Ford Charge Station Pro Data for Home Automation?

[ziptbm]

Anyone with a Ford Charge Station Pro (FCSP) figure out a way to get data from the device outside of the FordPass app?

I replaced my Tesla Wall Connector with the FSCP that came with my Lightning. I use Home Assistant and track my electricity consumption since I have solar, but I haven't yet found a way to extract the real-time data from the FSCP.

At the very least, I'd like to be be able to input the current usage. And ideally, I'd like the ability to control it on/off so the home automation can start/stop the vehicle charging under certain conditions.

Anyone come across any options or ways to access the data outside of the mobile app?

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[viennaxmas]

It depends what home automation you have. Home Assistant has a HACS Ford Pass integration. There is also a great thread on the Mach E forum for Home Assistant.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/home-assistant-automations-show-them-off.19273/

The HACS integration seems to be a bit of a "work in progress". I see you have posted in the HA forum as well (https://community.home-assistant.io/t/fordpass-integration/136778/69). I hope with more people getting charge stations, someone will build a better integration.

While still a few month away, I have been looking into options with Home Assistant integration. I will most likely not buy a Ford charge station at this point. Due to a lot of factors, I want to be able to do a lot of load management and I am not convinced that the Ford chargers can be reliably automated. At this point, I am contemplating a Wallbox Pulsar Pro charger (48A). I have ordered a standard battery and the Wallbox allows charging at the maximum amount the truck can handle. No need for an 80 Amp charger if the truck can only take 48. I also do not commute, so I don't have the need to charge in a matter of hours.

1. FordPass HACS integration
2. Wallbox integration
3. Greeneye Energy Monitor (Brultech, already in place)

Planned automations:
dynamically adjust the charge current depending on the load profile of the house. I have a few years of data so I can already predict good times.

Automatically reduce charge current during times when the pool pump, dryer or the range is running.

Control the charge current depending on battery state.

Reduce charge current during high energy demand times (summer heat or winter cold).

Reduce charge current if one of the sensors stops reporting.

Potentially adding a possibility to utilize solar/lower rates in the future.

 

[ziptbm]

It depends what home automation you have. Home Assistant has a HACS Ford Pass integration. There is also a great thread on the Mach E forum for Home Assistant.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/home-assistant-automations-show-them-off.19273/

The HACS integration seems to be a bit of a "work in progress". I see you have posted in the HA forum as well (https://community.home-assistant.io/t/fordpass-integration/136778/69). I hope with more people getting charge stations, someone will build a better integration.

While still a few month away, I have been looking into options with Home Assistant integration. I will most likely not buy a Ford charge station at this point. Due to a lot of factors, I want to be able to do a lot of load management and I am not convinced that the Ford chargers can be reliably automated. At this point, I am contemplating a Wallbox Pulsar Pro charger (48A). I have ordered a standard battery and the Wallbox allows charging at the maximum amount the truck can handle. No need for an 80 Amp charger if the truck can only take 48. I also do not commute, so I don't have the need to charge in a matter of hours.

1. FordPass HACS integration
2. Wallbox integration
3. Greeneye Energy Monitor (Brultech, already in place)

Planned automations:
dynamically adjust the charge current depending on the load profile of the house. I have a few years of data so I can already predict good times.

Automatically reduce charge current during times when the pool pump, dryer or the range is running.

Control the charge current depending on battery state.

Reduce charge current during high energy demand times (summer heat or winter cold).

Reduce charge current if one of the sensors stops reporting.

Potentially adding a possibility to utilize solar/lower rates in the future.

Yes, I use Home Assistant and have the FordPass Integration set up. It works, but I wish it did more like had the ability to control whether the car is charging or not. This is why I put a Z-Wave switch on my older 30Amp EVSE, so I can automate and override charging on my Mach-E. This was especially important when the vehicle would decide to charge during peak rate times, despite the charge setting configuration in FordPass.

My F150 came with the FCSP and my energy provider offers a rebate for new vehicle EVSE installs, so I decided to install the "free" charger and get the incentive. It's on a 60Amp line, but I'm considering a future upgrade to get the full 80Amps and maybe even the home backup system (unlikely).

Within minutes of installing my FCSP, I'm already wishing I had just kept my Tesla Wall Connector (TSC). The TSC provides me real-time charging data in Home Assistant, but no ability to start/stop the EVSE. This was OK when I had a Tesla since the HACS custom integration gave start/stop charging control at the car level. Before the TSC, I had a JuiceBox, which provided both real-time data and start/stop control. While the Juicebox uses a cloud-based connection to Home Assistant, I'd still recommend it to anyone looking for a solid EVSE that works with Home Assistant.

To your point about automation, the ability to track consumption, costs, and control are key for automation scenarios. Another use case is for monitoring - I have a dashboard set up on a screen in my house that shows real-time solar production, energy usage, powerwall status, and the charging rates for each EV. So, unfortunately, the F150 will not be fully included for the time being....hopefully something comes up to extract the data from the FSCP soon.

 

[ziptbm]

As a follow up to this, I ended up getting an Emporia Vue 2 and flashing it to provide local data via ESPHOME. This allows me to access the charging data in Home Assistant.

My FCSP is on a 100A dual pole connection, so I've got one of the 50A clamps on the line in my panel. Per Emporia support, the 50A CTs are actually capable of 75A, so tell me that putting one on and using a multiplier of 2 should be pretty accurate since the EVSE is outputting 80A max.

I'm still testing this to verify the data it generates, but my initial observations were that it's close. Unfortunately, FordPass and the Connected Charge Station provide delay and inaccurate data, so I'm having to use other indicators like quick subtraction from the readings on my Tesla Gateway for the whole home usage when charging and not.

 

[Pioneer74]

As a follow up to this, I ended up getting an Emporia Vue 2 and flashing it to provide local data via ESPHOME. This allows me to access the charging data in Home Assistant.

My FCSP is on a 100A dual pole connection, so I've got one of the 50A clamps on the line in my panel. Per Emporia support, the 50A CTs are actually capable of 75A, so tell me that putting one on and using a multiplier of 2 should be pretty accurate since the EVSE is outputting 80A max.

I'm still testing this to verify the data it generates, but my initial observations were that it's close. Unfortunately, FordPass and the Connected Charge Station provide delay and inaccurate data, so I'm having to use other indicators like quick subtraction from the readings on my Tesla Gateway for the whole home usage when charging and not.

I tried the 50A CT's on my FCSP. The numbers I got from it became unreliable at about 62 amps. I went a step further and bought another main feed unit for my FCSP. A lot more accurate.

 

[ziptbm]

I tried the 50A CT's on my FCSP. The numbers I got from it became unreliable at about 62 amps. I went a step further and bought another main feed unit for my FCSP. A lot more accurate.

That would make sense as I recall seeing 15-16kW as the max reported in that charge window, but I was still configuring the devices, so I figured I'd keep testing.

So you're using Emporia as well? And by a "another main feed unit" does that mean you're using a 200A CT on the line? If so, using only 1 or two CTs for it?

I'm super interested to know what worked for you to get reliable data, so any other details would be appreciated.

 

[Pioneer74]

That would make sense as I recall seeing 15-16kW as the max reported in that charge window, but I was still configuring the devices, so I figured I'd keep testing.

So you're using Emporia as well? And by a "another main feed unit" does that mean you're using a 200A CT on the line? If so, using only 1 or two CTs for it?

I'm super interested to know what worked for you to get reliable data, so any other details would be appreciated.

I'm using both CT's. You can see the 200A CT's in the bottom right of my main panel. I put the sending unit in my subpanel because of space.

 

[ziptbm]

I'm using both CT's. You can see the 200A CT's in the bottom right of my main panel. I put the sending unit in my subpanel because of space.

Thanks! This is super helpful and you have convinced me to get 200A CTs for this circuit.

I was considering a 2nd Emporia because I've got a panel with 40 switches (and a subpanel with 8), but I now don't know how that'd be possible to install considering how hard it was to fit the first unit in my panel due to the existing wiring. At this point, I either need to find an electrician help me clean up the panel wiring to make space (I *think* I could do it myself, but my wife prefers I hire a professional for this) OR just get some 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapters and an extra set of 200A CTs from Emporia. The second option will sacrifice a sensor port, but I'm finding that some of the sensors I have up now are redundant with the smart switch reporting I already have. With that said, I'm on day 1 of having Emporia installed, so still have some fine tuning to do.

@Pioneer74 - I was going to DM you this directly, but the system wouldn't let me for some reason. It looks like you're also in SE Michigan, so I'm curious if you have an electrician recommendation for someone that can help me get my panels as clean and organized as yours. As I described above, I had trouble fitting one unit into my panel due to an overabundance of neutral cables that are in wirenuts for some reason, and I also noticed the neutral bar has several double upped and some blank slots. So, I'm thinking just some reorganizing of the cables into something more manageable should do. I'm the second owner of this home, so there have been countless hands in this panel over the years. With that said, please DM me or share here if you have any recommendations.

 

[ziptbm]

Thanks! This is super helpful and you have convinced me to get 200A CTs for this circuit.

I was considering a 2nd Emporia because I've got a panel with 40 switches (and a subpanel with 8), but I now don't know how that'd be possible to install considering how hard it was to fit the first unit in my panel due to the existing wiring. At this point, I either need to find an electrician help me clean up the panel wiring to make space (I *think* I could do it myself, but my wife prefers I hire a professional for this) OR just get some 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapters and an extra set of 200A CTs from Emporia. The second option will sacrifice a sensor port, but I'm finding that some of the sensors I have up now are redundant with the smart switch reporting I already have. With that said, I'm on day 1 of having Emporia installed, so still have some fine tuning to do.

@Pioneer74 - I was going to DM you this directly, but the system wouldn't let me for some reason. It looks like you're also in SE Michigan, so I'm curious if you have an electrician recommendation for someone that can help me get my panels as clean and organized as yours. As I described above, I had trouble fitting one unit into my panel due to an overabundance of neutral cables that are in wirenuts for some reason, and I also noticed the neutral bar has several double upped and some blank slots. So, I'm thinking just some reorganizing of the cables into something more manageable should do. I'm the second owner of this home, so there have been countless hands in this panel over the years. With that said, please DM me or share here if you have any recommendations.

I just got my 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapters in the mail, so I tested with a single 200A CT due to my space constraints to see if it would give a full reading. After getting the orientation right, I am getting readings, but I didn't see anything higher than 16.5kW. I then just read this in the Emporia Vue FAQ that the side ports also have a 75A limitation....

For using the 3.5mm ports on the top of your second unit, how did you configure them to read correctly in your system? I'm assuming you're using the Emporia Vue Local ESPHome build for Home Assistant? @Pioneer74

I'm wondering if I could use the 200A CTs on my mains for this circuit instead since I have a Tesla Gateway providing me whole home power consumption readings anyway and the numbers between the two sources don't always match anyway...

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