There’s a list of electric vehicles with the capability not only to draw energy from the grid but also to give it back. Nissan Leaf, Renault ZOE, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Lucid Air, and BYD Dolphin are the ones we know. Ford will soon add the F-150 Lightning to that list thanks to a system the F-150 PoweBoost Hybrid already offers: the (at least) 7.2 kW Pro Power Onboard.
This outlet system currently helps F-150 owners to power tools. The 7.2 kW derivative is the only one to offer a 240V outlet apart from the four 120V sockets. It is only with the 240V outlet – which presents a different connection standard – that the vehicle-to-vehicle charging capability works.
Ford’s idea is to use the Mobile Power Cord as the tool that will make delivering energy to other vehicles possible. If you are not aware of what the Mobile Power Cord is, it is the portable charger that allows Ford EVs to charge on standard power outlets.
Using “a widely available power adaptor” for 120V plugs to connect to 240V sockets, F-150 owners can connect the Mobile Power Cord to Pro Power Onboard. When that happens, the charger behaves as if it was connected to an ordinary wall outlet and begins to charge any vehicle compatible with the SAE J1772 charge port.
When the 2022 F-150 Lightning deliveries start, the electric pickup truck will offer a more powerful – and always optional – Pro Power Onboard, able to handle 9.6 kW. The voltage is always the same, so both the 7.2 kW and the 9.6 kW Pro Power Onboard can restitute 20 miles of range for the RWD Mustang Mach-E Extended Range, 13 miles for the F-150 Lightning, and 10 miles to an E-Transit low-roof cargo van per hour. The differences have to do with the size of the battery packs and the energy efficiency of each of these vehicles.
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