The winter storm that devastated much of Texas this week left millions of residents without water and electricity – but some people managed to keep the lights and heaters on thanks to vehicles capable of providing emergency power.
Ford even asked dealers in Texas to borrow the new F-150 PowerBoost, a hybrid version of its complete truck that can supply up to 7.2 kilowatts of energy through a built-in generator.
“It was a life saver,” Jerry Hall, a retired rural man from Kerrville, Texas, told NBC News. “It gave us all the conveniences. We were not sitting in the dark, isolated. “
The storm that hit Texas last weekend poured ice and snow over a region unaccustomed to heavy winter storms. Due to a combination of factors, the state’s power grid has short-circuited, leaving millions of residents without power.
When Hall’s power was cut off last Sunday, he backed his new Ford truck into the garage and started unwinding the extension cables. He had purchased the hybrid version of the F-150 specifically to obtain the built-in generator – which he hoped to use for camping or to operate power tools remotely.
“I didn’t know that I would end up needing this for a storm like this,” he said by phone.
The optional generator – which Ford calls the Pro Power Onboard system – ran for three days before its power was turned on again. It provided enough energy to handle a refrigerator, freezer, lights, cable internet box and a television.
Hall had a fireplace big enough to keep his small home cozy. But Randy Jones of Katy, Texas, said his home would soon be freezing without his own F-150 PowerBoost, which he used to power heaters, as well as lights and appliances.
“It has been a blessing for me and my neighbors,” said Jones, adding that he allowed neighbors to connect their phones and other devices to a power strip he set up.
Earlier this week, Ford approached its dealers in Texas to see if they could help local residents.
“Due to the urgent and unprecedented climatic situation in Texas, several of our local dealers are using the new Ford F-150s equipped with Pro Power Onboard to help their communities,” said the automaker in a statement. “Approximately 415 trucks fall in this effort. “
Ford’s new F-150 is not the only truck that can serve as a generator, but other optional systems have been limited to about 2 kilowatts, or just enough to power a single electric heater and a few LED lamps.
Ford is not the only automaker to receive praise for helping in the storm. A Reddit user who goes by the screen name Razzooz posted a note saying “My Tesla prevented my family from freezing last night.” The family, including a newborn daughter, managed to sleep in the garage car to keep warm without worrying about carbon monoxide poisoning. “If I didn’t have this car, it would have been a very difficult night,” said Redditor wrote.
Other Texans turned to social media in praise of Tesla’s Powerwall battery backup system, which kept the lights and heating on.
The California-based automaker has signaled plans to offer a two-way charging system that could access the energy stored in the vehicle, as well as a backup generator, if the lights go out. And you are not alone. Nissan and several other EV manufacturers are developing similar systems that can help supply power to individual homes, even the entire grid, during blackouts and power outages.