Replacing My OFF-GRID Power System With an E.V. (not what I expected)

Can a Ford F150 Lightning power our completely off-grid home during winter?
The video that started It all: • Don't Buy A Tesla Powe...
We're a husband and wife team who bought 20 acres of bare off-grid land in North Idaho. Follow along as we turn a pole barn into our dream shop with an upstairs apartment!
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[@AmbitionStrikes]

📲 Install Raid for Free Mobile and PC: raidrpg.com/ambitionstrikes1 and get a special starter pack with an Epic champion Juliana 🔥

[@SaltandPepperX]

OMG you guys will advertise anything and this is a total disgrace from you 👎👎

[@kaurkoop]

@@SaltandPepperX watch the free entertainment and be quiet, these ads pay for free viewership, and its only 30sec so whats the point going bananas?

[@greggb1416]

Ok, ok, ok.., enough with the foolishness.., now back to D8CAT, 120excavator, 299CAT skid steer, equipment working up rock and dirt…, demolishing old homestead…, etc..,

[@tr3vorb438]

This sponsor doesn’t fit with your channel theme. Confusing

[@SaltandPepperX]

@@kaurkoop who the hell do you think you are telling me to "be quiet", ffs the point is that they are pushing a stupid product that has nothing to do with the channel yet of course you are a pathetic person that does not understand simple things like this. And not "going bananas" wtf are you talking about, i made a comment that has nothing to do with you whatsoever, so shut up. I watched this channel for few year and this is not what they should be pushing to the subs that's a sure thing and if someone joins membership then that is NOT free is it as you are helping them but they push crap like this.

[@theproblemis2158]

Something I just found when looking at price and specs for a new 2024 lightning. "The ProPower onboard generator now powers up when you unlock the truck, no longer requiring the truck to be powered completely on. These changes are also given to 2022 and 2023 F-150 Lightnings as over-the-air software updates." So that is one problem you can fix with an update. 😀

[@DTSquared]

It would be interesting to know how secure the truck was when being used as a power source like this. With the version in the video it sounded like the truck was literally on meaning. I guess, someone could just get in and drive it away. With it unlocked then I guess it would only be at risk of someone stealing stuff from inside the truck.

[@JoE_Songs]

can't believe they chose the Ford Lightning truck, after all those bad tests, especially that from Hoovie's Garage. Range collapsed totally and utterly in cold weather.

[@jimhill5472]

The Powerboost hybrid I have needs to be "on" as if you are going to drive it. Then I select the onbord power generator option and then turn off head lights, radio, heat/ac, info display screen, etc. When you leave cab with keyfob you can lock truck and only thing left lit up is speedometer cluster. The truck won't be allowed to be taken out of park unless keyfob enters cab. Truck then only occasionally runs gas engine for a few minutes out of each half hour time period depending on load plugged in.@@DTSquared

[@hl2349]

My wife has come across a few carbon monoxide poisonings at her hospital from people forgetting to turn off their cars, with auto-engine start, in their garage. When forgotten, their AC/Heater later turns on the gas engine to meet the set cabin temperature so be careful. With a BEV, one would not have to worry about CO poisoning.

[@jaytrock3217]

Anyone that buys one of these is a moron. Unless they got it for the price of the battery pack.

[@samhklm]

This the most practical experiment for backup systems I have seen. I have heard discussions of the concept, but this is real world. Love that it worked.

[@乂]

The effort that goes into these projects is insane

[@wjhann4836]

And - the amount of filming and editing not included.

[@SaltandPepperX]

well i wish they spent little more time in looking for better sponsors/advisers

[@todallard8791]

@@SaltandPepperX Raid comes looking for anyone to advertise they don't care and it's a garbage game where the pay to win make it no fun as are 99.9% of free games.

[@Dakalberry]

Well it’s kinda there job

[@The_Beast_666]

@X IFKR!

[@joeman255]

If you are looking for another alternative as a backup power supply - consider the upcoming Ramcharger (early 2025). It has a 92kWh battery pack AND 27 gallon gas tank that powers a V6 engine driving a 130KW generator. For short outages you could use just the 92kWh battery. If you had an extend outage, the the V6 engine and generator can provide power to the 7.2kW bed-mounted power panel.

[@davewallen1540]

Great test! I would have purchased the powerboost F150 over the full EV just for the ability to create that power if needed.. I work for Ford and have ran my home for 15 days on the generator system from my truck for the cost of 60 bucks in fuel.. And no temp protection issues in negative 10 degree nights.. Love the videos!

[@greenman360]

This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. You didn't hypothesize or talk about it, you did it. A week at a 400 watt hour average consumption, with zero input is amazing. I think I might get an EV at some point now, not because I want it as a vehicle, but because it would be an amazing power station on wheels.

[@lachlanB323]

Important Note: Not all electric cars can do this right now. The only ones I know of are F150 and Tesla Cybertruck.

[@Paul-cj1wb]

@@lachlanB323 The Chevy EV trucks also have the capabilities. We'll see about the RAM ones. However, there are other EVs that do it to a smaller scale. Not quite suited to off-grid yet, but can help out in a pinch. But most are planning to go in that direction soon. It's just another great selling point for EVs.

[@lachlanB323]

@@Paul-cj1wb Cool! I hope to see non trucks do this! Like even just a standard Model 3 would be great as you can get them for 40k.

[@suvari225]

Yes, this capability is extremely useful, but limited to some EV trucks. I have Tesla Model Y with Lithium 12v battery. The best I can get from the vehicle is 16v*12amp ~200w from the 12v socket on the trunk. Even that gives me a comfort, because if we loose a power during a winter storm I can re-charge my Ecoflow Delta 2 out of the Tesla and power my gas furnace or fridge or both. So it is good to know we won’t be freezing. A pro power on board with 7200w power capability is just next next level.

[@Paul-cj1wb]

@@suvari225 Yes, Tesla is late to the game as they prefer to sell you their powerwalls. However, they're beginning to change their tune. The Cybertruck now has it. As more and more EVs go that route, they'll likely add it to the rest of their lineup. Some countries are even discussing mandating it.

[@upnorthandpersonal]

It's not about replacing it, it complements it. I have a 60kWh (soon 100kWh) battery powering my home. I'm also very up north: 63 degrees in Finland. What an EV with V2L (the inverter) allows is to seamlessly integrate both systems. You don't just increase your home battery, you increase your vehicle range with solar that would otherwise go unused. Yes, it serves as a back-up option in winter, but also as an extension to the home battery (as you have noticed on those sunny days). Plus, you drive for free all summer. Saves having to run the generator as often as you might as well buy some power more cheaply in town compared to using generator fuel.

[@kadmow]

- a hybrid inverter + battery + charge controller, of any brand does the same thing... my truck has one too and it (the truck) isn't crippled out of the box... This solution need not only be for the very wealthy who don't really need a second truck.

[@upnorthandpersonal]

@@kadmow Regular EV cars like the BYD Dolphin and others support V2L as well, and this would easily be just the primary commuter car.

[@belavet]

@@kadmowa $49k truck is for the "very wealthy"? You have a skewed concept of wealth if affording a vehicle that's a hair over national average (edit: wow, numbers have changed, it's actually $7k UNDER) in price is limited to the very wealthy. I mean, it's definitely not for poor people, but nobody made that claim. Consider also that used units aren't going to hold their value forever. Can currently find one in my area used for $39k with only 10k miles on it. This application wouldn't make a ton of sense for me, as I have solar and am on grid with 1:1 net metering, but my wife's work lets her charge for free. I could power my house overnight for nothing. Our power bills used to be $250-300 a month before solar. From there it's just math. As an aside, we live in a 1200 square foot ranch style in central MA. I wouldn't consider myself wealthy, but understand that relative.

[@hikikomori69]

Shhh… you’re gonna cause the chuds to have an existential crises if they take the time to figure out where Finland is lol. -“EVs don’t work when it’s cold… Durrr” lol. They always parrot the same things over and over and never bother to take in new information.

[@BB-mi3um]

We have solar and use the truck as a battery backup. We don't use the onboard pro-power, we use the home integration system that we got with the truck. It plugs into the charge port and provides 80amps to our home. When the sun is out and we are getting solar, it charges. When the sun goes down we use the battery from the truck to power the entire home. No need to ever unplug it, no need to leave it on. And the truck fully charges by the end of the day and we only use about 5% from evening until morning. We've had zero issues with it and would absolutely buy it again.

[@pstoneking3418]

I never purchased the home integration system as I couldn't see any real benefits in it versus just using the 7200W 240 plug located in the bed of the truck plugged into a 14-50R receptical at my main service panel. I charge my truck using my solar system using a 7.2 kwh 240 volt charger. Since I seldom drive more than 60 miles in a day and only drive 2-3 times a week so I can usually recharge my truck after a trip in a few hours of charging. This is the best F150 that I've ever owned.

[@spiredoggy]

Would love to see a "Summertime" version of this video. Will you be able to drive the truck all summer off of excess Solar and never have to worry about charging anywhere but at home? (Sounds like a true off grid dream!)

[@vincentsgaming]

Yeah cant wait for that video. But i assume it will be the dream. He can fully charge to 100% everyday with free excess solar.

[@BrettBreeden]

He will absolutely be able to provide 100% of his electricity for driving in the summer. No question.

[@Lazer-yi6qg]

@@vincentsgamingyea but you also aren’t using 100% of your battery every single day. I charge my Tesla at home and get about 30-40% overnight. That’s about 100 miles of driving. My commute is about 20 miles each way. My car is always at full when I wake up every morning

[@vincentsgaming]

@@Lazer-yi6qg nice! With solar? Or grid

[@Lazer-yi6qg]

@@vincentsgaming I live in a town house with 2 car garage so just renting. but assuming he has the battery capacity to run a 15a 120v outlet all night. Solar could charge those batteries to full and discharge when he’s sleeping at night

[@drc6940]

This is an exceptionally well made video. Well done guys, i've never seen this concept actually used in real life.

[@stevehaken]

You are actually augmenting your off grid power system. The best design is to have redundant power generation methods. I see the value in your F-150 as a mobile battery source where you can move energy from the GRID to your home. This is not a replacement for your generators (diesel or gas) which are independent of weather and the 20 mile distance to recharging your mobile battery on the GRID. Capuring excess energy and dumping it into your F-150 is very cool and should work well in the summer!

[@misosoup777]

This ^^^ . It's defense in depth. Put a diesel transfer tank in your electric truck, plan to charge it in town whenever you're there and you've create an effectively n+3 redundant system. Nice video.

[@rickallman1318]

Exactly what I was thinking!

[@corpnut2906]

my thoughts ezxactlly

[@davidhunter4617]

Absolutely agree. The truck is a layer of defense in your power plan, and a place to store unexpected excess solar as demonstrated. You still need the generator in case you’re away from the house during the winter, as the truck is manual not automatic (could also be with you while you’re away), and you don’t want the house freezing. But having a backup to your backup, where you can import energy from town is super helpful. And being able to run the truck all summer for free off your excess solar is a huge improvement on paying for gas/diesel to run your other vehicles. It’s totally a win, but it’s not a replacement for your system at all, it’s a super helpful supplement to your existing off-grid system. The peace of mind of knowing that you can run the house for several days at a time when your off-grid inverters eventually fail and need repairs/replacement? Priceless.

[@JFabric500]

Exactly!!!! It’s basically a boost for the dramatic ends of the scenario. Have too much production, charge the truck. Don’t have enough storage, use the truck.

[@racingtogreen2023]

We're about 1.5 years into our Ford Lightning experience. It hasn't been too bad for early adopting. My 2008 Subaru WRX was at the dealer more. We built an additional 3.6kw offgrid system with used panels, 10Kw of LiFePo4 batts, and a refurb EG4 hybrid inverter for around $4k after rebates to both charge the lightning and run a 12k btu Mini-split for the garage. System should pay itself off in 4-5 years, and we have 10kW (soon to be 20kw) of backup power for the house, allowing us to use the Lightning and still power the house if needed. We're in South Texas, so don't have the cold weather issues. 4-5 years from now, we'll be getting entirely free fuel, and a climate controlled garage for free. Gas station in the back yard. Not sure why everyone that has the room and a few grand doesn't do it.

[@portnuefflyer]

I also added more PV to my place last year, a 3 KW array, after buying a Toyota RAVE4 Prime plug in hybrid, also using used panels, from SAN TAN Solar, a killer deal, and they act like new!

[@connormeehan7916]

I think the truck would not supply the Victron system because the neutral is bonded to ground on the truck and in your off grid system. Try removing the off grid side bonding to get the truck to power the Victron charger. Also as someone who has owned 4 EVs it makes me kind of sad this is how your first experience was. It is a learning curve that is for sure. But it should be easier. It will get better with time and you will build up a comfort level to the range anxiety. Hang in there! Oliver is cute as always. We have a son about the same age and he loves watching your videos. He even tries to talk to Oliver when he sees him.

[@ryanchristie5349]

The Quattro’s (his inverter/chargers) have relays that bond the neutral and ground when disconnected from the “grid”. When connected to external A/C sources the inverter should be programmed to open that relay and break the neutral/ ground bonding. It’s a checkbox in the software. Assuming that’s set correctly then he could select the “weak AC” option checkbox in the software. This will make the quattro’s ramp there draw on the truck over time instead of all at once….

[@kadmow]

@@ryanchristie5349 - is the truck system auto synchronising, it isn't meant to be V2G but V2L ?? - sometimes "phone an expert" helps...

[@stijnbode8448]

With the setup you guys already have at home the truck is just a really smart idea to add. an electric truck won’t be perfect for every scenario but like you mentioned already it’s a great way to store all that excess power, have a backup for your home and have a great vehicle to work/live with. It’ll be great to work with off site where you don’t have any power so you don’t have to carry all those ecoflows around and in my opinion electric cars are a joy to ride. There are still some things to solve before electric can become mainstream (like charging infrastructure) but there are already a lot of really clever and cool ways to use electric vehicles! Really enjoyed the video, thanks again!

[@shanenorwell8580]

You should be able to set up a “dump load” through the Victron equipment to automatically start/stop charging the car when the batteries and solar meet certain conditions.

[@thepittman4g63]

Thanks for doing this real world test, something I've been wondering about for awhile. Seems like the concept could work after your growing pains. I'm sure it will be much more efficient in the summer when you can be completely self-sufficient

[@greggoldman893]

20+ year off grid user here, love all the ideas and planing. Something that has always intrigued me is using a prius hybrid as a battery back-up, generator. It automatically starts and runs when the battery bank is under voltage. I believe you can put a big battery bank in the truck, then voltage regulator to house batteries. Load would take house batteries down first, then the car traction battery, then the internal combustion engine to recharge all. Should be efficient and rather “simple” to use, as the toyota has the internal BMS to do the work.

[@nwngunner]

Ford had or has a hybrid that can do exactly that. That is the route i would go,, or even better yet with what edison motors is doing with their diesel hybrid trucks. Both heavy logging trucks and now their retrofit kits for like f250 and f350 class trucks

[@granngoldrige1592]

Like a diesel electric train! Hmm !

[@ORSkie]

Much, MUCH prefer the hybrids!

[@paulwackerla6330]

Great video, having multiple backup systems where you live is a must in the winter time. When you have good production from your solar panels, you generate free electricity for the truck and being able to plug in tools from your truck is so handy. Thanks for giving us a great rundown of your testing.

[@johnaddis1022]

So what was the verdict on the propane powered generator that broke, company going to replace it or was it a pig in a poke? Jla

[@RyderNight99]

Huge EV fan here, have multiple EVs. But I don’t think it makes sense to go to town and charge the vehicle to bring back. You just switched going to town to haul water to hauling electricity haha. However, I think you’ll benefit a lot more in summer when you have excess energy. Trow some better tires on it and it could be your daily truck for hauling things, going to town, and just getting around your property - all for “free” with excess solar.

[@JohnHMoore]

Love the comparison between hauling water and hauling electricity!!

[@greggoldman893]

Especially when the water analogy is often used to explain amps and voltage!😂

[@texancowboy9988]

Ultimately, nothing is "free".

[@bobjohnson4512]

It depends on the cost of propane and what the cost of charging is.

[@garywarren5048]

Hardly free at $49000

[@kida2014]

Okay bro what you need is fords charge station pro for your application as it allows for power to be sent both ways without needing the vehicle to be powered on. Look in to this and I’m sure it should solve most if not all your problems.

[@eveningecho5334]

Interesting vid, in Europe here we fit charger units for ev’s because wall outlet charging is so slow. In Australia there are people changing Nissan leaf cars at night at a cheap electric rate and selling it back to the grid at peak hours. More relevant to you though is info from my Norwegian friend who says never run an ev batteries charge below 30% because going from anything up to 30 is really hard on the battery life and then there is the 80% rule that says never change it above 80% to save the battery health. Personally, if I were in your situation I’d need the 30 and ignore the 80! Also noteworthy is that grid storage systems are now being made from roped out ev batteries, not good enough for car use but can store sfe capacity so when the day arrives and you have to put a new battery in that truck, keep the old one!

[@lauraquigley6403]

This was my Absolute favorite video that you’ve done on the property! Well done! I have watched you since you were in the camper truck! Oliver is always the ⭐️!🙏🙏🙏Blessing’s

[@loislane5092]

Glancing through the comments, I was expecting an avanlanche of anti-EV "h8ters", but that isn't the case. That's very encouraging. The energy transition is happening and no amount of "h8" will stop it, so it's good to see that the level of acceptence is rising. At least judging by this audience.

[@PopsGG]

I have a F150 lightning and I love it. You can remove the pedestrian warning noise, but it takes an after market item to avoid a warning on the dash. I am sure it is an easy search away.

[@WhitneyBee87]

This is a commercial. Ford should definitely reach out for promo 😊

[@meilyn22]

Testing a truck is now a commercial? What a silly comment.

[@RankFastProYouTube]

Your content is a shining example of creativity and dedication. Well done!

[@johnfears8814]

You should look at the ford charge station pro charger. It can charge at 80 amps and it can power your house. It's much better than using the bed power.

[@kimberleylamoureux4969]

The pro charge station only work with the big battery 131 kwh and not the 90 kwh …. That would be a total different test

[@nathanbrumbaugh8545]

Are they still offering ford charge station pro ? I am being told it’s no longer available.

[@davidhammond8308]

@@nathanbrumbaugh8545do you have this in writing/any way to confirm?

[@richardprice5978]

@@nathanbrumbaugh8545 better be! ( already setting up the 400amp-retro-fit-panel-ect 1970 house 🏡for it, just need for coprate/local dealership's to sell the installation kit +safety equipment ect as id like it pre-installed before taking the truck home for the 1st time so my experience is smoother ect )( vehicle to load/grid and other parts of convenat's/easygoing made my gasser classic obsolete and worthwhile to change my habit's ) otherwise it's back to diesels or pre-1966~/EPA-free for my next truck-experience glad the cost is starting to come down 150k usd $ is way to much for mechanic 👨‍🔧 ( my career is in manufacturing plants millwright, so the interior gets hammered even though i try to keep it date night ready ) and farming/welders-rig's that are going to get thrashed

[@richardprice5978]

@@nathanbrumbaugh8545 my local Utah and Idaho dealership's don't seem to like selling BEV's or servicing them as it's been a painful experience, my expectations were drive to the dealership pay for the kit ( getting my residence ready for BEV's and the modern era, instead of the 1960's and 80amp services and lack of safety equipment ect ) and wait ( and yes paying for it at the dealership or online, up front, yes for some it would be nice/better to add it as a package RPO-code but my house needs updating way to much for this to happen/be-realistically goals so doing it instage's for me makes for sense and easier for are wallet and time management ect ) for the pallet and get residential contractor/electrician or being able to self-installation with a ford-inspector and or county's for final-certification but nope call corporate which then they wanted a vin 👎look my buddies truck or if i move shouldn't be locked under my/previous vin as software ect and it's a poor experience to buy it and then have to go to essentially a BEV-fuel station for 2 or more weeks waiting for packages to show up the my dealership and then waiting on out of state sun-runn installation-team

[@pstoneking3418]

The F150 240 outlet has a bonded neutral. If you connect the truck to a bonded neutral circuit you'll receive a ground fault on the truck. Since you were power your sub panel with the truck everything worked fine because sub panels aren't supposed to have a bonded neutral. You also must turn off the trucks 30 minute automatic shutdown.

[@BigTireGarage]

Great video guys!!!! What I think of when I see this video....is the idea that I could use the truck to drive to my shop...charge it up all day when I am at the shop, and when I come home at night use it to power my off grid house.

[@mattgirgenti3595]

Very cool video and info. Some neat ideas both good an bad. Sounds like Ford needs at "Home UPS mode" that reduces all non-essential things, kills the dang fake fan, etc. How much does it cost to charge at different stations?

[@benparsons196]

That's pretty sweet. Tell me about them octagon lights on your ceiling in the shop. Those are so cool.

[@brucebennett5759]

Agree! I saw them last week and thought That's so Cool, then I saw the stove pipe through the lights this week and thought That's so On Brand!

[@AndyJarrell]

I think having multiple ways to power your house is a win. In the summer when you have all that excess solar, it’s total win and a huge convenience as you’ve no need to go to the gas station. I’d be interested to see if during the summer you could use that truck as your fuel hauler (for the diesels) and do more of your daily driving in it. So it’d become more of a seasonal truck that gets lots of use during summer and serves more of a backup role during winter. I think the comments here about depreciation aren’t really relevant if you’re going to hang onto it. If you turn around and sell it in a year, then sure. But, to give you a comparison, I bought a Chevy Bolt in 2018 and we’ve been driving it all over the place for 6 years. It has had quirks and some recalls (heck, I even got a whole new battery in the big recall that increased my range!) but it’s been in the shop a heck of a lot less than gas cars ever were. It’s just the yearly inspection, tire rotations and has had one new set of tires. Best car I’ve ever owned. People spend stupid amount of money on trucks and then throw shade at a reasonable priced electric truck like the Lightening. Y’all got a great deal. You have gas cars for those long trips where fast chargers might not be convenient. Everything has a learning curve, I think you made a great choice. Keep us posted and make use of that summer sun!

[@TimRoyalPastortim]

Soon you will be able to use the Tesla Supercharger standard and the reliability of their system will make your charging a no-headache proposition. You should make a video about that when the time comes... maybe a short?

[@michaelberlinger8138]

since you guys are so into projects, AND you have lots of heavy equipment, what about building a pond up the hill from your house. In the summer use excess solar power to pump water uphill. In the winter, drain the water back downhill to generate power. Of course, you would lose some power to the pumping process efficiency AND regenerating it again, but if it's excess power anyway, maybe not a deal killer?

[@chrisharvey2155]

have you thought of a gravity battery? take advantage of the hilly property. just dig a flat surface on a long grade. install a rail and weigh car. connect it to a motor generator and pull it up when your batteries are full and let it out when the batteries are low. also a solar-powered saw mill and wind power in the tree tops. i did this and with your great team and skillset, this will be fun for you. great channel Harv

[@jana171]

This was a super interesting Proof of Concept, imho the F150 does not replace the off-grid system, but 100% compliments it, in that you can go without ICE generators, and just go fetch some power in the town. And I bet the propane, gas or diesel for a generator to last 7 days, will cost more than the cheap power you guys get from the grid when charging the F150. BUT WE NEED THE NUMBERS, PLZ 🙂

[@portnuefflyer]

Yeah, but getting power in town is kinda cheating!

[@mickyb2661]

Getting diesel from in town is also "cheating" imo. At least the power in town is local hydro power.

[@Paul-cj1wb]

Well, they can now think about increasing the solar array and even in winter get enough power out of it to run the house, because now they have all the extra storage to collect the huge surplus in summer. Remember, solar still produces a bit power in winter, so if it's sufficient size, it's enough for a home. The issue is where to store all the extra power in summer. With EVs, people now have that extra storage capabilities.

[@CodeCowboy64]

I love your content. I have a Tesla Model Y so I have experience and I find your solution very interesting, and loved watching your experience with the electric Ford. I will say the following relevant bits: 1. Tesla Superchargers charge WAY, and I mean WAY faster than what your truck draws at the station in town. CCS is a huge fail in the US market. 2. All batteries will struggle significantly in the cold to both charge and deliver power efficiently (as I'm sure you're already aware) 3. You could rig a wireless Arduino to communicate with another one and turn off your truck charging automatically once your house batteries drop below X percentage ... say 98% or something so that if you have a sunny day you can just leave you truck plugged in and it would cut off the charging without requiring you to go unplug it. * The chargeverter is actually a brilliant piece of tech for a solution. I have a portable charger that won't charge my Tesla, so I may throw a chargeverter in the mix to see if it resolves the car rejecting the power. Thank you for that possible solution.

[@boneman1982]

It's the truck and nothing to do with the charger. Lightning charges at 155kw max. My Rivian charges at 220kw at stations that are rated for it. And the Tesla adapter works great. That said, I can't wait until everyone is on the NACS connector. It's much easier to use. I charge only at Tesla stations or Rivian stations now because it's so much easier than Electrify America.

[@nzlemming]

I love my EV (not in temperatures and conditions like yours!). I've been driving it for 6 years now. You get over range anxiety in time, as you get used to how it drives, though it does require planning your route and knowing your distances to make sure you can get to the next charger. We have a reasonable charger network in NZ and it's getting better all the time.

[@bobdelamater9353]

I owned a powerboost with the 7.2kw pro power and it wouldn't run my 15 amp dewalt saw. I opened a case with Ford and they told me the problem was with my saw. But, I created a video that demonstrated I could hold more than 20 amps constantly by hooking up a space heater that has a dial, and a blow dryer. Then I slowly increased the power consumed using the dial on the space heater. I measured that with an electrical meter and demonstrated the difference was the saw called for 17 amps immediately, whereas I could get my two devices up to nearly 22 amps constant power if I did it slowly. That was when Fors responded that they have a software update for the pro power on board. I got that update and saw it retested and it worked. This was after months of back and forth of me proving my point that they advertise the system can handle way more than one 15 amp saw at a time. Essentially, the update acted as if I installed a soft start on my saw and slowed the inrush current. They had this software update available for a long time during my ownership of the truck, they should have issued a recall or installed it when I bought the truck. Instead, Ford just waits for you to complain, then you have to prove the point as if you are an electrician. Anyways, perhaps your pro power on board needs that soft start software update?

[@The_Beast_666]

This guy can literally plug anything into anything!!

[@robgriffin4801]

Awesome that it works pretty seamlessly considering this is a first gen EV. Definitely going to be buying a bidirectional capable ev for my next ev.

[@philmaness5983]

I would not say your EV can replace your off grid power system, but it does supplement it quite nicely. Making the vehicle a little smarter, and better able to communicate with the host system (the inverter or the grid or whatever) could make this whole thing a lot simpler. I understand your motivation, being off-grid, to be able to take the truck into town, get a load of juice, then take it home and store that juice in the batteries at home, is much less expensive than running the propane or diesel generation. I would guess that if you can start with a full battery at home, and maybe once weekly trips to town to supercharge the truck, works when there's no sun. When you have one of those rare sunny winter days, top up both the home battery and car battery (and a tank of hot water), you can skip the trip to the supercharger that week.

[@roberthumphrey1304]

The complexity of this concept has come a long way from the 5 tube radio schematic I memorized long ago. I worked electronics up till the 90s. Although I understand the concept of what you are doing there is no way in hell i would undertake the challenge. Infact I would further suggest that any retiree over 60 would be foolish to try this. My wife has trouble with remote start on her car. There are things that old-timers just need because we are no longer able to absorb the new technologies. From the windcharger on the smokehouse charging a 6 volt battery for the vacuum tube radio to today's cell phone covers a lot of technology-based advancements. At some point advancement needs to be paused so us old farts can enjoy life and watch as newer generations continue their adventures. Yes I love you adventures across the spectrum of challenges from the old D8 " which I hope you will get it running again " to the electric truck powering your house. Thank you for sharing.

[@PrograError]

IMO his setup is a lot more complicated than needed... from what and how Tesla's system (as an ideal setup) goes, it should be possible to just plug-in from the main CCS/ NACS vehicle outlet and the power just flow from the charging setup

[@xavelor]

What brand is that car seat for Oliver? I love that swivel operation! I need that for when I’m driving my grandkids.

[@CncObsession]

I caught that too and thought it was great.

[@kytul]

When Ford announced this truck and said you could run your house for a whole week on it as a generator I instantly wanted it. Haven't gotten a chance to get it yet, but glad to see that one of the things they claimed about it definitely was true. And running a solar set up and using the truck to get the overflow energy after the batteries were full was also something I was curious about doing. Loved this video. Answered a bunch of my own questions!

[@VFR1200F]

Not sure if anyone else has already commented on the 7,200 watt output. It is actually two 3,600 outputs at 120v. So if you have more than 3,600 watts on either the same side of the output (L1 or L2), you will overload it.

[@evil17]

I was wondering about that, do you know if it is high frequency or low frequency inverter?

[@NightshiftCustom]

it will be a high as a low would need a big transformer to work @@evil17

[@millerhoo]

Great video. I have the same whole home cut over switch and plug in my garage with a cheap 240v generator that I manually cut over when there is power outage. Pore man’s generac. I have been pondering hard on this solution and appreciate the work put in to test it.

[@wesman7837]

Well, I wouldn't use it to replace your solar setup, but it looks like it is going to work hand in glove with it really well! It looks like the two systems are going to complement each other really well! That's pretty awesome!

[@MysteicVoltronus]

This. It seems like the trunk should find its fit as the primary backup option when solar charging is not available. During summers it could completely remove your dependence on diesel or gas as "the daily driver" while charging with the surplus at home. Then in Winter it apparently can get you almost a week if the main grid is down for lack of sun. That should minimize the need to use the fuel generators. And as you now know the truck is extremely sensitive to ground faults from some household items as the test on another channel so maybe it charging the main grid is the more convenient method to power the house.

[@clintmyrick4128]

Very interesting vid. I ended up buying the F-150 Powerboost so I wouldn't have range anxiety but also be able to have power for the house pellet stove, lights and frig/freezer if grid goes down. I've been very happy with the truck, and get 23-24 mpg combined. Of course I also joke that I can take my table saw and lathe camping if I want. My wife rolls her eyes..

[@kdenyer1]

Don’t forget cost to top up battery + food drinks and time sat round waiting for it to charge 😊

[@0621stc]

The whirling sound you hear around the truck when it's parked and running, is more than likely the battery trying to cool itself. My Tesla does the same thing. Great video with the Ford truck!

[@Dr_DeeDee]

Way too much hassle for me

[@psidvicious]

I’m with ya. A fair amount of expense too, so I’m not sure what the net positive really is.

[@molyoxide164]

Honestly the honest review of an EV is really nice…. It has good and bads and I’m really happy you chose to let viewers see them.

[@carefreeclubhouse1714]

I believe this summer you will see what a GREAT value the Lightning is. It's a truck, it has alot of space in the cabin, it has the frunk! I think because you are new to the idea and the use of an EV, you had Charging anxiety (Not Range). But once you get use to how it works, you will find that you made a fantastic buy. Yes, the cold does effect it, but once again, know the tool your using and how it works, to maximize it's use. We LOVE our Ford Lighting!!!

[@jrosaia3685]

Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha, ford employee?

[@Shomo-lk8zh]

@@jrosaia3685hahaha H8er??

[@carefreeclubhouse1714]

No, Just a fan boy. REALLY LOVE our Lightning!

[@niktak1114]

This highlights exactly why the only EV truck I'd consider right now is the Cybertruck. At least until the lightning gets NACS and supercharger access.

[@Paul-cj1wb]

It has it now.

[@niktak1114]

@@Paul-cj1wb I think it's only a subset of the superchargers but it's a good start

[@Paul-cj1wb]

@@niktak1114 It's a very large subset. And growing. You can see for yourself on the Supercharger map online. Just filter out "Superchargers" and leave "Superchargers Open to Other EVs" and "Superchargers Open to NACS."

[@charlesball6519]

@@Paul-cj1wb No it doesn't. Not till 2025 when they will have NACS instead of CCS1. Current Lightning owners are being given a CCS1 to NACS adapter to charge at compatible Tesla Superchargers.

[@angelicaha1491]

I am really impressed of you and your wife's knowledge of 'industrial products', for lack of a better word. Totally unbelieveable!!!!

[@IphoneMod]

Love you videos , been watching for a long time but the second I heard you say you don’t even know where the charge port is after buying a 50k truck and plugging into a 110v outlet I just knew this was going to be a massively uninformed video. Please anybody who is interested in buying an EV, do your research. Know what you are getting into, there are far to many people jumping into EV’s that have no clue what they are doing and it definitely gives them a bad look.

[@meilyn22]

Yea, creating a KZbin video about a new truck so you can learn alongside your followers is wrong. You didn't mention any misinformation in the video, which makes you the authority on the subject.

[@LUK0BA]

You’re living my dream, I had this idea before! I have to subscribe to see the Summer video.

[@janetkoball44]

Well, I know nothing about solar, except sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But it's kind of interesting to watch you figure it out. I'll be watching again on your next visit. Your family is great and that's good.

[@exoplanet11]

My guess was three days. I love this video. Its is not quite what I am hoping to do, but was worth it to learn about these steps.

[@carefreeclubhouse1714]

WOW 7 Days!!!! I have a lightning and was excited when I first saw it on your show. Why are you not using the Ford app on your phone??? It gives great feedback on the charging, also has other conveniences, like remote starting!?! I did the same with my has and installed a plug to back up my house, just haven't had the need yet, but LOVED seeing you put it through the paces.

[@MattWeber]

Sound your hearing is the batteries fan as well. They have optimal temperature range and will have a fan either blowing cool or hot air across the batteries accordingly.

[@Doc.Hansen]

Yup. My first thought when you couldn't figure the little truck noise was that it was a battery fan. Mystery solved

[@mxc2007]

I've had an EV for over a year now. You shouldn't charge at a level 3 (public high speed) charger over 80-82% since speed will significantly decrease at that level, and you're overtaxing your battery. Also, EVs don't like 100% charge unless you need it for a long road trip, mine recommends 90%. Ideal levels vary from one EV to another, but in my case on longer trips I aim to get to chargers around 5-10% and charge to 70% on average. Thankfully, I'm not off grid for this, but I can bring my car from 5% to 90% overnight at home.

[@Doc.Hansen]

The real questiin is this. When you need to change out the batteries on the truck. That ups your 9 cents / kilowatt cost. I get a headache watching all the electrical problems problems to figure out but you did it. Congrats!! Over all I have really enjoyed all your videos. Your at the top of my favorite youtubes to watch

[@michaelwitzgall9345]

Our little farm consumes 6 to 10 times the electricity you use, time of year dependent. Before I took steps to reduce consumption our winter electric bill was $800/month. We reduced that to $500/month. We have twice the amount of photovoltaics that you do, yet there is only about 2 months of the year that it completely covers our usage. F150 lighting no way. I think a Tesla Semi with the large battery pack might cover us.

[@scottbalak7123]

Also a ford lightning owner here. 1) make sure your 12v sensor recall is done. 2) just like your solar batteries, you'll do better if the batteries are warm. If not, the truck will spend energy on warming the batteries. The garage is a good mitigation. 3) Pro Power requires an unbonded neutral/ground. My guess is your curling iron is actually "bad". 4) the 7.2kw must be balanced. Can't have 3700 load on one pole and 100 on the other. 5). My guess is that you're paying way more than 0.09/kwh at a DC fast charge. You're way better off putting in a 240 outlet at your parents. 5) unless time is no concern there's no real point chasing 95% to 100%. 6). You might be a good candidate for the sunrun whole home backup rather than pro power since it would allow DC to DC. Its prohibitively pricey for the other 95% of us owners. Especially if you already have an inverter(s). Good Luck!!

[@mudislander864]

Absolutely love your vids. Watching your vid brought back memories of when I first connected up my off grid set up. Took a few days to figure out what was causing me problems. My batteries would start flashing red and warning alarms and refused to connect to the inverters.Them Lithuims with their BMS don't like sudden hard discharges. A stand alone battery lead acid helped me. Your inverter just like mine on connecting to the batteries will draw a large current due to capacitors charging up. And theres the problem even when the inverter is not powered up. Running Lithuims totally flat my system will not start, I have to isolate them from the inverter and charge up using a seperate MPPT controller and once they fully charged and connecting they will connect to the inverter. I try not let mine run totally flat. Looking forward to see how you get around this issue.

[@cyclemoto8744]

Your summary was spot on! There's your answer. Cheers from Oz

[@tomandpeg4818]

Interesting experiment and outcomes. We are dedicated townies so we will most likely never have any off-grid infrastructure except for grid failure backup. That said, we never imagined using an EV as our home’s auxiliary power source. Traditionally, we would expect to invest $10K for a more typical auxiliary power system (e.g. Generac), but now you have our mental wheels rolling in an entirely different directions. Well done! 😊

[@jamesrose1191]

The blow dryer was on only one side of the line and may have spiked the line. 7200 w 3600 watts per line side.

[@alskjflaksjdflakjdf]

What an epic video, thanks for putting it all together! I think the EV with onboard inverter would work great for my use case (live on the grid, power critical loads like my fridge/freezer during power outages) but for your use case I can still see times when a separate generator would come in handy. I hope you have good luck with your vehicle. While I have had good luck with Ferd's, I have also heard a few too many Ferd stories where things go poorly. Thanks again!

[@nyamburi254]

Just fell in love with this track. Waw!

[@chipprice1174]

To be honest, If I could get past the environmental aspect of producing the batteries, I could easily re-think owning an EV or Hybrid vehicle. From what I am seeing, it would not only serve as a power solution for an off grid situation, but 9-10 months a year be a dual purpose powering off grid/transportation needs. If anything, you did give me more to think about.

[@Webcrawler45]

Having owned EVs (teslas) for over ten years now, I am very comfortable with them. I will not go back to ICE vehicles. I think this will be a great device/vehicle for you guys. It is basically a portable generator/battery that you can also drive. What is not to like? I would however, run an electrical line from your garage to the solar/battery system so it does not have to sit out in the cold to charge your battery bank. It would work much better that way. I am planning a new garage/shop at my retirement home. I will be adding 20kw of solar panels to the south facing roof and installing a 150 A 240V split phase system with about 90 kWh of batteries. The goal is to charge our two teslas, heat/cooled, and powrr the shop with solar/battery/inverter alone.(not grid tied)

[@AlexInAuburn]

For the cost of that truck, you could buy a really huge solar array to suppliment your current array in winter so you just have enough power year round without any hassel or messing around. I bought used 250 watt solar panels for $50 a panel ($70 each including delivery). The used panels have an estimated 10 year life. You could double your solar array power for under $3,000.00. Add another $1000.00 for the needed frame to mount them on. If you only plug the extra panels into the system during winter, then you won't need any other support equipment except maybe Y cables to be able to put the two arrays in parallel. Put in series would lead to a potentially over voltage situation on a good day of bright sunshine. Having too much amperage should not hurt anything, it will only use what it needs. You could quadruple your solar for under $12,000.00, figuring $5000.00 for wiring and racking. Having only 25% of the light in winter would then give you full power, and on good days, you would have power to burn! Your electric vehicle would never have to buy power again.

[@phpnotasp]

Can you not hook up the truck directly to the solar system to skip over the DC-solar->AC inverter->AC/DC truck plug conversion? or is the loss from the conversions insignificant?

[@tjm2212]

What are your thoughts on using the Ford Charge Station Pro which allows bidirectional power flow in and out of the truck from the CCS plug?

[@JCHerrera007]

Excellent Test. I would prefer the F-150 Hybrid, but for you, it’s just another generator, this is a unique test and glad you did it. Great Job.

[@Yahweh_Is_Great]

Props! Your video was super insightful in respect to the utility of the Ford Lightning. Thank you for sharing!

[@HolgerNestmann]

I think this is a great concept. After you have build the tool container building I was curious if you could just plaster it with solar panels to remove the need to run the generator. Now that you have such a vehicle you can even dump the access from summer into the truck and in such sunny days, you could get a weeks worth of electricity

[@geoffburnham3967]

A really good experience to share with us all. Will always get the no EV crowd's criticism but for the rest of us you are showing something i would not have come up with myaelf. Ill be interested to see how it develops.

[@stephenvo5655]

To power your house the generator outlet in the bed works also. It was intended to use the charging port with the wall power that Ford offers.

[@stancloyd]

We also charge the teslas when ever excess solar power would throttle back the panels. It works!

[@danneo653]

Each video leaves me more mind blown than the previous... Amazing skills

[@markcollins457]

I would also check the balance of the loads on the 2 legs of the 240volt electric panel.

[@jeffclarke1540]

Every time I see Oliver smile it makes me smile. He’s got such a beautiful smile.

[@thudang3039]

Thanks for sharing! Definitely cool to see it used practically. This seems like an interesting presentation of order of events - since it's not always wise to lead with an expensive battery system, especially for those of us looking at more grid-tied options. Here in Nova Scotia, what I've been quoted so far, it'd cost me about $50K to install a system, and that's without any battery storage. However, I also need a vehicle, so having an electric vehicle that can serve as a battery/generator would make more sense for us to have before having a large battery bank. Thank's for continuing on Jason's (EE's) inspiration. =) Love his channel too!

[@JuggernautHercules7]

Whoa now you have around 130kw of power at your disposal, well a little less cause you keep a few kw in the truck battery.

[@dtallornothing]

It's important to note that the battery in the truck is Li-ion for most home backups you'd want LFP for longevity and to put up with the duty cycle.

[@guycooper806]

Just a thought, you may be setting up a ground loop when using the truck to run the house. That would explain some of the strange shutoff and overload.

[@H2OEnhancer]

Great experiment! I have the Powerboost and thought it would be great to try an experiment like this. It has the 7.2 kW generator that runs off the gas 3.5 EB engine. I powered our trailer AC all last summer and so far it works great. The truck runs for about 2 minutes, then provides power from the batteries for about 10 minutes and then back on again for 2 minutes. Very little fuel usage.

[@Pismoboy]

Now you just need to come up with a system which changes the truck's charging rate based on how much excess solar (production minus the part that's not going to your house) you have!

[@Greg-bx4id]

Notwithstanding all the electrical problems with the Lightning, the biggest problem here is that the battery composition of the Lightning is lithium ion so the cycle life is far more limited than that of your SOK batteries. Given the price of a replacement pak, I think I'd only use the Lightening for backup in an emergency or for a limited amount of hours where you keep the charge between 30-70 percent to avoid dendrite formation in the Lightening battery. NOT keeping the battery warm (not in the shop) will also shorten battery life by a huge amount. Look at the chemistry data and you will agree...Cheers...and good vid.

[@rayopeongo]

You are on the "bleeding edge" of technology, with pretty much everything you are doing: solar panels; battery backup; generators; and now the Lightning. Your setup is very much a custom thing, shared by very few other people, if any. Hiccups and small annoyances are to be expected, but by leading the way, you are making it easier for the rest of us to join you with fewer problems. Thanks!

[@derekwalton5643]

This is my plan. The subtle difference is I plan for the car to absorb spare power when available because in Reno our gas is a ludicrous price. Currently more than $4:50 a gallon. For 9 months of the year I’ll be driving for free.

[@PresidentAlone]

Amazing video and awesome experiments. Please keep us updated on changes, improvements, or issues. Hopefully the battery holds its range/capacity over time.

[@RedFarewell008]

This is so cool and informative. Amazing your vehicle can power what you need in an emergency. 💛💛💛

[@jonnyslc9110]

Great video guys honestly changed my opinion on EVs being a lot more practical as a "tool"! Please post a summer version of this!!