Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Charging your C-Max Energi

The 2014 C-Max has a external charge port and light ring on the drivers side of the vehicle.  The charge port enables the lithium-ion battery to draw and store power from the electric grid using an available 240 volt home charging station or standard 120-volt convenience charger.  The charger port door is designed for convenient push open and close. Use your thumb and press on the door in the location of the indention to open the door.  To close the door, use your thumb to press in the same location until the door has rotated back into position and clicked into place.

The lithium-ion battery current charge state is indicated by the LED light ring around the port.  The light ring is divided into four quadrants that represent one quarter, one half, three quarters, and fully charged lithium-ion battery status.  When you initially plug in your C-Max Energi the light ring will flash twice in sequence and then glow confirming the charging coupler has been detected and charging is in progress.  When plugging in, the charge coupler button will click confirming the charge port is connected.  Charging is complete when all four quadrants are lit and not flashing.  The light ring will shut off one minute after the lithium ion battery reaches a full charge.  If you only utilize your normal 110V plug in your garage it will take approximately 6-7 hours to fully charge from fully drained.  Your charge status can always be checked by simply pressing the unlock button on your key FOB.  Your light ring will illuminate the corresponding quadrants, indicating the level of charge.  If your charge is below 25% the light ring will not illuminate at all.

You can also modify your charge port light ring settings by accessing the center stack menu through settings > vehicle > Charge Port Light Ring.

Other things to keep in mind when you plug your vehicle in using the cord that comes with the vehicle.  Do not use extension cords or adapters when plugging into a 110 outlet.  The outlet must be three prong and properly grounded and in good condition.  The circuit must also be dedicated.  There should be no other appliances connected to the same circuit.  Always plug the cord into the AC outlet before connecting the charge cord coupler into the vehicle's charge port.  Do not pull the plug from the AC outlet while the vehicle is charging.