Changes coming to Charge Assist / FordPass App

[majorgearhead]

Just encouraging folks to think outside the two big players. Sure, getting that EA discount to buy the price down to $0.48/kWh sounds great, but when there's a ChargePoint or a Ford Charge or a FPL EVolution or a FLO or a [insert network here] and their walk up price is $0.30/kWh (or whatever), some folks would probably take the lower price on non-EA/Tesla networks.

I guess it is all in the reliability. The only network I have found consistently reliable chargers on has been Tesla. I have been driving electric for 7 years in America and have had nothing but trouble with many of the other ones, EA especially, ChargePoint, EvGo etc. many with down dispensers or slower charge speeds. I have had no such problems with Tesla Superchargers. The only drawback there is the inconvenient dispenser cable lengths necessitating parking funny. I have taken many cross country trips in the Lightning and have had nothing but smooth sailing with Tesla. I don’t mind paying a little more to have reliability and it would be great to have the option to tie that in with my BlueOval account.

Now one I am kind of hyped on is Iona and not just from Kyle rep’ing it. It looks great, like a station should. I would love to see them nationwide replacing gas stations. Other stations look sparse in comparison, including Tesla (except the Buck-ee’s ones).

Bottom line: BlueOval is one of the best conglomerations of charging networks I have ever experienced. Much better than ChargeUp and other early attempts to do the same thing. I just want a little more convenience by giving me the option to tie subscriptions into it so I can pay less at the more reliable networks.

Sponsored

 

[Albern]

I don't understand what this change implies.

We should just be able to search or navigate chargers in the navigation screen just like Tesla. This kind of necessary copying shouldn't be difficult.

 

[Caliber357x]

You sound like a very unlucky person.
But I get it; I live in an area that has very spotty cell coverage, and nearly non-existent DCFC infrastructure.

Oh great. I just dropped my phone and broke it, need to charge and now can't because I need my phone to activate the charger.

Oh great I'm in an area where my cell companies signal is void and the lightnings system would work but now I can't activate the charger to release the handle.

 

[I <3 My Lightning]

You sound like a very unlucky person.
But I get it; I live in an area that has very spotty cell coverage, and nearly non-existent DCFC infrastructure.

I was trying to make a point. One, redundancy in ways to activate a charger is not a bad thing.

Two, stuff happens and can put you in an awkward scenario for charging. And yes some of the places I do travel in the lighting are areas where the Verizon cell service doesn't work but the trucks att does. But I always plan ahead so I have a back up, and make sure I am not traveling in a charging dessert; Or I make sure I charge at a midpoint location going to get me all the way home on the return without stopping and/or use that same midpoint to charge also on the return to have enough juice to give me a buffer in case of weather changing efficiency such as winter or abnormally high winds.

I also have a charge point account that I also requested and carry the free RFID card and if need be for a massive trip can tie a credit card to... And speaking of which if you are driving a modern EV, one probably has an RFID bank card or credit card that you can tap on many DC chargers to activate and pay.

I do appreciate the concern but once again just giving possible real world situations...

Here's another one for you, I left my phone at home. LOL

At least we have plug n charge for Tesla and EA. One time my boss forgot her phone and was at an EA station to use the free charging credits for her EV6 and it wouldn't let me activate it from her phone's EA app because it's location was different.

 

[watts/up]

I don't understand what this change implies.

We should just be able to search or navigate chargers in the navigation screen just like Tesla. This kind of necessary copying shouldn't be difficult.

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but, as I understand it, they've removed the ability to activate Blue Oval network chargers via the truck's Public Charging app. Now, it must be done through your mobile device. The enhancing in @TaxmanHog's post should have been in quotes.

Attached is an example (from Ford's site) of what it used to look like.

 

[Albern]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but, as I understand it, they've removed the ability to activate Blue Oval network chargers via the truck's Public Charging app. Now, it must be done through your mobile device. The enhancing in @TaxmanHog's post should have been in quotes.

Attached is an example (from Ford's site) of what it used to look like.

Yeah and I thought that was useful albeit a temporary workaround solution. If I recall correctly, you could even look up Tesla Superchargers via the "Public Charging" app despite not being able to do so via the navigation screen.

My hope is that this is a one step back, two steps forward approach by Ford. We'll see.

 

[NoRegretFORD]

Waste development hours on this, bring back trip planning in app.

 

[Storx]

I’m assuming this is part of their cost cutting efforts. This moves the need for them to pay for the data to the consumer. I’m assuming this is why they won’t improve the built in navigation, because it would increase their bottom line….

 

[Maineiac12]

You guys have a public charging app? ?

 

[MidAtlanticLightningClub]

I don't understand what this change implies.

We should just be able to search or navigate chargers in the navigation screen just like Tesla. This kind of necessary copying shouldn't be difficult.

Yes, we should be able to find Tesla SuperChargers in Ford Connected Navigation. They even told us it is available if we buy a new 2025 truck.

Now they killed the kludge that was the best alternative.

 

[Scorpio3d]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but, as I understand it, they've removed the ability to activate Blue Oval network chargers via the truck's Public Charging app. Now, it must be done through your mobile device. The enhancing in @TaxmanHog's post should have been in quotes.

Attached is an example (from Ford's site) of what it used to look like.

I don’t think you even have to use an app or anything with plug&charge??
I recently drove to Austin for my nephew‘s graduation and pulled into a Buc-ee’s to use the Tesla superchargers (V4)(they also have some Mercedes chargers on the other side of the parking lot, but there are a few cents more per kilowatt). The stall, I pulled into to charge the truck the cable was laying on the ground, but I had already tried to initialize the charge in the Tesla app. By the time I found the cable laying on the ground behind the unit, tried to plug it in to release the magic dock, but it would not release so I grabbed my Tesla adapter and plugged it in and plugged it into my truck and the app eventually showed no vehicle detected or something to that effect, but it was charging so the blue oval network was able to activate the charger automatically even though I had already tried through the app. Truck charged just fine! released my adapter hung up the cable where it should be and was on my way.

 

[watts/up]

I don’t think you even have to use an app or anything with plug&charge??

Absolutely, right. I should have been more specific in my reply. For EA and Tesla, which are both Plug and Charge, you don't need to initialize anything via an app of any sort (if you have this feature enabled).

What I should have asked is why can't all the Blue Oval networks work this way? Other than issues with direct subscriptions it would just be so much easier...

 

[RocketGhost]

Just in case someone hasn't played around to figure out exactly what this change does... When you click Find Chargers it opens the navigation app and goes straight to Where To - Chargers. Essentially the Public Charging app no longer has any purpose, and I suspect Ford kept it with the current info screen so users wouldn't be confused about the app disappearing altogether.

I don't know why Ford got rid of the Public Charging app. But I do think that its functions should have been in the Navigation app in the first place. Why have a separate app when you can find chargers in Nav? Then they gave Public Charging more functionality than locating chargers in Nav, which got them deeper in a hole.

What would be ideal is to integrate the functions into Nav, where you can see live status of chargers, and it will auto route you based on that (e.g. don't send you to one that's full if possible).

Knowing Ford, they are probably going to make Nav do what Public Charging did, but in their wisdom they got rid of PC before Nav was updated.

 

[doggod]

I have a problem with plug and charge in Ford as they charge a 20% fee. you are not able to get the EA membership price if you are a member. I turned it off and my charges are cheaper.

 

[kls629]

the public charging app was good when they updated it from charge assist.

now this makes the navigation app necessary and requires a subscription to keep active past trial. this would make two apps useless after trial periods and non subscribers.

Sponsored