What is the Trick? To leaving the Pro Power ON?

[vvgogh]

ProPower on with truck off isn't an option on my 2023. Even if you have it on your Lightning version, people have stated the caveat of needing a 100W load at least every 6 min, which electric coolers will fail.

Leaving the truck ON for short periods is a workaround (disable the 30 min timer), but it is not energy efficient. I was having trouble with a software update and the truck not charging the 12V high enough. I left it idle while ON for 6h today (HVAC off, pro power off) so the 12V would charge and I lost 1% (which could have been up to 1.49% rounded down or <325W) of the HVB. If your cooler averages 15W, and you're using the DC/AC from the truck and AC/DC for the cooler (85% round-trip?), your efficiency drops to about 4% from the truck's idling systems. But, if it's a rare event using the cooler, this efficiency really doesn't matter. You might want to do a ~48h test to see how long it takes to drop 10% battery to get a better estimate of the power used while the truck is ON and idle.

I have a 250W solar panel perpetually charging an Ecoflow Delta Pro 3.6 kWh battery in the truck bed under a smart cap. The Ecoflow 12V output powers an igloo 80Qt dual zone cooler/freezer. This works more or less in perpetuity without any intervention to keep the cooler and freezer running 24/7 with sunlight. The 3.6 kWh battery is overkill, but it will power the cooler and freezer for days in the garage so I don't have to worry about pulling the vehicle out every day for sunlight charging.

I also keep an oven and hotplate on a shelf in the truck bed. I can heat up hot soup or frozen food anywhere off solar power as well. The Ecoflow also has DC/AC inverters to power cooking appliances.

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[potato]

I agree that PPO while the truck is off is kinda pointless with the power draw floor requirement, but I'm continually perplexed by the advice to just have a semiconstant load.

Just leave the truck on and disable the auto shut off timer? There's no way the truck in the on state with HVAC off is using more power than running a space heater off the cabin outlet. Can you please explain what I'm missing?

They said they are using a very low duty cycle (1 second on, 220 seconds off) using a timer, so the heater uses negligible power on average.

 

[chl]

Not to seem like a Nervous Nelly but I guess space heaters never cause fires, right?

 

[chl]

ProPower on with truck off isn't an option on my 2023.

There is a FORscan tweak one can do to get that with the 2023's.

Enable Pro Power Onboard with truck off (2022-2023 only. Standard on 2024+).
Creates a Sync toggle in the Pro Power settings screen. See this post for operational details. This mod requires a PCM update that came out in early 2025 via FDRS. However, the Charge Port OTAs that came in early 2026 will also work (PT-25.13.12 and PT-25.8.5).
7D0-10-03 xxxx xx2x xx--
7D0-10-04 xxx* xxxx xx-- If 0, change to 8. If 4, change to C. If 6, change to E.
If you enabled the Advanced Charging Screen, you likely have a 6.

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/f150-lightning-forscan-thread-version-2.23634/

 

[htobin]

Leaving the truck running seems the only way to keep power to the outside outlets. If everything else is turned off, there is no significant battery drainage

 

[RipInPepz]

I just leave the truck ON because there's really no difference. I turn off the exterior lighting and only the dash and center screen are lit up.

 

[flyin525]

I would think that depending on the season, leaving it on would cause more drainage if it is heating/cooling the HVB since the truck is on and ready to be driven.

 

[flyin525]

Push the button and turn the HVAC


Almost certainly so they can disengage the HVB contactors if power from the HVB is not required. Having 400v running across energized lines outside the battery casing is just one more potential risk.

I’m not talking g hvac I’m talking about hvb heating/cooling

also the contractors have to be closed to power the inverter to make AC power.

 

[FloridaMan655321]

I’m not talking g hvac I’m talking about hvb heating/cooling

also the contractors have to be closed to power the inverter to make AC power.

You would need to be in a very very cold climate to notice the difference. It doesn't take much to leave the truck turned on, turn headlights off, power off any HVAC. Battery is stupid huge.

 

[vvgogh]

You would need to be in a very very cold climate to notice the difference. It doesn't take much to leave the truck turned on, turn headlights off, power off any HVAC. Battery is stupid huge.

It takes about 300W to leave the truck ON, turning off every accessory. It’s incredibly inefficient to power a 15W electric cooler. If it’s occasional or you simply do not care about the <5% efficiency, then leave the truck ON.

 

[Albern]

@Ford Motor Company Hey Brian, is it feasible to have the minimum greater than 90W power draw to keep PPO "ON" be removed from the software logic? If so, could someone please generate a ticket for a future software update?

The desired outcome is that even if there is no load, PPO will remain in an "ON" or "Ready" state regardless of whether the full vehicle is "ON" or "OFF".

 

[chl]

In my case, if a storm is coming and I want to be ready to switch to PPOB, I'd like to have the bed outlet connected and on at the ready beforehand.

The PPOB in that case won't be using any energy with no load until switched in with my transfer switch, so the 200W threshold would not be present if I had the PPOB when the truck is OFF.

At present I have to either leave the truck ON (and locked) while I wait for the storm to knock out utility power wasting a small amount of energy, or I can be prepared to brave the hostile weather conditions after power goes out to go outside and turn the truck ON.

I think the solution would be a remote start so I could turn the truck ON with the key FOB from indoors. The add-ons seem to be a pretty simple install.

It should work because the 30 min shut off stays unselected and the PPOB stays on based on where they were the last time I turned the truck off, so those would not be an issue with a remote start.

The low threshold requirement would be an issue with the way the PPOB when truck is off is configured on the truck if I tried to use that tweak.

It would be like having to go to your service panel and turn on a breaker anytime you wanted to use an outlet if the threshold weren't met in you house.

I imagine it could be an issue at a job site, where you might need to run your saw but because you tool too long on your lunch break, you have to go out to your Lightning and turn PPOB back on.

Just makes no sense to me, unless holding the contactors to the HVB closed requires 12v battery power? Then I could see you'd run the risk of depleting your 12v battery if PPOB were on for too long with the truck off.

Of course, Ford could alleviate that issue by turning on the DC-DC converter to keep the 12v battery topped off while the HVB contactors are closed, eh?

 

[Jim Lewis]

Maybe Ford's concern with leaving PPOB on with the truck off is some kid fooling around with the outlets in the truck bed and frying themselves on the 240V outlet? So, it just seemed safer from a liability perspective to have PPOB off when the truck is off (and presumably might be unattended).

 

[Albern]

Maybe Ford's concern with leaving PPOB on with the truck off is some kid fooling around with the outlets in the truck bed and frying themselves on the 240V outlet? So, it just seemed safer from a liability perspective to have PPOB off when the truck is off (and presumably might be unattended).

By that logic, household outlets wouldn't be safe and "hot" 24/7/365.

 

[Jim Lewis]

By that logic, household outlets wouldn't be safe and "hot" 24/7/365.

Your household outlets are on your property and presumably always under your control. Your truck is parked here, there, and everywhere. Ford is a bigger target of legal opportunity than Joe Homeowner, at least Joe the Average Homeowner...

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