Ford Motor Company is experimenting with using its new F-150 Lightning electric truck as a power source for workers in the field, whether it be construction, remodeling or other business that requires a power source at the job site.
In a video released by Ford, a remote worker discusses how he now uses the F-150 Lightning on the job site when he used to carry a gasoline powered generator. Instead of using the generator, the contractor just connects his tools to the Ford Pro Power Onboard that gives the same voltage every time.
This isn’t the first time that Ford has been testing its F-150 Lightning as an alternative power source for remote electricity. In March, the company announced it was working with California utility Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) on a project to use the Lightning pickup truck as a power source for homes.
Ford’s Intelligent Backup Power made its debut with the F-150 Lightning pickup and could provide up to 10 days of power for homes, depending on energy use. The first installations of Ford’s Intelligent Backup Power systems were expected to be in models debuting in the summer of 2022, supported by solar power vendor Sunrun.
The program is like the one PG&E established with General Motors for its EV trucks to power homes for times when the grid goes down — either due to a natural disaster or overload.
The all-electric F-150 Lightning is proving to be very popular with consumers as it was in April when Ford had more than 200,000 reservations for the pickup.
The American automotive OEM will manufacture the F-150 Lightning at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Ford’s Rouge Complex. Ford is expanding the center to ramp up production to a planned annual run rate of 150,000 vehicles in 2023 and has invested $950 million at the facility.
Ford said it will deliver more than 2 million EVs annually by 2026, equal to about one-third of the company’s global volume. By 2030, EVs will be 50% of the total volume of vehicles produced by Ford.
