We have written in this newsletter about the Ford-150 Lightningthe electric version of the best-selling pickup truck in U.S. history, which many believe is destined to be the great agent of change towards the great agent of change towards electromobility in the US.. Tests being conducted by Ford with automotive specialists have brought to light another aspect of this vehicle: its ability to function as a large battery to power a home in case of emergency or inject electricity into the grid, where regulations permit.

The F150's lithium-ion battery pack offers 10 times the capacity of the Tesla Powerwalla $11,000 battery pack sold as a backup for homes that, as the Bloomberg story says, can't get you to the grocery store.

"The Lightning is a small power plant for a home that can supplement the grid on extremely hot days when we have peaks in demand," Jason Glickman, executive vice president of engineering, planning and strategy for PG&E Corp.the California electric distributor. PG&E is testing 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 bi-directional charging capability. If the vehicle is connected to the grid and a power outage occurs, the home to which it is connected begins using electricity from the F-150's battery, which can power a household's needs for three days.

The F-150 with this capability comes from the extended-range model, or as a $1,310 supplement on the standard version with a 230-mile capacity battery. In addition, a home integration system must be purchased, which costs US$3,310 for the F-150.which costs US$3,850.

You can see the Bloomberg report HERE