Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Not everyone needs granular data in their daily lives — but if you follow this channel, you probably appreciate having properly formatted, easily searchable records showing how things change over time. Whether it's the outside temperature, your favorite sports team's win rate, or how often you sneak off to the local takeout, more data — treated right — can help us make better choices.
So today, Nikki is taking a look at a new open-source project from GitHub user Squidbytes. Leveraging the FordPass-HA integration that many Ford EV owners already have running in Home Assistant, LightningROD helps you track charging sessions, efficiency, and exactly how much it's costing you to keep your EV on the road. The project is still in active development, but it's already pretty capable — and Nikki walks you through what it can do and how to get it running using UNRAID, Docker, and an existing Home Assistant installation.
*⏱️ Chapter Breakdown:*
00:00 - Introduction
03:11 - What Is LightningROD?
05:54 - Where Does the Name Come From?
06:12 - A Quick Look at the Dashboard
09:04 - Prerequisites: What You'll Need
13:53 - Installing the Required Components
15:07 - Setting Up the Environment
18:05 - Setting Up Your .env File
21:51 - Importing Your Existing Data
23:52 - Home Assistant Configuration
25:38 - There Was a Bug — Which Nikki Helped Fix!
26:23 - Thanks for Watching!
Links: 🔗
LightningROD on GitHub: github.com/SquidBytes/LightningROD
LightningROD documentation: squidbytes.github.io/LightningROD
FordPass-HA integration (marq24 fork): github.com/marq24/ha-fordpass
FordPass-HA integration (original by itchannel): github.com/itchannel/fordpass-ha
Nikki's Github: github.com/aminorjourney (Merge already pushed for LightningROD)
Docker Compose Manager plugin for UNRAID: forums.unraid.net/topic/114415-plugin-docker-compose-manager
New to UNRAID? Start here: unraid.net/getting-started
New to Home Assistant? Start here: home-assistant.io/getting-started
---
*👥 Today’s Sponsors*
🌱 Electric Vehicle Association - myeva.org
⚡ EnergySage - kqzyfj.com/click-101290941-16952262
—
✊ Get Involved 🗳️ indivisible.org/town-hall-resources
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---
*🎙️ Credits:*
Host: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Camera, Edit, Color: Vi Horton
Art & Animation : Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music: via Artlist.io
Not everyone needs granular data in their daily lives — but if you follow this channel, you probably appreciate having properly formatted, easily searchable records showing how things change over time. Whether it's the outside temperature, your favorite sports team's win rate, or how often you sneak off to the local takeout, more data — treated right — can help us make better choices.
So today, Nikki is taking a look at a new open-source project from GitHub user Squidbytes. Leveraging the FordPass-HA integration that many Ford EV owners already have running in Home Assistant, LightningROD helps you track charging sessions, efficiency, and exactly how much it's costing you to keep your EV on the road. The project is still in active development, but it's already pretty capable — and Nikki walks you through what it can do and how to get it running using UNRAID, Docker, and an existing Home Assistant installation.
*⏱️ Chapter Breakdown:*
00:00 - Introduction
03:11 - What Is LightningROD?
05:54 - Where Does the Name Come From?
06:12 - A Quick Look at the Dashboard
09:04 - Prerequisites: What You'll Need
13:53 - Installing the Required Components
15:07 - Setting Up the Environment
18:05 - Setting Up Your .env File
21:51 - Importing Your Existing Data
23:52 - Home Assistant Configuration
25:38 - There Was a Bug — Which Nikki Helped Fix!
26:23 - Thanks for Watching!
Links: 🔗
LightningROD on GitHub: github.com/SquidBytes/LightningROD
LightningROD documentation: squidbytes.github.io/LightningROD
FordPass-HA integration (marq24 fork): github.com/marq24/ha-fordpass
FordPass-HA integration (original by itchannel): github.com/itchannel/fordpass-ha
Nikki's Github: github.com/aminorjourney (Merge already pushed for LightningROD)
Docker Compose Manager plugin for UNRAID: forums.unraid.net/topic/114415-plugin-docker-compose-manager
New to UNRAID? Start here: unraid.net/getting-started
New to Home Assistant? Start here: home-assistant.io/getting-started
---
*👥 Today’s Sponsors*
🌱 Electric Vehicle Association - myeva.org
⚡ EnergySage - kqzyfj.com/click-101290941-16952262
—
✊ Get Involved 🗳️ indivisible.org/town-hall-resources
❤️ Support the Show
📰 transportevolved.com
🔥 patreon.com/transportevolved
☕ ko-fi.com/transportevolved
📺 youtube.com/transportevolved
👕 redbubble.com/people/TransportEVd
🛍️ amzn.to/40xOyjm
₿ 1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH
*💬 Join the Conversation*
🐘 mastodon.transportevolved.com/@show
💬 discord.gg/9WAjfQn
🌀 https://bsky.app/profile/transportevolved.bsky.social
🔁 Subscribe to our 2nd channel - youtube.com/transportevolvedtake2
---
*🎙️ Credits:*
Host: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Camera, Edit, Color: Vi Horton
Art & Animation : Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music: via Artlist.io
