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FordConnect

Read your vehicle's data straight from Ford's API, without Home Assistant. Setup takes about 15 minutes, plus waiting time on Ford's side.

You never enter your Ford password into LightningROD.

1. Create a Ford developer account

  1. Go to https://developer.ford.com/, select Sign in → Register, and follow the steps. Two-factor authentication is required.
  2. Wait until the account is verified and active. This can take a few days.
  3. Make sure your profile name uses only letters, numbers and spaces. Other characters break the registration form later.

2. Register an application

  1. Open the portal for your region (only North America has been tested):
  2. North America: https://developer.ford.com/developer-na
  3. European Union: https://developer.ford.com/developer-eu
  4. United Kingdom: https://developer.ford.com/developer-uk
  5. Open FordConnect Query and select Get Started.
  6. Tick "This app is for personal use".
  7. Fill in the name, description and purpose using letters, numbers, spaces and underscores only. For example: LightningROD, Self-hosted vehicle analytics, Stats for my vehicle.
  8. Tick all vehicle types.
  9. Under Authorization Code → redirect URIs, paste the address from LightningROD: open Settings → Data Sources → FordConnect and click Copy. It looks like http://localhost:8000/auth/ford/callback.
  10. The port is LightningROD's web port, the one in your browser's address bar.
  11. It must match exactly: no trailing slash, no https.
  12. Ford rejects private addresses such as 192.168.x.x, which is why it uses localhost.
  13. Already registered an app for another LightningROD install? Reuse it: put that app's registered address in LightningROD's redirect field instead. The port doesn't need to match this install.
  14. Tick All Available Data Categories, complete the captcha and submit.
  15. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret. The secret is shown only once.

Wait a couple of hours

New credentials take time to go live at Ford. Until then, connecting fails with 404 credential not found.

3. Connect the vehicle

  1. In Settings → Data Sources → FordConnect, paste the Client ID and Client Secret and save.
  2. Click Connect Vehicle, open the Ford link it shows, sign in and pick your vehicle. One connection covers one vehicle.
  3. Ford then sends you back to LightningROD:
  4. Browser on the same machine as LightningROD: it says connected. You're done.
  5. Browser on another device: you land on an error page ("can't reach this site"). This is expected. Copy the whole address from the address bar and paste it into Address after sign-in in LightningROD, then click Finish.

Do this within 5 minutes. The code in that address expires after that; if it does, click Connect Vehicle again.

Data starts arriving within a minute.

Troubleshooting

Message or symptom Fix
404 credential not found Credentials not live yet, or registered on the wrong regional portal. Wait, then check the portal.
"AADB2C90006: The redirect URI … is not registered" LightningROD's redirect field doesn't match your Ford app. Paste the exact registered address into it, save, and connect again.
No Client ID / Secret after submitting Ford rejected the redirect URI. Re-copy it from LightningROD: no trailing slash, no private IP.
"That's the sign-in link, not the address you landed on" Copy the address you ended up on after approving, not the Ford link.
"That code was already used" or "code expired" Click Connect Vehicle again.
"Ford doesn't recognise your Client ID yet" Credentials still going live. Wait a couple of hours.
"Your Client Secret doesn't match" Re-check both values. If the secret is lost, generate a new one in the Ford portal.
"…encryption key is missing or changed" Restore the LR_SECRET_KEY you used before, or re-enter the credentials.
Connected, but no new data for hours Normal while parked: the vehicle stops reporting. The card shows the age of the newest reading.
"Re-authorization required" Ford's permission lasts 90 days. Click Connect Vehicle again. Your history is kept.

FordConnect vs Home Assistant

FordConnect Home Assistant
History before you connect None Recorder history, via Data Repair replay
Update rate Every minute driving or charging, every 5 minutes parked When the vehicle reports
Trip start time Up to 5 minutes late (parked polling) From the vehicle
Trip energy Whole trip, ignition on to off, including time in Park. Matches the dash. Driving only, so lower than the dash
Driving scores, cabin and outside-air temperature No Yes
Brake torque, charging voltage and amperage Yes No

Using both: the same drive or charge is combined into one record. Home Assistant's energy, scores and temperatures are kept; FordConnect checks Home Assistant's distance and is used instead if they disagree.

Good to know

  • Charging locations arrive as coordinates. Name them once in the review queue. Locations with a saved charge schedule in the vehicle arrive with that name.
  • Credentials are stored in your database. Set LR_SECRET_KEY to encrypt them; see Configuration.