How the Ford F-150 Can be a Backup Home Generator
One of the most impressive features of the new Ford F-150 lightning electric pickup is the bi-directional charging, which can help you power your house during blackouts.
The F-150 lightning has some pretty decent performance numbers like the zero to 60 miles per hour in 4.3 seconds acceleration and the 320 miles range. But Ford didn’t want its first electric truck to be just another EV on the market.
That’s why they have pioneered some new impressive technologies, the most attractive of them the bi-directional charging, or in other words the truck’s ability to provide electric power for an entire house during blackouts, thanks to its powerful battery.
As Jason Glickman, the executive VP of engineering in California PG&E Corp called it “it’s a mini powerplant for your home. It can support the grid on a hot summer day when we have demand spiking.”
Ford is not thinking exclusively about individual use, it always had in mind a broader picture of large-scale use. Glickman explained it best by saying: “At scale when these vehicles are enabled to send energy back to the grid, flex alerts and notices of grid emergencies will be a thing completely of the past,”
Due to climate change, some regions are getting more exposed to wildfires and heat waves which cause more frequent blackouts, having a truck that can help you get through those annoying periods of darkness is a blessing for a large number of Americans.
This point is getting more and more obvious when you look and the stats of the lightning sales. About half of the retail reservations came from people who never owned a truck before and who just like the idea of having a powerful backup generator that can easily be driven anywhere you want. We can see how bi-directional charging has opened the doors of a whole new market for Ford.
Now on the technical aspect, the F-150 lightning has a 240-volt outlet that can power heavy-duty machinery from 9.6 kilowatts of carbon-free electricity generated onboard. Plus 10 other two 120-volt outlets scattered in strategic places around the cab, the bed, and the front trunk
To power your house, you need first to install the Ford’s 80-amp charging station and a $3,895 home integration system from Sunrun Inc. The installation cost may vary, based on your location. If the truck is plugged into the system, the home will start automatically drawing power from it as soon as an outage happens, and reverse the operation, charging the truck when the power comes back.
When fully charged, The Ford F-150 lightning will have enough power to supply an average house for three days.
The new Ford F-150 lightning is on its way to revolutionizing the truck industry. But one thing that a truck cannot do on its own is fighting the weather conditions. To do that you need to rely on some excellent custom-made car covers from Coverking, capable of protecting your truck from harsh weather conditions and keeping it shining at all times. Away from everyday accidents like scratches, dings, nicks, and annoying spills.
Coverking loves trucks, especially great ones like the legendary F-150, that’s why we have designed special items for them, like tailgate pads, in addition to all the high-quality custom-made covers that are ready to hug tightly and protect all the important elements in your truck, like seats, dashboard, and exterior body.
