The F-150 Lightning will be the first electric truck to offer intelligent back-power if the lights go out ..
Truck owners are used to tapping a variety of features – torque, towing capability and more – to get things done. Now, with the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup, Ford is offer the ability for customers to power their homes with an electric truck when the grid goes dark, providing innovative new capabilities that enhance the energy independence of its customers.
The Detroit auto makers say its much-anticipated electric pickup truck can keep a home running for up to three days during a blackout thanks to its Ford Intelligent Backup Power, by partnering with Sunrun, Ford Intelligent Backup Power, making its debut on F-150 Lightning, gives customers the ability to use bidirectional power technology from their all-electric truck to provide energy to their homes during an outage, whether sheltering in a storm or keeping cool in a heat wave.
The F-150 Lightning extended-range battery system can store 131 kilowatt-hours of energy and deliver up to 9.6 kilowatts of power in a cleaner, quieter, more efficient way versus gasoline-powered generators, and with greater capacity than many wall battery units. F-150 Lightning can also offer lower-cost energy storage in a product customers already own – their truck.
With Ford Intelligent Backup Power and the Home Integration System, F-150 Lightning automatically kicks in to power your home if the grid goes down. Once power is restored, the system automatically reverts back to utility power. Based on an average U.S. home at 30 kilowatt-hours of use per day, F-150 Lightning with extended-range battery provides full home power for up to three days, or as long as 10 days when used in conjunction with solar power or rationing†.
To benefit from Ford Intelligent Backup Power and future energy management solutions, customers need to equip their home with the Ford Charge Station Pro and Home Integration System, which is composed of a power inverter plus a dark start battery and transfer switch, enabling the two-way power flow. Buyers of the extended-range F-150 Lightning automatically receive the Ford Charge Station Pro. Standard-range truck customers can purchase the 80-amp Ford Charge Station Pro and pay for activation separately. The Home Integration System – developed together with Sunrun – can be purchased through Sunrun this spring.
In the future, Ford will introduce additional F-150 Lightning features to help customers potentially save money and take pressure off the electric grid during peak usage. Ford Intelligent Power, for example, will allow customers to power their homes with their truck’s battery when electricity rates are higher, while charging the truck when rates are lower – or from their own solar-powered rooftop. This load shift can also help buffer the load on the nation’s grid and help reduce the use of higher carbon energy without affecting daily routines or charging schedules.
Deliveries of the F-150 Lightning will begin this spring.
