the first few minutes of the trip, IF it's an issue (which hasn't been shown that I recall). Keep in mind that the battery has upper and lower capacity that is NOT being used.

 

[jj99]

I have been having the same issue with the car charging whenever i plug it in, regardless of my desired charge times. Turns out if you read the description of "Departure Times" in the app, sure as sunshine it says it will optimize to your charge target by your departure time, and hold the desired times as secondary to that. Seems dumb to me, I want my car cooled before I leave to drive 10 miles to get the kids, NOT charged all the time to meet the next departure time.

 

[joebruin77]

I have been having the same issue with the car charging whenever i plug it in, regardless of my desired charge times. Turns out if you read the description of "Departure Times" in the app, sure as sunshine it says it will optimize to your charge target by your departure time, and hold the desired times as secondary to that. Seems dumb to me, I want my car cooled before I leave to drive 10 miles to get the kids, NOT charged all the time to meet the next departure time.

I have found three things that are helpful:

1) I think part of the problem is some sort of miscommunication between the Ford pass app and the car. Anytime I want to adjust my charge schedule, I make the changes in the car and skip using the app to make changes. I only use the app to monitor what the car's status is and whether or not it is charging.

2) For whatever reason, I found that deleting the charge the location and then re-establishing it seemed to help improve my scheduling.

3) While the MME is a well-built car, the technology has quite a few bugs. I think just having an attitude of allowing and acceptance of these bugs helps to reduce the stress. Hopefully over time they will improve.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

1) I think part of the problem is some sort of miscommunication between the Ford pass app and the car. Anytime I want to adjust my charge schedule, I make the changes in the car and skip using the app to make changes. I only use the app to monitor what the car's status is and whether or not it is charging.

This is the most important.

 

[LeanneL]

I have found three things that are helpful:

1) I think part of the problem is some sort of miscommunication between the Ford pass app and the car. Anytime I want to adjust my charge schedule, I make the changes in the car and skip using the app to make changes. I only use the app to monitor what the car's status is and whether or not it is charging.

2) For whatever reason, I found that deleting the charge the location and then re-establishing it seemed to help improve my scheduling.

3) While the MME is a well-built car, the technology has quite a few bugs. I think just having an attitude of allowing and acceptance of these bugs helps to reduce the stress. Hopefully over time they will improve.

I was having the same issue and last night did exactly what you described in 1 and 2 and it charged to 90% during the time I told it to! Finally!

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