Last Updated on April 25, 2023 by Rod Olivares
When Ford announced the new all-electric F-150 Lightning, I was surprised and pleased to see you can use it essentially as a backup generator to power your entire house. Sure, it is more expensive than a standard 10 or 15,000-watt gas generator…but it’s a heck of a lot cooler!
Here are the details on using the F-150 Lightning as a backup generator to power your home (and here’s a guide on understanding how big of a generator you need to run your home):
9.6 kW of Capacity. This is equivalent to about ~7 EcoFlow Delta 1300 battery packs, which is still my favorite larger backup battery solution. Those are roughly $1,000 each, so let’s say the new backup system is worth about $7,000 in battery alone.
What is the wattage output plugging something directly into an A/C outlet on the Lightning?
The lightning can output 2.4 kW of power in the trunk, which is enough for most power tools and as much as any 2,000-watt quiet gas generator. And it can output up to 7.2Kw in the bed and cab. That means you could power a good size A/C unit just by directly plugging it into your super battery truck. Pretty cool.
What is the capacity of the Ford F-150 Lightning as a backup generator?
Ford Intelligent Backup Power is a new feature that will come on the F-150 Lightning. It will turn your car into a backup power source if your house’s electricity goes out. You need to buy the Ford Charge Station Pro and have it installed by Ford before you can get this new feature.
With this backup power feature, your car can put back up to 9.8kW of power into your home! That’s basically like having a 10,000 Watt generator on standby when the F-150 is plugged in your garage.
The capacity will depend on which range version or model of the lightning you select. The longer-range will have more battery capacity and thus a longer ability to power your home during a power outage.
The standard range is 318 kW and the extended range model will have 420 kW of capacity!
Will I buy an electric F-150 as a home backup?
Probably not. But maybe it could be a business expense, right? I mean, I do run a business here all about backup generators. I might just have to get one to test it out…
Scott Krager purchased generatorgrid.com in the summer of 2020 and quickly began to buy every generator under the sun! He currently has over a dozen generators and the number is growing quickly. He lives in Portland, OR near his family and friends.
GeneratorGrid.com is an independent review business. I am not affiliated with any manufacturers and do not accept paid reviews. When you buy through my links, I may earn a commission which helps me purchase more generators for testing. - Scott Krager
So..if the lightning can power a house why could I not use it to pull small RV and plug into that? Lights, hot water, stove and etc? I don’t understand enough to know if good or bad idea. Of course it have to be rechargeable by driving I would guess.
Thank you