Factory battery ongoing issues

[LouDog]

Did you ever try and make gains on obtaining an aussie TCU to get your fordpass working?
If you have FDRS and the truck's software is up to date, it should already have the aggressive charging logic updated trucks are seeing.

what target SOC do you recommend with the new aggressive charging logic? Wondering if I should drop mine back down from 90%.

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[HammaMan]

what target SOC do you recommend with the new aggressive charging logic? Wondering if I should drop mine back down from 90%.

I'd monitor it first and see how it behaves. My PB's 12v batteries are unique so I can't play with it to see what it does. Back in the days of alternators just churning out 14.4c continuously, I'd get at least 5 years out of a battery with FLAs. In the EV I didn't change the SOC target and it's going into the mid 90s. It's got similar logic to the PB. Do you have an issue with sync sleeping (or did in winter)?

 

[SilverPigeon]

Did you ever try and make gains on obtaining an aussie TCU to get your fordpass working?
If you have FDRS and the truck's software is up to date, it should already have the aggressive charging logic updated trucks are seeing.

Re the TCU, no, I'm resigned to FDRS because the cost and degree of control is easier to bear ?. I'll be getting a 40A supply as soon as money permits and will start at "FDRS-newbie" level ?

 

[Jersey Jim]

@Jersey Jim, thanks heaps for your research ?. A question please: what Target SOC% would you recommend, in my case on a craptacular factory H6, to stay out of Fast Regen mode? I'm currently set to 90%?

If yours is anything like my 2.7L ICE, yours should be leaving Conventional mode 3% prior to reaching your target SOC. I would bump it up close to 100. I woulda done just what I did now, but my OEM H6 just wouldn't absorb current like this Duralast Platinum does..... Or any battery should.


I started truck this morning at 99% and drove 10 minutes into my 35 minute commute, before hitting 100% again. At 5 minutes into drive, charge current was down to 1 Amp. I wouldn't exactly call that aggressive, but charge current is definitely higher than what it used for be on original battery & charge setup. What ISN'T aggressive (or existent) anymore is the current drain at stop signs or idling. Or need to waste an extra 20 amps of loads just to insure a positive amp or two into battery.

 

[Jersey Jim]

...... To get charge mode to switch at 102%, I entered 69 Hex, for value of 105%. Below is my cheat-sheet spreadsheet........

 

[Gros Ventre]

Oh yes, It's very capable, but it's programmed to lower it's output voltage when in the last charge mode (Fast Regen), and stopped, or idling, or foot off pedal & coasting below 15 mph.

You miss my point... An alternator can maintain voltage at idle while a DC machine cannot. They can program the excitation whereever they want... But that alternator cannot also become a motor as a DC machine is quite capable of doing.

 

[SilverPigeon]

Thanks @Jersey Jim ?

 

[Jersey Jim]

You miss my point... An alternator can maintain voltage at idle while a DC machine cannot. They can program the excitation whereever they want... But that alternator cannot also become a motor as a DC machine is quite capable of doing.

Just a simple alternator here. Well, not so simple., but a 3-phase alternator nontheless. But now without the charging algorithm swinging voltages up and down to tailor engine loading for coasting, climbing, accelerating, idling, and all that BS, it now holds a steady voltage at Any rpm, until 102%, then I don't care.

This morning was cooler on drive to work, in 50s, so it held 14.04V the entire time. Last night was hotter so it held 13.8V. I'm happy with it now. It only took 2-1/2 years! This should certainly help those who drive limited short trips each day, I would think.

Oh, and as far as Ford trying to save gas by messing with alternator loading, This morning I got 25.2 MPG from house to work, 27 miles away. And I was rushing a bit. Usually when I do that I only get 23 or 24. So THAT was strange.

 

[Davexxxx]

If it's a Powerboost, or at least programmed like mine recently has been, posts from a year (or more) ago are no longer valid.
At least my posts regarding monitoring the Low Voltage charging strategy, are no longer representative of the truck today.

The charging "curve" and target SOC are now considerably more aggressive than they were for the first 104 weeks.

So, I'm gathering from several comments, that Ford has changed the charging strategy and it is being OTAed to trucks?

I missed it. Do we know the scope of the changes?

Since I did the BMS reset, I've gotten several OTAs but all have just said they were about communications and "stability" whatever that means.

 

[Snakebitten]

So, I'm gathering from several comments, that Ford has changed the charging strategy and it is being OTAed to trucks?

I missed it. Do we know the scope of the changes?

Since I did the BMS reset, I've gotten several OTAs but all have just said they were about communications and "stability" whatever that means.

Honestly, I don't know which update(s) brought the LV charging strategy changes. I THINK it was with the last group of FDRS updates I did a couple of months ago. But I was distracted at the time with deep-diving into the Mach-E I had just acquired and wasn't paying due attention to the truck. I simply noticed with my Powerboost PID dashboard that the charging amps and DC/DC converter voltage was way different than I had been accustomed to.

I'm delighted, of course.
And like I said earlier, it's about time.
And it's evidence that Ford DOES know what we know. It's just that they are such a huge and irritatingly slow turning ship.

 

[scott011422]

I just came in from lunch and was notified that an update is about to begin. I didn't think to snap a pic of the screen, but it had to do with low voltage and battery management. So here's hoping!

 

[LouDog]

I'd monitor it first and see how it behaves. My PB's 12v batteries are unique so I can't play with it to see what it does. Back in the days of alternators just churning out 14.4c continuously, I'd get at least 5 years out of a battery with FLAs. In the EV I didn't change the SOC target and it's going into the mid 90s. It's got similar logic to the PB. Do you have an issue with sync sleeping (or did in winter)?

I did have a few issues but I got a new battery and upped SOC to 90 and haven’t had issues since.

 

[Jersey Jim]

Now that I switched to a 12-hour dept. at work last year, I get to see two resting-period calibration events each day with the truck's battery. A 10-hour rest period and a 12-hour rest period. Plenty of time for the required 7 approximate hours for resting voltage to stabilize.

Today was the first day that I commuted round trip to work with the alternator held in "conventional mode" for the entire trip. Target SOC set to 105%, triggers Regen modes at 102%. I parked it at work reading 100+%, and came out to the truck to head home 12 hours later, still reading and calibrated to 100%. All but 5 minutes of the 35 minute drive home, the battery current tapered down to charging with a steady 1 amp. (1/2 Ah). Not sure if I'll leave the Target at 105% or drop it down to 104%. Last night set at 103% Target, while at 100% SOC, Conventional (dumb) mode switched back and forth to Fast Regen too frequently.

It's down to just splitting hairs now, as there is plenty of room in the H7 battery to hold an extra 1/2 Ah during 30 minutes of 1 amp charging. I believe there is no chance of overcharging due to this mere trickle charging. I think all that "trickled accumulation beyond 100% SOC goes away soon after I shut off truck and open the doors. (-12 to -15 amp draw for quite a few minutes). 30 minutes driving/charging at that 1 amp rate gets consumed in just 2 minutes after exiting the truck.

 

[HammaMan]

I did have a few issues but I got a new battery and upped SOC to 90 and haven’t had issues since.

With my non-standard batts, my SOC will be in the 80s after a few days sitting (per the truck despite 13.2+ volts), I keep the HVAC on 5 to keep voltage up, after about 5 minutes or so my SOC is 100% and voltage settles from up to 15v down to 14.2 where it then sits after 100% SOC is showing.

With the new updates I'm considering setting SOC setpoint to 100 and seeing how it behaves. I have a feeling it will try and float at just under 13 which will consume my batt. For reference this is a powerboost and does not have an alternator so its behavior isn't comparable to 2.7/3.5/or 5.0 trucks.

Any PBs that have changed their SOC setpoints to 100% (or in the 90s for that matter) -- how's the truck's system voltage at 100% SOC showing while driving? I don't mind always running fan 5, when it's hot it's face vents, else it's a mix of others. Blower noise is moot. I just won't charge my aux batt without high 13s voltage.

 

[Jersey Jim]

Day 2 using alternator in "dumb mode" but it was even cooler this morning (48F). So charging voltage was a little higher than yesterday but again rock steady the entire 35 minutes at 14.25V. Started truck at 99% and after few minutes in, was charging with 1 amp or just under (teetering 1 to 0 amps display, no decimal). SOC increased to 100% a minute before reaching work. Oh, and battery voltage before waking truck was a little lower (prob. due to temp) at 12.94V. ..... And trip MPG was even higher this morning at 26.3

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