Photo: Ford
The lucky owners of a Ford F-150 Lightning will be able to power their houses from the electric truck’s battery thanks to its vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability. The key feature of the F-150 Lightning requires the installation of two critical components, though, and one of them had an unspecified price until now.
One of the best features of Ford’s electric truck is the Intelligent Backup Power. This allows the F-150 Lightning to be used as a battery backup in the case of an emergency, provided that the house is wired accordingly. To achieve this capability, owners need to install both a compatible charger (Ford Charge Station Pro) and a gateway called Home Integration System.
Ford advertised the Charge Station Pro and even opened the order book a while back. It costs $1,310, which is only a minor bump over the $799 price of a regular Connected Charge Station. Nevertheless, the charger is included with extended-range F-150 Lightning purchases, so it will be offered free of charge to a lot of owners.
What Ford did not reveal was the price of the other components that help the F-150 Lightning power your home. The most important is the Home Integration System, which comprises an inverter, a transfer switch, and a small battery that temporarily powers the system when the main power goes out. Fortunately, Matthew Stover, Ford's Director of Charging & Energy Services has spilled the beans in a LinkedIn post.
According to that, the Home Integration System’s price is a very reasonable $3,859. The kit will be sold exclusively via Ford’s partner Sunrun, which is also tasked with installing the whole system. The F-150 Lightning owners can also opt for an alternative installation contractor, but they still need to buy the Home Integration System from Sunrun.
The Home Integration System automatically disconnects the house’s electrical system from the utility line and switches over to Ford Intelligent Backup Power when the grid goes down. In the future, it will also allow to power the house from the truck’s battery when electricity rates are higher, potentially saving money and easing pressure on the grid.
We know Ford already started trials with PulteGroup in Fort Myers, Florida, and the F-150 Lightning proved capable to power a house for three days. This can be further extended when solar power is also used. The system can also optimize a house’s energy usage by combining bi-directional power and other renewable energy sources.
Ford advertised the Charge Station Pro and even opened the order book a while back. It costs $1,310, which is only a minor bump over the $799 price of a regular Connected Charge Station. Nevertheless, the charger is included with extended-range F-150 Lightning purchases, so it will be offered free of charge to a lot of owners.
What Ford did not reveal was the price of the other components that help the F-150 Lightning power your home. The most important is the Home Integration System, which comprises an inverter, a transfer switch, and a small battery that temporarily powers the system when the main power goes out. Fortunately, Matthew Stover, Ford's Director of Charging & Energy Services has spilled the beans in a LinkedIn post.
According to that, the Home Integration System’s price is a very reasonable $3,859. The kit will be sold exclusively via Ford’s partner Sunrun, which is also tasked with installing the whole system. The F-150 Lightning owners can also opt for an alternative installation contractor, but they still need to buy the Home Integration System from Sunrun.
The Home Integration System automatically disconnects the house’s electrical system from the utility line and switches over to Ford Intelligent Backup Power when the grid goes down. In the future, it will also allow to power the house from the truck’s battery when electricity rates are higher, potentially saving money and easing pressure on the grid.
We know Ford already started trials with PulteGroup in Fort Myers, Florida, and the F-150 Lightning proved capable to power a house for three days. This can be further extended when solar power is also used. The system can also optimize a house’s energy usage by combining bi-directional power and other renewable energy sources.
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