Ford F-150 Lightning’s backup power feature is pricey — but it’s still a good deal

Ford f-150 lightning: lede — (Image credit: Ford)

There are a lot of reasons to be excited about the Ford F-150 Lightning. One of the most practical non-driving features is its ability to function as a backup power supply, in the event of a power outage. But the catch is that you need to pay for Ford’s “Home Integration System” to make it happen.

It’s now been confirmed by Matthew Stover, Ford’s director of charging & energy services, that this system costs $3,895. A hefty price that doesn’t involve the cost of installation, or the $1,310 you’ll need to buy Ford’s Charge Station Pro bidirectional charger.

In other words you’re paying for $5,200 worth of kit, plus whatever it costs to install it all. That’s after paying a minimum of $39,947 for the F-150 Lightning electric truck.

Even a half full battery has around 49 kWh of stored electricity, which is around three and a half times more than a Powerwall. And for roughly half the price — provided you ignore the cost of the truck itself.

According to Stover, Ford's system will automatically kick in once the power goes out. Your house gets disconnected from the grid, and power starts flowing from the car’s battery. In future this system will also be able to use something called Ford Intelligent Power — which draws power from the car’s battery when power is more expensive. That aims to save the owner money and ease pressure on the grid.

TOPICS

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.