In this newsletter, we've written about the Ford F-150 Lightning—the electric version of the best-selling pickup truck in U.S. history—which many believe is destined to be a major driver of the shift toward electromobility in that country. Tests Ford is conducting with automotive experts have brought to light another aspect of this vehicle: its ability to function as a large battery to power a home in an emergency or feed electricity back into the grid, where regulations allow.

The F-150's lithium-ion battery pack offers 10 times the capacity of the Tesla Powerwall—an $11,000 battery marketed as a backup for homes that, as the Bloomberg article notes, can’t even take you to the grocery store. 

“The Lightning is a small power plant for homes that can supplement the grid on days of extreme heat, when we experience peaks in demand,” Jason Glickman, executive vice president of engineering, planning, and strategy at PG&E Corp.,, the California-based electric utility. PG&E is conducting tests to evaluate how to integrate the F-150 Lightning into its grid management.

The Lightning is the first electric vehicle in the U.S.with bidirectional charging capability. If the vehicle is connected to the grid and a power outage occurs, the home it is connected to begins drawing electricity from the F-150’s battery, which can power a home’s needs for three days.

The F-150 with this capability is available as the extended-range model, or as a $1,310 upgrade to the standard version with a 230-mile battery capacity. Additionally, you must also purchase a home charging integration system, which costs US$3,850.

You can watch the Bloomberg report HERE