The automotive world is moving toward an all-electric future. That will require a massive shift in American buying habits; EVs made up less than five percent of new car purchases in 2022. Ford just patented new technology that may shift internal combustion-obsessed American hearts and minds more than hypothetical tax credits.
One of the Ford F-150 Lightning‘s major selling points is its vehicle-to-load charging capability that permits the vehicle to charge a job site or a home. Ford’s new patent (first spotted by CarBuzz) would make that feature smarter and more practical, allowing the car to function as a de facto home storage battery.
The setup would have the vehicle sharing data with a central server. The server would predict where severe weather and power outages would likely occur and prep the vehicle accordingly. The car would then fully charge itself to 100% — regular charging would be to 80% — and be ready to send power back out into its home system until it reaches its minimum acceptable charge.
Owners would be kept up to speed on the potential risk, the vehicle’s status and the closest available charging points in the event of an outage. Unlike a home storage battery, the car could leave for a bit, fast charge to 80% and return to keep powering devices.
Climate change’s primary day-to-day impact — one that won’t be deniable — in many areas of the country will be the increased risk of extreme weather, especially in Summer and Winter. That weather will create more stress on electrical infrastructure and cause more outages. More frequent power outages will have more Americans looking for supplementary power.
We don’t know when the new storm-predicting capability will make it to Ford’s electric vehicles (recent Michigan weather may convince some at Ford to fast-track it). But we suspect rolling into a dealership to buy your new F-150 Lightning or Mustang Mach E could be more appealing for many customers than finding a local ordinance-approved place to install their noisy, five-figure eyesore of a generator.
