Used PowerBoost's Pro Power during Hurricane Ian blackout

[FrankThompson]

Ice just kicked on at around 40.9%. took longer than 5 seconds to go from 1000 rpm to 1.2k and then a few more seconds to get to 1.3k


And the truck just turned off!



Whew!!! Omg! Thanks so much all!
My take away is if you turn off the truck while on generator mode, let it sit for a few minutes before turning it back on.

I'm now off to clean up debris around the yard and see if the neighbors need help this was also the week our daughter moved back home and her lease is up today so we're trying to get her place cleaned out and her stuff here.....

What a fun week!

@Snakebitten from one pawpaw to another, thanks a bunch. I owe you a beer, dinner or something.

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[Snakebitten]

@Snakebitten from one pawpaw to another, thanks a bunch. I owe you a beer, dinner or something.

You owe me nothing!

You gave ME a couple of good grins and even a chuckle or 2 this morning.

Or put another way, you made my day good man. Enjoy yours!

 

[DBL R]

So I woke up to the truck running which at first I didn't think was that weird but then opened the door and noticed that I was down to three quarters of a tank. Can anyone think of why the truck decided to start running non stop all night? I didn't really change my load. It did get into the mid-60s but I wouldn't think that that would cause it to start running continuously.

@Snakebitten. I know you use the generator a lot. Any thoughts?

I’ve had similar issues. Truck continued to run even without major electric draw. The system says it was charging the battery, but ran for 5-10 minutes. When this happens (only been a couple times and I use the generator function a lot) I just turn it off, wait 10 or so seconds and turn it back on. Restarts generator mode with the engine off and goes back to normal cycles. Clearly some gremlins here.

 

[Snakebitten]

I’ve had similar issues. Truck continued to run even without major electric draw. The system says it was charging the battery, but ran for 5-10 minutes. When this happens (only been a couple times and I use the generator function a lot) I just turn it off, wait 10 or so seconds and turn it back on. Restarts generator mode with the engine off and goes back to normal cycles. Clearly some gremlins here.

That's great information, confirmation, and interesting. It certainly implies it's a potential bug in the battery management system/code, which is no doubt very sophisticated in the Powerboost.

I suspect that there's some unique circumstance of some kind that can "hang" the truck in charge mode?

 

[Atlee]

Thought it was an option on the 2021s

Nope. Only Power Boost has the option of 7.5 Kw. Power Boost has 2.4 Kw as standard.

All trucks with 2.7, 3.5 EB, and 5.0 could get, as an option a 2.0 KW "generator". The 2.0 isn't very good since the engine has to run all the time the 2.0 is on.

 

[HammaMan]

Ice just kicked on at around 40.9%. took longer than 5 seconds to go from 1000 rpm to 1.2k and then a few more seconds to get to 1.3k

If you notice the truck lock into 1k RPM it's in 'running generator' mode. If your RPMs are not at 1k (not counting initial warmup, etc) it's gone dumb and needs reset. Report these issues to Ford so that we can make sure they're focusing on such issues. Also make sure your anonymous data reporting is on so they can scrape the info.

Are you using "eco idle" option in sync 4? This allows the faster HVB charging.

 

[FrankThompson]

If you notice the truck lock into 1k RPM it's in 'running generator' mode. If your RPMs are not at 1k (not counting initial warmup, etc) it's gone dumb and needs reset. Report these issues to Ford so that we can make sure they're focusing on such issues. Also make sure your anonymous data reporting is on so they can scrape the info.

Are you using "eco idle" option in sync 4? This allows the faster HVB charging.

Yes I'm using eco idle so that it will go up to 1300 rpm to charge more efficiently.

 

[Snakebitten]

Yes I'm using eco idle so that it will go up to 1300 rpm to charge more efficiently.

So do I.
But admittedly the ICE waits a few seconds, when it lights up, and idles below (900-1000) ECO Idle.

I have monitored the SOC value during these few seconds and it barely registers any charging taking place during. So I'm not sure what the pcm strategy is for the delay? Perhaps there's a few "conditions" that have to be met or measured before ECO Idle rpms can be triggered?

Once the rpms are raised, you can even hear the associated LOAD against the ICE and immediately the SOC value increases. If your pid includes 2 decimal points, you get to witness a rapid increase of 100ths.

 

[DBL R]

So do I.
But admittedly the ICE waits a few seconds, when it lights up, and idles below (900-1000) ECO Idle.

I have monitored the SOC value during these few seconds and it barely registers any charging taking place during. So I'm not sure what the pcm strategy is for the delay? Perhaps there's a few "conditions" that have to be met or measured before ECO Idle rpms can be triggered?

Once the rpms are raised, you can even hear the associated LOAD against the ICE and immediately the SOC value increases. If your pid includes 2 decimal points, you get to witness a rapid increase of 100ths.

i don’t have any data, but I assume the lower idle is to allow some time to pull oil up from the pan, lubricate, then kick into high idle and begin load.

 

[FrankThompson]

@Snakebitten (or anyone else), have you found a pod for the generator outputs? I know there are the meters in sync4, but was hoping to put them on a dashboard.

 

[Snakebitten]

@Snakebitten (or anyone else), have you found a pod for the generator outputs? I know there are the meters in sync4, but was hoping to put them on a dashboard.

Actually I hadn't even thought of it.
But I have looked at a ton of what's offered in that battery management module and I didn't see anything obvious that matched up with the generator draw. But I also wasn't looking for it!

I'll go put a drain on 1 bank, and then look for a pair of pids that hint that they might reflect the draw. Then load them both and see if it's legitimate.

So....... You got me thinking I should grab a cheap android tablet and mount it next to the RV control panel and use it to monitor.... Well, you get the idea.

 

[astrand1]

You'll find the truck to be extremely efficient, especially with light loading and 'hybrid' mode active.

By my calculations, you'll get 7kWh per gallon out of it. Keeping the load at 1.5kW or below and hybrid mode should be active. Above that mark and you may see reduced efficiency unless it's 4kWh or above. It's on-par with, if not slightly ahead of the best inverter generators on the market, especially with low-loads where it can use hybrid mode. It can't be touched then.


You can calculate how far it will go by examining your loads and just running the numbers. You may be able to see what your average usage was in the last 2 or 3 days from your PoCo and simply use your daily average if you want to go whole-home.

Inverter generators are of a similar efficiency, but the issue is if you're not using the power at least 25% you're just turning fuel into heat. W/ low draw and hybrid mode active, it's untouchable. Just make sure everything is off in the truck. If you have unlimited wifi, you can use it if your phone doesn't. I haggled ATT to $15/mo unlimited, no throttling, no limits.

Agreed on all the above. This truck really is amazing in so many ways. I’ve powered the whole house once already. Get around 26.5 mpg driving. Love all the tech it has. I might add the hotspot if I can get it around that price. Did att give you a promo discount or something?

 

[HammaMan]

I might add the hotspot if I can get it around that price. Did att give you a promo discount or something?

No, I just haggled with them on the price. Truck is on its own standalone account. $15/mo unlimited, no throttling / caps / etc...
No contract either.

When I got the truck, the service was already in its trial. I went to their site https://myvehicle.att.com/#/ford/learn?language=en&country=US and basically just setup my info. I didn't sign up for anything, just basically setup my profile with them. From there, it was about 2 months in they called and I was basically telling them not interested and they offered me to 'try' 1 month unlimited for just $15. Once that was up I called them and questioned them why it didn't renew, I was happy with that price, and then like magic, it was auto renew $15/mo fully unlimited.

 

[HammaMan]

@Snakebitten (or anyone else), have you found a pod for the generator outputs? I know there are the meters in sync4, but was hoping to put them on a dashboard.

You can view them in your ford app on your phone. Outside of that you may be able to make something using a DROK meter, though they typically only monitor 1 leg. Since the truck is split phase it'd need 2 meters, even then it's not something you're really want to incorporate into the truck itself as it does require line voltage to be present. Most of the time they're in a dedicated box (2 can be put into a 4" box) that's typically in-line with the cord.
https://www.amazon.com/Current-Amperage-Voltmeter-Multimeter-Transformer/dp/B07JB9B2QL

 

[astrand1]

Copy that. I’m in the free trial as well. Att is our provider anyway but I’ll just let it expire and wait for a call. Lol

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