This is my first winter with electric cars and we usually avoid snow but freezing rain and ice can be a problem. I came across advice to keep the car plugged in for battery heating and conditioning but I realized the charger door could freeze open or the charger might get stuck to the port. It’s not the best fix but I spent a couple of minutes throwing it together. I’m thinking about looking for a better cover soon.
Completely unnecessary, this is winterized. I’ve been through two winters with snow and charging in extreme cold without a problem.
Fred said:
Completely unnecessary, this is winterized. I’ve been through two winters with snow and charging in extreme cold without a problem.
I’ve had several problems in my first winter with the car in Canada. It’s not horrible, but the inner latch has frozen shut a few times after temperatures dropped and transitioned from rain to wet snow. I don’t get why Ford over-engineered this. It could have just been a simple fuel door but instead it’s too complicated for winter.
@Toryn
Jigaloo worked wonders for me!
Fred said:
Completely unnecessary, this is winterized. I’ve been through two winters with snow and charging in extreme cold without a problem.
Agreed, this is our third winter with EVs and we’ve never had a problem.
Fred said:
Completely unnecessary, this is winterized. I’ve been through two winters with snow and charging in extreme cold without a problem.
You’ve never had frozen doors? That sounds great.
@Tracy
Oh yeah, just a gentle tap to break the ice and you’re good.
Last month, my latch froze after a long drive in really cold weather, but a bit of jigaloo fixed it.
Fred said:
@Tracy
Oh yeah, just a gentle tap to break the ice and you’re good.
Last month, my latch froze after a long drive in really cold weather, but a bit of jigaloo fixed it.
Right, a gentle tap really helps. Let me know how that goes.
@Tracy
Totally agree. My gentle tap resulted in needing packing tape to keep it together and a new locking mechanism. Plastic doesn’t do well in subzero temps.
This is unnecessary. The doors just require a bit of patience and no issues arise. These plugs are made for this weather. If the doors freeze, that’s a bigger problem. The charge port is easier to deal with than frozen doors.
I’ve lived through freezing temperatures for the last 3 years with zero issues. The design is similar to gas ports in Ford’s other cars.
Considering where you’re from, I deal with this in winter. Be cautious with cardboard, it can damage your paint. Any other solutions you consider are probably just a waste. If you’re really worried, a garage is the answer. Your car’s temperature will always be influenced by the outside. Spend your cash on something that adds fun, like a dashcam.
@Marston
Agreed, it seems unnecessary for protecting the charge port. I’ve had to melt ice off it before with a hair dryer because it wouldn’t close. The doors were fine because I could pull them but ice built up around the charge port was tricky.
@Kris
I had the same experience this year, couldn’t close the charge port due to ice. Next time I’ll just leave it unplugged and plug it in after the storm.
@Marston
I’ve faced issues with the plug’s lock freezing and it becomes hard to remove, leaving it open all night makes it tough to close.
@Marston
The twist lock latch design isn’t practical and was poorly chosen. It should’ve had a spring-loaded mechanism inside the hinge.
@Marston
Insert a funny joke here…
@Marston
Do you really leave your fuel door open when parked outside in bad weather?
Lyric said:
@Marston
Do you really leave your fuel door open when parked outside in bad weather?
That’s a different topic. No, I do not intentionally leave it open. It has happened before with Ford’s capless fuel system. Just once and nothing happened. Engineers think of these scenarios. Spend your money on enjoyable things like the car itself. I’m not saying to avoid this but just letting new people know you don’t actually need to do this. It might be overkill to measure five times, but it feels okay for different people. There’s no wrong answer, and just avoid damaging your paint.
Cardboard can scratch the paint and leave marks, if that matters to you.
Why even bother? The plug and port are made for all weather conditions.
Storm said:
Why even bother? The plug and port are made for all weather conditions.
I just want to avoid having the door freeze open and the charger sticking to the port. Rain and wind can be a hassle.