Charging the F-150 Lightning on a Ford Mobile Connector

Everything you need to know about the Ford Mobile Connector and how to charge the Lightning. Have a Look!
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[@bellator8226]

Good lord, the pod people have come for my father! Haha, he taught me as a child in the exact same tone and repetition of keywords to promote understanding. Good video.

[@heart4Pahoa]

I was thinking that this was Mr. Cripen my high school freshman chemistry teacher. 😂 The difference is that I was interested and stayed awake for this lecture.

[@jonrico7937]

Hello Professor Dave, another outstanding tutorial!!

[@ryguy8643]

Watch at 1.25 speed, you can even try 1.5 speed, edit: 1.5 speed works best

[@ares4257]

Great information for us to know. Thanks for the good ideas

[@jimbroome4906]

Excellent education for those like me who are senior citizens diving into EVs for the first time! Thank you Dave! Sub/Like

[@donaldcontardi8099]

excellent presentation, learned a lot thank you

[@evdave528]

Glad it was helpful!

[@2THXTRM]

Good video. Shocked that an extension cord of any gauge can be used. Especially when you’re showing 117v at the end of it.

[@pstoneking3418]

Very nice videos on charging. I believe the only thing you might have missed was the power loss that takes place at the on-board charger in the lightning. You kind of showed the power loss using a dropcord by the voltage drop from 120 volts at the receptical to the 117 volts at the end of the dropcord. But there's also a significant power loss that occurs at the charger converting A.C. to D.C. So let's say you have the full 120 volts available at your calculated 12 amps of current which equals 1440 watts of power going to the on-board charger. The actual wattage reaching the battery may be as low as 1200 watts that's just 1.2 kwh or 1.2 kw per hour charge. The same occurs when you use the 240 dongle on the mobile charger. Maybe 6 kwh actually making it to the battery. So using the example that your battery is at 80% when you plug in. A 131 kwh battery at 80% needs 20% of 131 to bring it to 100%. Which would be 26.2 kwh. For rounded figures and being conservative it would take the 120 volt circuit 26 hours and the 240 volt circuit 4.5 hours to bring the lightning to 100% charge.

[@Magicinstalls]

Thank you for verifying what everybody already knew. The level 120 V connector is useless.

[@markpuccio6270]

Great information on the hardware/cables and what to watch out for. Can you tell me how many miles per hour of charge that the battery will receive on the 2 options you have here. How many miles/hour on 240V/30 amp service and how many miles/hour on 120V?

[@evdave528]

@@markpuccio6270 I assume you asking about the Lightning? It has a giant battery like my Cybertruck. Physics dictate on a bigger the battery you need more charge current to charge faster. Just like in your cellphone, if you charge it at 5watts vs 20 watt charger. If your use case requires faster charging because you’re using the vehicle allot, install a high power level 2 (240 v. at 48 amps) If on holiday and charging at a friends house use 120 volts. My lightning charged at something 18 miles an hour at 240v. Remember when I had the Lightning it had no control over its charge current on level 2. My Tesla V2 wall Connector would supply 80 amps and the Lightning would take it assuming the J1776 adaptor can take it and not catch fire. Today ford may have supplied software with charge current control. My Lightning is being used by my daughter now

[@pstoneking3418]

Here's another tip when using a 120 volt receptical. Using no dropcord and plugging in at the receptical you will lower your current draw on the recepticals circuit breaker. The wattage that is drawn is constant so the greater the voltage drop at the point you plug in the greater the current draw will be. Although expensive, if you must use a dropcord use one that has 12 Guage wire or larger and as short as possible. Where you might trip a breaker using a 14 Guage dropcord. It's possible that same breaker won't trip using a 12 Guage dropcord.

[@Rock_Nemo]

Hey Dave let me ask, when using that adapter going from the 30 amp dryer circuit to the 14-50 receptacle what current will the charger pull, wont it pull more current than the what the circuit is capable of.

[@evdave528]

@@Rock_Nemo I’ve always use 80% of the breaker amperage. If your circuit was installed by a licensed electrician the wire gage should have been designed with the appropriate breaker. I think, you should check the dryer specs but I assume it’s 80% of the breaker (30A??) Nema 14-50 sockets are rated for 40 amps BTW If it was me, I’d run 24 amps (80%) even though the socket is rated for more. I always use the weakest rating for a circuit. If you have a tesla you set this current in the car/truck on the screen and by the way it’s set by GPS location and will change depending on where you charge in level 2 Good luck

[@gustavorodriguez4240]

This is a mobile connector, repeat after me Me: this is a mobile connector 😂

[@evdave528]

Exactly!!!

[@70FordMach1]

I just bought a 2023 E Transit that's being shipped in from out of state. Am I right to assume it should come with this same kit? I live in an RV park with 50A service. Is it ok to use a 50A splitter cord to run the RV and the EV or do I need a separate breaker? Thanks for the advice.

[@evdave528]

You might need it’s own circuit because I do not think Ford allows you to adjust charge current like a tesla but if they do you might be able to load share between the mobile home and truck. Congrats

[@70FordMach1]

@@evdave528 I decided to go with a separate circuit and not risk overheating anything. It's good because I found out I have 200A service and a free 50A breaker already in there.

[@somemovingpictures]

I came to this video having just watched a video from MKBHD on his Auto Focus channel. The point of that video was to say that the charging of electric vehicles and the systems supporting charging is the Achilles heel of driving electric vehicles. I think this proves the point. Yes, I can charge where ever I want. All I need is a plethora of adapters, a working knowledge of electricity, or, when not at my home/a friends house, an account with about 3 or 4 different charging franchises and the knowledge of how each one works. Tesla has a better handle on this than most, but for me, it's easy to see how, with widespread adoption, even Tesla could fail to keep up with demand. As pointed out in the MKBHD video, it's okay to ask early adopters to put up with some inconvenience now and again. But, to expect the average driver to go from stopping at a gas station to the intricacies of electric charging is simply asking too much. Average Joe is not going to put up with the system as it exists currently. (See what I did there?)

[@Motokids13]

Where did you get the 14-50 adapter? My mobile charger only came with the 112v

[@evdave528]

Tesla mobile connector have all of the plugs available in the Tesla shop

[@Mario_Mendez75]

is there any option to plug it on a 3-phase power outlet, i mean does it need other type of inverter?

[@evdave528]

They may have a 3 Phase operation in the euro mobile/wall connector

[@rusticroads]

It would very helpful if Ford were to provide charging speed information as well as current limiting, as Tesla does. As long as we’re wishing for things, additional NEMA adaptors that would plug into the modular input of the mobile connector would be very nice! Playing adaptor roulette on Amazon can be fraught with peril… That 28A draw on 240 makes it dicey to plug into a 14-30 circuit with an adaptor, as it doesn’t fall into the 80% continuous load, is that correct? Being able to step the charge down to 20 or 24A would allow for less excitement potential! My parents have a TT30R outlet for their camper, and it would be nice to be able plug into that and get as much of its available power as possible, but as far as I can tell, the non-Tesla options are going to limit things to the standard 12A draw that you were getting from the NEMA 6-15 connection. Am I correct in that understanding?

[@acolon8999]

You are correct. Pulling 28 amps from a 30 amps violates the 20% regulation. More than likely it would trigger the circuit breaker. I am really surprised that Ford doesn't allow users to adjust the Amps below what the system detects. Or maybe just like Tesla, it won't demand more than what the system recognizes as available.

[@JorgeMorales-do5pr]

Is any update on this post . Just get Mach e with mobile conector and my only option is use my dryer outlet. 30 amp. I saw mobile conector request 28 amp breaking the rule. What about if use neocharge splitter that only provide 24amp. I’m very confused

[@nathansoley-hy4dd]

About to order a lightning. Is 8 gage wire, 40amp breaker sufficient for the mobile charger when using 220v?

[@evdave528]

A minimum of #6 wire, Ronex 6/2 55amps and THHN 75 amps in conduit. Continuous loads should be derated by 20% so ei. 60 amp circuit breaker is 48 amps. Ask a local electrician

[@billsrelectric]

Question for the group. If installing a NEMA 14-50 outside (not in a garage) any recommended source for the outlet? I find a lot of videos of installing a NEMA 14-50 inside the garage, but those outlets do not look weatherproof to my untrained eyes. Thank you!

[@evdave528]

@@billsrelectric you can find a housing that has a flap covering the docket commonly used by RV folks, get for outside

[@mikea5424]

If you could set it down a little a 30 amp service would run the charger at 220 volt.

[@bhmbill]

where is the link to extension cords?

[@evdave528]

Yellow Jacket is what I recommended. Something like this. Help me decide on this product: Yellow Jacket 2884 12/3 Heavy-Duty 15-Amp SJTW Contractor Extension Cord with Lighted Ends, Ideal for Heavy Duty Equipment and Tools, Durable Clear Molded Plugs, High Gloss Yellow Jacket, 50-Feet a.co/d/gYCVMRh

[@JeanPierreWhite]

It's probably better to get the right dongle for each outlet type. These mobile connectors adjust the amount of current they draw based on the dongle used. Once you stick an adapter on the end of the mobile connector it does not know what it is plugged into and might draw too much current for the circuit.

[@acolon8999]

That's exactly what I thought would be the best approach to handle the different types of outlets. When I got my Tesla, it came with a regular 5-15 adapter and if I remember correctly, it also came with a NEMA 14-50. I later bought a 14-30 adapter and was getting ready to buy a 10-30 adapter when I realized that I needed to also buy an extension cord. I bought a NEMA 14-50 extension cord and realized that I was better off buying adapters to go from the wall to a NEMA 14-50 this way I can use the Mobile Connector straight from the adapter or I can attach the extension cord if needed. This way I can always use the extension cord whenever I need it without having to buy also an adapter for the Mobile Connector. The vehicle measures the power coming in and adjusts to that power it doesn't care which adapter you might be using. Also like Dave mentioned, Tesla allows you to adjust the charging to less Amps than what the system is detecting. So in short you are better off buying a NEMA 14-50 adapter for the Mobile connector and adapters to go from whatever plug is on the wall to a NEMA 14-50. If you need an extension cord buy a NEMA 14-50 and you can use the adapters you already have.

[@JeanPierreWhite]

@@acolon8999 Yes you can adjust the amps inside the car, however that's the point of using the appropriate dongle, it makes that adjustment automatically for you. It avoids nuisance tripping of breakers or overloading a lower amperage circuit. Automakers typically do not want owners having to make adjustments to keep things safe, they wish the system to be failsafe. In your example you plug a 14-50 dongle into an adapter and plug that to a 10-30 outlet you may end up pulling 32 amps on a 30 amp circuit rather than 24 amps. Things could get toasty between the outlet and the breaker. the extension cord you are using may also create more current to be drawn since there will be a voltage drop across extensions and adapters.

[@acolon8999]

@@JeanPierreWhite Maybe I got it wrong but my impression was that you can not adjust how many amps the Ford is pulling from the outlet. I know that with Tesla you can. If I plug in my 14-50 extension cord to a NEMA 10-30 using an adapter then plug the Tesla Mobile Connector to the extension cord using a Tesla 14-50 adapter, the car measures the available power and automatically adjusts to that. The car doesn't know which adapter I am using all it knows is how much power is available and it automatically adjusts the changing speed. I can decrease how many amps to pull but I can not increase it past what the car determined is available.

[@JeanPierreWhite]

@@acolon8999 all the more reason to get the appropriate adapter

[@acolon8999]

@@JeanPierreWhite From the outlet to the extension cord? Or for both ends? Or just for the Mobile Connector and get different extension cords for every outlet? This is the way I see it and I might be missing something that you might know and I am just not seen it. I really want to understand your point because I might be doing something wrong or at least there might be a better way to do what I am doing. Right now I am just taking about 240v systems with a Tesla. One extension cord (14-50). One mobile connector with a 14-50 adapter to plug in to the extension cord. One adapter to go from the outlet to the extension cord if the outlet is not a 14-50. Let's say you don't need the extension cord this time because the outlet happens to be near the car. Then you plug in the Mobile connector to the adapter without using the extension cord. Let's look at these 2 scenarios. They both require an extension cord. House in Florida: 10-30 adapter from outlet to 14-50 extension to the mobile connector with 14-50 adapter. House in Vermont: 14-30 adapter from outlet to 14-50 extension to the mobile connector with 14-50 adapter. As you can see, the only thing that changes is the adapter to the wall. Since I need an extension cord anyway, it makes more sense to me to buy the adapters to convert whatever 240 outlet I am going to use to a 14-50 than carrying multiple extension cords to then also buy the adapter for the Mobile Connector to match that outlet. Again, the car will not demand more power than available regardless of the adapter being used. So overloading the circuit is out of the equation and the extension cord is rated to handle the 14-50 load which is the highest that we are dealing with.

[@heart4Pahoa]

Has anyone checked the amperage on a 20A outlet to a Ford Lightning? In was hoping that would get tested on the Kill-A-Watt, but no joy.

[@evdave528]

I did a video showing actual Charger current look for it

[@heart4Pahoa]

Thanks Dave, if you have specific video can you include a link for it? I just rewatched this video and you only referenced a 15A circuit. From the data I have been reviewing, 20A circuit could be a nice sweet spot for battery longevity (slow charging) and the highly inefficient 15A circuits.

[@cjwatson9]

Has anyone ever mentioned you sound like Chef John?

[@Magicinstalls]

Fell asleep by 5:47.0 seconds

[@evdave528]

@@Magicinstalls 😁

[@poobank]

Did Ford ever update the software to provide lower charging rates for aunt Mabel's house?

[@evdave528]

@@poobank good question, my daughter uses the Lightning. I don’t know

[@Yanquetino]

I'm glad to see that Ford provides adapters for both 120V and 240V with its mobile connector -like Rivian, Bolt EUV, Tesla. Hyundai/Kia/Genesis needs to do the same! A mere 120V does not suffice.

[@ourv9603]

Word is the Ford supplied charger is a POS. It is recommended to buy a TESLA charger online. It cost 1/2 as much & charges twice as fast. All you need is that adapter Ford offers so you can charge at a Tesla charge station. !

[@MrSmith-ok7tl]

Dude, your audience is not stupid, do not talk down to them. Be direct, specific and get to the point! Thumbs down for wasting my time.

[@Smashknuckles]

I am stupid and needed to be talked down to. He does sound like a kindergarten teacher tho.

[@ThunderandLightningEvPickup]

I can see your point and he probably could’ve found a simple way to explain it without sounding a little bit condescending, but I’m not so sure that that was necessarily his intention and there are people who need all of this stuff to be really simplified for them

[@evdave528]

@@MrSmith-ok7tl grasshopper you have much to learn about teaching

[@MrSmith-ok7tl]

@@evdave528 Buyers of EVs tend to be educated. There is no need to repetitively go on and on about every little minutiae. Simply present the information in a concise manner. This is not for first graders...