The Ford F-150 Lightning made its debut last May and is set to begin deliveries this spring. One of the benefits of the new Ford electric pickup truck is its capability to serve as a backup power source to your home, should the lights go out. For up to 10 days, no less. That’s assuming you’ve charged your truck before the misfortune happens.
Ford has partnered with solar power company Sunrun to provide home energy storage and solar power solutions utilizing the F-150 Lightning. Taking advantage of Ford’s available intelligent backup power system, the Lightning becomes the first all-electric pick-up truck to offer power during an electrical outage. The extended range F-150 battery system is able to store 131 Kwh of energy and provide up to 9.6 Kwh of power, infinitely quieter, and cleaner to operate than a run of the mill gasoline backup generators. Based on the U.S. daily average report of 30 kWh of power used, you can expect three full days of power, or stretch it to an estimated 10 days when you ration usage.
Utilizing this new system, the Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck will automatically begin powering a home when an electrical outage is detected. Once utility power is restored everything returns to normal, and power can be fed back into the truck.
There is a difference between on board power and the backup power ability we are talking about here. To enable the backup power feature between home and truck you need two things. The first is an 80-amp Ford Charge Station Pro that comes free with purchase of an extended range F-150 Lightning. Standard range F-150 buyers must buy the station separately and pay for activation. The second component is a Home Integration System developed in partnership with Sunrun. That system consists of a power inverter, dark start battery, and transfer switch that enable the two-way power flow. The Home Integration System will become available through Sunrun this spring.
Ford prefers that you have the system installed by Sunrun for assured reliability. Should you choose to equip your home with the system and solar panels together, you may be eligible for a zero dollars down deal and discounted installation through Sunrun. Commercial customers will have to work through Ford Pro to evaluate their home charging needs.
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