Ford Now Asks Texas Dealers To Loan F-150 Pickup Trucks With On-Board Generators

If you surfed the web or cable news yesterday, you’ve probably seen that Ford F-150 Owners in Texas get the most out of the on-board generators of their trucks. There have been forum posts and local shows highlighting those plugging heaters and televisions into their microphones as the Lone Star State still faces vast blackouts. Ford was among the first to hear about it, and now it’s asking dealerships across the state to loan out F-150s so more people have access to electricity when it matters most.

Ford’s demand reports first came from Automotive News. The automaker has reportedly sent letters to its dealer network offering retailers $ 600 more than normal to add F-150 PowerBoost hybrids to their loan fleets. Ford says there are about 415 trucks equipped with the most capable 7.2 kilowatt Pro Power on-board system on the Texas lots, and each is capable of delivering maximum power for 32 hours at a time.

Keep in mind that these generators are much more powerful than your normal 110 volt outlet. We’ve done the math once or twice and if you wanted you could power an entire home improvement project with just one …or a mobile restaurant. They also use significantly less fuel at idle than a normal generator, which has been a major factor as gas stations across the state remain closed.

Even trucks without the optional 7.2 kW generator can power appliances and heaters. Every 2021 Ford F-150, except those with the base 3.3-liter V6, rolls out of the factory with systems of at least 2.0 kW – that number climbs slightly to 2.4 kW for standard PowerBoost hybrids. As Ford spokesperson Mike Levine shared on Twitter, just powering a home’s oven because a customer used it to heat their home from 47 degrees to 64 degrees.

Ford’s letter reportedly told dealers that these trucks could still be sold during the March “Truck Month” promotion. Since they are simply loaned out without any sort of titling or financing work, they will be considered new and should not affect dealer selling margins.

“Due to the urgent and unprecedented weather situation in Texas, a number of our local dealerships are using all-new Ford F-150s equipped with Pro Power Onboards to help in their communities,” Ford said in a statement Thursday. “We are proud to make a commitment to help Texas at this time of need.”

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