evdatabot
User Guide · v1.0

From plug-in to live telemetry in about two minutes.

This is the practical guide. Pair an adapter, walk through the 7-step onboarding, understand each tab, know where the trip data lives, and find the toggles that matter.

Updated May 28, 2026 · iOS 26.2+ · F-150 Lightning
Quick Start

Initial setup

The 7-step onboarding flow handles vehicle profile, adapter pairing, and permissions. You can replay it any time from Settings → Help.

1

Plug in the adapter

Connect a supported adapter to the OBD-II port under the dash, just left of the steering column. Cycle the truck to Accessory or On — the adapter's LED should light.

2

Walk the 7-step flow

The app guides you through vehicle profile (F-150 Lightning ER or SR), adapter type, Bluetooth pairing, Location and Notification permissions, and a quick first-trip explainer.

3

Drive

Trip detection starts automatically when the truck moves. Live data shows on the Dashboard, the home-screen widget, the lock-screen Live Activity, and CarPlay.

Adapters

Three supported, one recommended

  • OBDLink CX — Bluetooth Low Energy. Pairs through the app; nothing to do in iOS Bluetooth settings. Best overall match for the Lightning. Where to buy →
  • OBDLink MX+ — MFi-certified Classic Bluetooth. Pair it in iOS Settings → Bluetooth first, then pick MX+ during onboarding. Where to buy →
  • vLinker FS — Bluetooth Low Energy. Lower-cost BLE option; pairs through the app. Where to buy →

If you have something else (vGate iCar, generic ELM327, etc.), it isn't supported in v1 — proprietary Ford Mode 22 PIDs need an adapter that handles ISO-TP framing reliably.

Safety

Companion, not primary instrument

EVDataBot reads what the truck reports. Always rely on the factory dashboard for safety-critical information. The app's projected range is statistical — it's based on your recent driving efficiency, which is more accurate than EPA for known routes but is not a guarantee.

Reference

What each screen does

The iPhone app has four tabs (Dashboard, Trips, Insights, Settings); CarPlay has four (Battery, Trip-or-Charging, Drive Coach, Vehicle). Every value below is read from the truck, not estimated by the app.

Dashboard

Live HV battery state of charge, voltage, current, pack temperature, 12V battery voltage, tire pressures per corner, and exterior temp. Cards refresh in place — no flicker.

Trips

Every drive with distance, energy, mi/kWh, route polyline on a map, elevation gain/loss, weather snapshot at start and end. Filter by Today / Week / Month / All / Custom. Swipe to delete, long-press to rename or mark towing.

Insights

Battery health trend, cell variance over time, charging session history with power curves, monthly mi/kWh, towing vs. non-towing efficiency split. CSV export for any range.

Settings

Vehicle profile, adapter type, alert thresholds (12V low, SOC low, cell variance), notification preferences, Live Activity toggle, electricity rate for charging cost, privacy policy, and Restore Purchases.

CarPlay · Battery

HV SOC with color band, voltage, current, pack temperature. Optional route-range estimate when a bookmarked route is detected.

CarPlay · Trip / Charging

While driving: distance, energy used, mi/kWh, time elapsed. Plug in: the tab automatically swaps to a Charging view with power, kWh added, and time-to-target.

CarPlay · Drive Coach

Live efficiency gauge, projected range at current pace, instantaneous kW draw. Color band changes from green to amber to red as drain rate climbs.

CarPlay · Vehicle

12V battery health, tire pressure per axle, exterior temperature, HV pack temperature with charging state, projected range, and your last drive summary.

Widget & Live Activity

Lock-screen and home-screen widgets show SOC, range, and trip status. While a trip is active, the Live Activity (Dynamic Island on supported iPhones) shows real-time miles, kWh, and efficiency.

Premium

One unlock, $4.99, forever

EVDataBot is free to install with a 7-day trial of every premium feature. After the trial, the Dashboard, Trips basics, and basic Battery + Drive Coach CarPlay tabs stay free.

Premium ($4.99 once) unlocks: CarPlay Charging / Trip / Vehicle tabs, deep battery health reports, charging cost analytics, and the EV Health Report deep sections.

  • Single non-consumable in-app purchase. No subscription.
  • Restore Purchases is one tap in Settings → Subscription.
  • All future v1 updates included.
Demo Mode

Try it without an adapter

Want to see what the app feels like before buying an adapter? Demo Mode streams a synthetic capture of a real Lightning trip — Dashboard, CarPlay tabs, and Live Activity all populate from it.

To enable: open Settings, scroll to the Version row at the bottom, and tap it seven times within two seconds. A Diagnostics section appears with the Demo Mode toggle.

Troubleshooting

If something looks wrong

Most issues are adapter, permissions, or vehicle-state related. The fix order below is the same one I run through on my own truck.

No connection at all

Verify the adapter's LED is on (truck must be at least in Accessory). For MX+, confirm it shows as connected in iOS Settings → Bluetooth. For BLE adapters (CX, vLinker), just toggle the in-app reconnect.

Some fields show "—"

Many Lightning PIDs only respond when the truck is in Run (not just Accessory). Cycle to Run and wait 10–15 seconds. If a field never populates, it may be a profile mismatch — confirm the vehicle profile is set to Lightning.

No trip route on the map

Location permission must be set to "Allow While Using" at minimum. For auto-trip detection while the app is backgrounded, "Always" is required (you'll see a clear prompt when you enable it).

Trip didn't end cleanly

If the truck powers off before the app sees a "park" state, the trip remains open. Open the Trips tab — orphan trips are auto-finalized after about a minute and tagged with a small clock icon.

Live Activity stuck

Force-quit and reopen the app once. Live Activities can occasionally desync if iOS suspends the app aggressively in low-power mode. The activity will auto-clear within a few minutes either way.

Towing mode for a past trip

Long-press the trip in the Trips tab and choose "Mark as Towing." Towing trips are excluded from efficiency averages so towed-vs-empty comparisons stay meaningful.