Texans trapped without electricity for days in their homes have suffered without heating or light or the ability to operate refrigerators or stoves, despite low temperatures.
But Randy Jones, 66, a retired refinery worker from the city of Katy, outside Houston, and the owner of a 2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid piwith Pro Power on board, generated envy on social media after posting pictures of how he is doing. using his truck to power his home and help neighbors during the blackout that affected millions in the State of the Lone Star.
“We were away from Sunday to Wednesday night,” he said on Thursday. “It has been terribly cold and frustrating to be without power for so many days.”
The experience looked like a bad movie, something Jones said he could not describe in words that would be printed in a family newspaper.
“You are living your life normally and suddenly you are thrown in the dark. I think it reached about 9 degrees. It’s in the mid-20s and almost 30 degrees. You don’t expect that in South Texas. You don’t expect to lose energy when we have nuclear power, natural gas, wind and solar, “he said. “The truck gave us light at night, access to TV to see the news and the weather. It helped to give us a little heat and a good pot of coffee ”.
He just bought his new F-150 in the first week of February, replacing his 2015 F-150, which replaced his 2010 F-150.
“We have more hurricanes here than frost. We went through two hurricanes just a few months ago,” said Jones. “I bought the truck specifically because of the generator for my own safety. I’m glad I bought it. Some of my neighbors too, because they could charge their cell phones and iPads without my power supply.”
His wife was away, visiting her son in Louisiana. They had power.
“It is so unusual these days to have a power outage for four days,” said Jones. “You can never discard anything. You always have to be prepared.”
Jones took pictures and posted them on the f150gen14.com forum, saying, “2021 F-150 PowerBoost’s Onboard Generator saves the day (3 days!) During the Texas power outage.
He wrote earlier this week:
“A small 10-20 degree cold front south of Texas cut off the power for 3 days, so I had a chance to test my truck’s generator. I haven’t turned on my house’s power panel yet, so I used some cables extension. I turned on the power for some lights, coffee maker, 75 “TV, toaster, heater and refrigerator. I worked for about 10-12 hours a day to keep the food freezer frozen. I don’t think it’s a lot of cargo because he used only a few gallons of gas over that time. I am more than satisfied with what he did for me.
Easy to use, just plug and forget. I had to reset the 2 circuit breakers in the truck body to start, as they were disarmed by the salesman when he gave me the initial tour. He took the keys with me and locked my door. He started and stopped the engine occasionally. Cellular service was also not available, so I didn’t get a chance to try the Ford Pass app. Much quieter than the neighboring generator and I didn’t have to recharge it in the cold every 8 hours. There were no gas stations open, so he was left in the dark after his two 5-gallon cans ran out.
Easy to use: Check
Too much energy for my needs: Check
Quiet service: Check
Glad I: Check
Jones does not have a Twitter account, but his images and experience were obtained and quickly shared by news consumers and F-150 fans.
Ford CEO Jim Farley retweeted the image of the working truck and said, “The situation in the southwestern US is so difficult. I wish everyone in Texas had a new F150 with a generator on board PowerBoost …”
Dan Basile, 38, a cybersecurity analyst from Bryan, Texas, said on Thursday that he has no license plates on his new 2021 F-150 that he bought in January and that he used to heat his home during blackouts over the past few days.
He posted on the F-150 forum in response to Jones: “I have done the same thing! I thought I would use the 7.2 from time to time, but that sold it to me. Fortunately, the blower in the oven uses only 400 w. days without any problems. I just wish I could turn off the panel screen. “
Although his energy was restored on Wednesday night, Basile said he was not confident about how long it could last.
“I’m concerned about the side effects when we start to find broken pipes – there’s no telling,” he said.
Other comments from the F-150 owners’ forum included:
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“I’m doing the same thing in Texas. My power amplifier is turning on the fridge, the cable modem, the TV … my reclining electric coffee maker. It’s been running constantly for 72 hours. It used 1/4 of the gas tank. Also I’m using extension cables, because I haven’t wiring in my house yet. The Ford Pass works really well. This truck is amazing. “
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“I find it easier to turn it on for a few hours a day. (Going to day 4 now) He keeps everything frozen in the freezer and cold in the refrigerator section. Without power, the temperature rises and things thaw. No waste and no cleaning.
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“It can be a trick until you need it. Although I didn’t have a direct need for the 7.2 kW option, I opted for it. I’m glad it helped in a bad situation.”
The 2021 hybrid and non-hybrid F-150s offer integrated Pro Power.
With the hybrid, the 2021 Ford F-150 comes standard with 2.4 KW that runs for 85 hours with a full tank. Buyers usually upgrade for $ 750 to a 7.2 KW system, which generates more power and can run for 32 hours on a full charge.
The gas version has an optional Pro Power with 2 KW for $ 995.
The gas-powered 2021 F-150 starts at $ 28,940, including destination fees. The PowerBoost Hybrid is available only as a SuperCrew and costs from $ 43,485.
All F-150 pickups are built in Dearborn and Claycomo, Missouri.
As people across the Deep South struggle to keep themselves and their families warm, some F-series owners are using their pickup trucks to take the semi-trailers out of trouble during the snow peak.
They are posting a video of the rescues this week. Check out:
Follow Detroit Free Press reporter Phoebe Wall Howard on twitter @phoebesaid.
This article was originally published in Detroit Free Press: Texas winter storm blackout: Ford F-150 2021 used to heat home