European cars

[Jan Kučera]

Hello,

I'm looking at the OpenXC Ford Vehicle Compability spreedsheet - there are many US-only models so I assume the list is meant to be US-only. I live in the EU (Czech Republic) - what is the vehicle support for European models? Are the models that seem to be sold on both continents (C-Max, Focus etc.) fully compatible in Europe too? I am mostly interested in steering_wheel_angle and also vehicle speed (dont know the id name here).

Thanks for info.

Regards,

Jan

[Zac]

Hi Jan,

Glad to hear of more OpenXC interest in the EU! We've got users all across the globe including the EU, so you're in good company :) You should be able to get data from most of the Ford vehicles especially those with a North American equivalent model (such as C-Max and Focus as you mentioned). 

Did you have a specific vehicle in mind that you'd like to check? Please include the model and year.

Thanks,

- Zac

[Jan Kučera]

Dear Zac,

thanks for your prompt reply. Nice to hear I am in a good company :). Well, my problem may be a bit specific. I am involved in a research project which needs to log the steering (wheel) angle and vehicle speed data along with some other stuff to create a dataset. I need to log the data from my C++ code in Linux (Ubuntu, also Raspbian) as I use it for other sensors already.

I do not have a specific vehicle yet and am only exploring what the possibilities are. So what I am looking for is a model which will be best suitable for these needs. The cost is a factor so I am looking for used vehicles rather than new - that means I am interested in the oldest EU models that could provide me with the data. I dont mind a 10-years-old vehicle for example.

I have some vehicle priorities but they are not set in stone. I would prefer the Mondeo and then Galaxy/S-Max (are they all the same family?) - however I dont see Galaxy/S-Max in the list at all and the Mondeo starts in 2013 which will be rather pricey used still. My further priorities are (in this order) the Focus (the one with Type 6 named "Classic") and C-Max. I am confused about the Focus a bit since the Mk2 began earlier in Europe (2004) than US (2007) so if US model is meant maybe the European Mk1 from pre-2004 may work too (?). I read the C-Max is sold in US since Mk2 (2013) so the previous models listed (since 2005) should most likely European, which is good.

So may I ask you for a suggestion on a model and year based on the info above? From what I have read elsewhere the steering_wheel_angle is only available on cars equipped with ESP/ESC, right??

I also think about the Vehicle Interface hardware. I found the OpenXC-C code which looks promising but havent looked at it yet. Does this C "library" act like an USB driver?

Thanks for your answer in advance!

Kind regards,

Jan

[Zac]

Hi Jan,

Let's start with the library support: we have existing python libraries (for your PC) which you can use to connect to the OpenXC hardware via USB and Bluetooth. There's a driver you'll need to install to use this. You can also connect via Bluetooth or USB to an Android device. Both the Android and Python libraries have a "log tracefile" function which will allow you to record things like vehicle speed and steering wheel angle position. 

As far as the vehicle goes, the primary concern is the communication protocol used in the vehicle. Most Ford vehicles built after 2008 used the CAN protocol, and some vehicles built before 2008 also support CAN, but not all. That's based on US regulation. Your best bet for an older vehicle might be the Focus Classic although, I don't know if anyone has tested on the 2004. You don't necessarily need Electronic Power Steering in order to get steering wheel angle - For example the previous gen Ford F-150 has hydraulic steering, but supports steering wheel angle. 

Anyone on the Google group had any experience with older EU Ford vehicles?

- Zac 

[Jan Kučera]

Hi Zac,

what does "Focus Classic" really mean?

I think the C-Max may also be a hit in terms of steering_wheel_angle since it was not sold in US until 2013 and the spreadsheet lists it from 2005 which should clearly mean the European Mk1 is meant till 2013 so there should be no confusion about continent..

Where do the "Vehicle Test Results" in the spreadsheet come from? Is it data from Ford or community data?

I will probably build a VI and try to do some tests on real vehicles here... but that will take time, probably quite some time...

Regards,

Jan

[Zac]

Hi Jan,

I think the "Focus Classic" relates to the non-North America Focus discussed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Focus_(second_generation,_Europe).

Most of the Vehicle Test Results are from our internal Ford testing, but some of it comes from users on this group, like yourself :) so feel free to add your feedback and we can modify the spreadsheet accordingly.

Let us know how it goes!

- Zac