The electric Ford F-150 Lightning will come with plenty of interesting add-ons when it launches in the USA later this year, including 11 onboard power outlets, payload scales in the tray and trailer-hitch assist. But possibly one of the coolest features is the ability to power an entire house for up to three days!
Ford has partnered with Sunrun – a USA-based solar company – to broaden home energy storage solutions by making Sunrun the preferred installer of Ford’s ‘Charge Station Pro’ vehicle charging and home integration system.
When disaster strikes and the power goes out, F-150 Lightning owners can use a stored total energy amount of 131kWh and deliver 9.6kW of power in a clean and efficient way to power an entire house. No filthy generators needed here!
The F-150 Lightning can power an average US household for three days – or 10 with solar support
With the Ford Power integration system, the technology automatically kicks in when it detects that the power has gone down and will revert back automatically in the same way when power supply is restored.
Based on the average US home that uses 30kWh per day, the F-150 Lightning can power a household for three days, or up to 10 days if working in conjunction with solar power – something that many Australian homes now have.
With extended-range F-150 Lightnings, purchase and installation of the wallbox system is included
Buyers will obviously need to have the Charge Station Pro installed in their home to access this feature, a system that will be included as standard on extended-range F-150 Lightnings.
Standard-range Lightning owners will need to purchase this system separately and also pay for activation, though it seems worth the investment.
The Ford F-150 Lightning is not confirmed for Australia, but we wish it was!
In countries like Australia – where natural disasters and power outages are a relatively frequent occurrence – a system such as this one from Ford is a great way to provide clean energy in times of crisis.
Unfortunately, the F-150 Lightning has not been confirmed for export, however Ford Australia has displayed interest in bringing the model to our shores.