When Ford Motor Co. rolled out an on-board generator as an possibility on the redesigned F-150 final fall, it defined how prospects might use it for tenting, to energy a TV and blender whereas tailgating or run instruments at a building web site.
A a lot completely different and extra severe advantage of the characteristic, referred to as Professional Energy Onboard, turned obvious final week after winter storms crippled the facility grid in Texas, the guts of pickup nation.
As tens of millions of Texans shivered in darkish, frigid houses, tales emerged of individuals connecting their furnaces, lights and fridges to the mattress of their 2021 F-150.
Randy Jones, a retired refinery employee, thought the 7.2-kilowatt generator on the F-150 hybrid he purchased a number of weeks in the past could be useful throughout hurricane season. When the facility went off final week, he mentioned the truck carried out flawlessly, utilizing solely about six or seven gallons of gasoline whereas working from about 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on daily basis. A few of his neighbors used the truck to cost their telephones and tablets.
“I am thrilled to dying over it,” he mentioned. “Every thing I needed I plugged in. If I had extra splitters I’d have plugged extra in.”
Because the extent of the catastrophe turned obvious, Ford requested sellers to mortgage out as many generator-equipped F-150s from their stock as they may, providing $600 in bonus cash to place the vehicles into their loaner fleets.
Ford mentioned there have been about 415 generator-equipped pickups on Texas sellers’ tons. The vehicles nonetheless may be offered to retail prospects throughout an upcoming “Truck Month” promotion in March, the letter mentioned.
“As a result of pressing and unprecedented climate state of affairs in Texas, a lot of our native sellers are utilizing all-new Ford F-150s geared up with Professional Energy Onboard to assist in their communities,” Ford mentioned in an announcement. “We’re proud to pitch in to assist Texas on this time of want.”