Sunrun is the official charging partner for Ford and its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck, which offers the ability to act as a backup power supply for residences and small businesses. As Ford describes its Intelligent Backup Power option, it requires a Ford Charge Station Pro, which comes with most models of the F-150 Lightning, as well as a “home integration system.”
That’s where Sunrun comes in. According to Autoblog Green, battery backup systems like the Tesla Powerwall have been on the market for years. An electric vehicle like the F-150 Lightning is just a battery on wheels that needs an interface to act as a home energy storage device.
Beginning this spring, Sunrun will offer a home integration system for Ford’s electric pickup truck that allows power to flow both ways through Ford’s Charge Station Pro 80-amp charger. That means the Lightning can directly and automatically power your home if you lose power, just like an auxiliary generator.
While Tesla has a headstart in the home power market, its vehicles don’t officially support this functionality, and circumventing the built-in protocols that prohibit V2H operation will void your Tesla warranty. Ford, on the other hand, actively encourages it, provided you get the proper equipment. The key component is the home integration kit.
While Sunrun would love to provide you with a rooftop solar system, it will be happy to supply you with a home integration package without it. There’s always the possibility you may decide to add a solar power system in the future and when you do, who you gonna call? Sunrun, of course.
Once the complete system is installed, Ford says an F-150 Lightning with the 131 kWh extended range battery can power a house for up to three days, assuming a normal daily usage of 30 kW per day. Turn off everything but the essentials — you will need internet to keep up with CleanTechnica, of course — and you can stretch that to 10 days. To get answers to your questions about the home integration system, head over to the Sunrun website.
V2H is the future. For many customers, it will be one of the primary considerations in their decision to purchase an electric vehicle. The more electric cars there are on the road, the faster the EV revolution will go. It’s good news no matter how you look at it.
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Electrifying Industrial Heat for Steel, Cement, & More
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
