Powerboost Propower and locking/double-honking/starting/parking/camping

[John_C]

Ah! Thanks for digging into the gritty details, I have not messed with Forscan at all, I'm afraid I'd go down the rabbit hole and want to reverse engineer everything.

So that must explain why even at light light loads, it can still do a few engine starts within short times of each other. i.e. it doesn't automatically charge until full, which is surprising!

I turn on Eco Idle so that the battery charges faster. But I guess it still decides "eh, I've had enough for now" and stops charging.

What I wouldn't give to be able to see HEVBAT_PWR_REMAIN in the dash and on Fordpass, it would help let us know how long we have before the engine kicks on, and can manage quiet hours better. Like I may want to sit in the driver seat and put it in tow/haul or sport and have it charge to 100% just before generator hours end and quiet hours begin.

That's where it gets even more interesting. Even when the battery was at nearly 50%, it wouldn't charge while I let it idle in tow haul mode, or even when I held the gas to maintain 1,500 rpms. The truck decides whether it charges or not whether the battery is low or not. Very intriguing.

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[daemonic3]

That's where it gets even more interesting. Even when the battery was at nearly 50%, it wouldn't charge while I let it idle in tow haul mode, or even when I held the gas to maintain 1,500 rpms. The truck decides whether it charges or not whether the battery is low or not. Very intriguing.

What??? Why would it stop charging? Man, we have a lot to learn about these things. Perhaps that is just how it operates in generator mode, only 50% capacity. Whereas the higher charge capacities are used for driving?

I'm guessing you cannot use forscan while driving, and not requesting that. But I'd love to know what ford's reasoning is here.

 

[wayfarer556]

That's how my Hybrid RAV4 behaved while it idled. It would get to about 40% charge before ICE kicked in, battery would charge a bit more than halfway, then it would go back to battery only.

I can't say why it's done that way, but it's not just Ford. If I were to speculate, it likely has to do with battery longevity and health. Keeping batteries healthy and long lived requires a complex balance of circumstances, some of which includes temperature and charge rates. I suspect that the engineers have vehicle behavior dialed in quite tightly to ensure that the batteries discharge what they are supposed to, when they are supposed to, for how long they are supposed to, within the boundaries of our stated warranty.

Here's some reading that can shed light on how complex of a topic this is:
https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/bu_1003a_battery_aging_in_an_electric_vehicle_ev

 

[ClayBell]

So, great info peeps, what I wish for is a “Camping” mode/profile. Generator on, headlights off, internal screens off, double honk off, AC/radio/etc off, and maybe an option for red LED’s vs the white zone. Also fire the idiot who put the antennas on the rear of the cab (Does anyone have a way to fix these being covered by your camper)? It would also be nice to be able to turn on the running lights for the trailer w/o turning on the trucks running lights as most of the trailer cameras are wired to the running lights.

 

[ClayBell]

And also; be aware there seems to be a bug. If you have an alert that is popping up like “low washer fluid”, your engine will turn on and stay on, regardless of charge state or how little power is being used.

 

[snyce1]

I have not been able to test out my propower with my trailer yet, but I know that some may have done some boondocking and others have powered their house with it. So I have some questions! I'd love to arm myself with some knowledge before I'm actually using it so I know what to expect.

I hope to do some dry camping soon and would like to leave it on overnight. But it will not be completely isolated, there may be neighbors (not sure yet). The other use I may try is at my daughter's multi day volleyball tourney in April. Parents aren't allowed inside to watch this year, but the game will be on a zoom meeting. I'd like to set up a TV on my tailgate and screen mirror the zoom on it so multiple parents can set up chairs and we can watch.

So here are my questions:

• Since propower requires a full foot-on-brake start, not just an accessory start, what happens with the double honk? Will I automatically get the double honk or is it smart enough to know that hey maybe I left it "running" intentionally?
• If I walk out of range with the fob (like say maybe inside the facility to use a restroom) will the truck freak and shut down?
• Do I need to leave the fob inside the truck and lock using the 7/8 and 9/0 keys on the keypad instead?
• Do parking/fog/daylights automatically run if you have propower running? Or do they temporarily turn on when the engine kicks on to charge the hybrid battery? I wouldn't want to light up the campground when it is pitch black in nature.
• Does everyone's have that loud fan noise even when only battery is keeping it powered? It doesn't bother ME personally but if at a completely silent campground it might really stand out. No idea what the "normal" sound level is on these trucks, I have only heard mine.

Thanks in advance!

• Since propower requires a full foot-on-brake start, not just an accessory start, what happens with the double honk? Will I automatically get the double honk or is it smart enough to know that hey maybe I left it "running" intentionally?

IT is quiet when in gen mode . Engine comes on periodically to charge battery . No chirping.

• If I walk out of range with the fob (like say maybe inside the facility to use a restroom) will the truck freak and shut down?
• NOPE
• Do I need to leave the fob inside the truck and lock using the 7/8 and 9/0 keys on the keypad instead? NOPE
• Do parking/fog/daylights automatically run if you have propower running? Or do they temporarily turn on when the engine kicks on to charge the hybrid battery? I wouldn't want to light up the campground when it is pitch black in nature.
• LIGHTS CAN BE DESELECTED .
• Does everyone's have that loud fan noise even when only battery is keeping it powered? It doesn't bother ME personally but if at a completely silent campground it might really stand out. No idea what the "normal" sound level is on these trucks, I have only heard.
• HAVE NOT NOTICED MORE THAN IDLE NOISE OF ENGINE WHEN CHARGING BATTERY . THOSE DECIBEL LEVELS CAN BE LOOKED UP .

 

[Atlee]

So, great info peeps, what I wish for is a “Camping” mode/profile. Generator on, headlights off, internal screens off, double honk off, AC/radio/etc off, and maybe an option for red LED’s vs the white zone. Also fire the idiot who put the antennas on the rear of the cab (Does anyone have a way to fix these being covered by your camper)? It would also be nice to be able to turn on the running lights for the trailer w/o turning on the trucks running lights as most of the trailer cameras are wired to the running lights.

Concur on the "Camping mode" setting. Hopefully for future buyers, Ford will make this setting available. And if it can be done with software only, Ford can made that solutions available for current owners.

 

[imnuts]

They basically need something that is a low power mode for generator use only. Turn off all lights/displays/etc and only run the stuff needed to operate the generator. It could be useful for more than just camping, like tailgating, job sites, house backup power, etc. Anywhere you may be running the generator for an extended time.

 

[rack04]

You can do this to avoid the double honk, but you don't need to. I enabled "police idle" in my truck using ForScan (without the fob present in the truck, you can't shift it from park), so I just lock it with the key on me using the button on the door handle. Works great.

What is the "police idle" changes? I've done the double honk but it would be nice to lock down the shifter without keys present. I had this on my 2019 but haven't found the option on 2021. Thanks.

 

[ClayBell]

That's where it gets even more interesting. Even when the battery was at nearly 50%, it wouldn't charge while I let it idle in tow haul mode, or even when I held the gas to maintain 1,500 rpms. The truck decides whether it charges or not whether the battery is low or not. Very intriguing.

So just a guess, but I think there are multiple factors on how much it charges; like the battery temp and if it’s in park (driving around it should charge less as it needs headroom to store breaking energy)

 

[don.mullins]

• Since propower requires a full foot-on-brake start, not just an accessory start, what happens with the double honk? Will I automatically get the double honk or is it smart enough to know that hey maybe I left it "running" intentionally?

Yes, the truck is started with a full start, or was still running from arriving.

My thought is to just disable double honk and turn off instrument panel when the truck is exited while running and “Generator Mode” has been selected.

 

[Atlee]

Yes, the truck is started with a full start, or was still running from arriving.

My thought is to just disable double honk and turn off instrument panel when the truck is exited while running and “Generator Mode” has been selected.

Sounds like a great solution. With all the other computer driven stuff on the trucks now, can't be hard to write a few more lines to achieve what you suggested.

 

[don.mullins]

Sounds like a great solution. With all the other computer driven stuff on the trucks now, can't be hard to write a few more lines to achieve what you suggested.

I am a software architect by trade - EVERYTHING is just a small matter of software!

 

[Buckfifty]

We use Propower at sites frequently and generally will lock the key fob in the center console, then place the silver key under the shifter and fold it down. Turn off headlights, turn off screen, lock using 9-0. Haven't figured out dimming / turning off the Guage cluster

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