Ford F-150 Lightning Home Integration System Priced At $3,895

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One of the most highly anticipated benefits of owning a Ford F-150 Lightning is the ability to use it to power a home during a blackout. But in order to use it for that purpose requires some planning and the installation of additional equipment in the home. You can’t simply park it, plug it in, and go inside to watch reruns of My Mother The Car in air conditioned comfort until the power is restored.

Ford has chosen Sunrun as its partner to install the Home Integration System needed to take advantage of the vehicle-to-home capability of the F-150 Lightning. Now it has announced what all this will cost — $3,895 to be precise, according to Matthew Stover, the director of charging and energy services at Ford. The Home Integration System consists of an inverter, a transfer switch, and a small battery to power the system temporarily when the main power goes out.

According to autoevolution, the Home Integration System automatically disconnects the house’s electrical system from the utility line and switches over to Ford Intelligent Backup Power when the grid goes down. In the future, it will also be able to power the house from the truck’s battery when electricity rates are higher, potentially saving money and easing pressure on the grid.

That $3,895 is the price for customers who order their F-150 Lightning with the extended range battery. That option automatically includes the charger as well as Ford’s Intelligent Backup Power System. Customers who order their truck with the standard range battery will need to purchase the 80 amp Ford Charge Station Pro from their dealer, which costs $1,310 according to Inside EVs.

The Home Integration System will be sold exclusively through Ford’s partner, Sunrun, which will also arrange for installation of the equipment. Owners can opt to have the installation performed by any licensed electrician if they wish, which brings up this important point — the price you see here does not include installation.

Sunrun makes it clear that the cost of installation may vary — perhaps considerably. If you live in a home that has 40 amp service from 100 years ago, your costs will be higher than they will be for someone who has a newer home with 400 amp service installed a few years ago. Where the equipment is located and the distance between the entry panel and the charger will also be a factor. Trenching through concrete sidewalks or asphalt driveways is expensive, as it breaching foundation walls to run new circuits.

Is That A Lot Of Money?

If you were thinking your F-150 Lightning was going to power your home at no cost to you, think again. That $3,895 is for openers. Installation could double or triple that price. So is this a good deal or not? I was curious, so I did an internet search for the cost of a whole house backup generator. It turns out, even though the generator itself may be affordable, pouring a concrete pad for it to sit on and installing the same inverters and transfer switches the Ford system requires can cost between $12,000 and $15,000, all done and dusted.

So is the Ford Home Integration System a good deal for you? That depends on you, your budget, and how much peace of mind is worth to you. See dealer for details!


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Steve Hanley

Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Florida or anywhere else The Force may lead him. He is proud to be "woke" and doesn't really give a damn why the glass broke. He believes passionately in what Socrates said 3000 years ago: "The secret to change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new."

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