The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is not only capable of powering your tools or tailgate on the road or a few important appliances during a power outage, but your entire home. Thanks to a partnership with Sunrun, the Lightning’s charging interface can be used as a home emergency power supply without any manual intervention. Ford calls it Intelligent Backup Power.
This makes perfect sense when you think about it. Battery-based power backup systems (a la the Tesla Powerwall) have been on the market for years and an electric vehicle is just a battery bank on wheels. The only thing missing is the interface; that’s where Sunrun comes in. Ford’s preferred home charging partner for the F-150 Lightning will offer a home truck integration system that allows power to flow in both directions through Ford’s Charge Station Pro 80-amp charger, meaning the Lightning can be charged instantly (and automatically, like an integrated generator for the whole house) powers your home when you lose power.
Yes, this is head and shoulders above what Pro Power Onboard can do. Despite Tesla’s lead in the home market, its vehicles do not officially support this functionality. Bypassing the built-in check will void your Tesla’s warranty. Ford, on the other hand, actively encourages it, provided you get the right equipment, of course. The most important part is the home integration kit. A standard Level 2 charger is intended to be used in one direction only; the integration kit allows for a two-way flow.
While Sunrun prefers that you get electricity from one of its home solar installations, the panels are not a mandatory part of the package; your normal electrical service will work just fine. With this setup and assuming you start with a full charge, Ford says a longer-range battery model can power a home for up to three days of what it considers “normal” use (30 kWh/day); you can stretch that to 10 days if you are frugal.
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