Ford asks dealers to deploy F-150s as relief generators in Texas
When we saw the Pro Power generator available on the 2021 F-150, we imagined work crews charging power tools, or friends whipping up some margaritas at camp sites. Few expected that the F-150’s “Pro Power” on-board generator would be pressed into service to heat the homes of snowed-in Texans stranded without power.
Some Texans bought generator-equipped F-150s to prepare for hurricane season—but they didn’t anticipate relying on the equipment so soon. Randy Jones posted on an F-150 forum, sharing how he’s used his ’21 F-150 Hybrid’s generator to power lights, his television, his home furnace, and even his coffee maker. Jones, who lives in south Texas, wrote that power was out for three days.
It’s not only recent F-150 customers who are benefitting from the trucks’ generators, though. About 415 generator-toting F-150s are scattered among Texas’ dealer lots. On Thursday, Automotive News reports, Ford asked its Texas dealers to put these F-150s into loaner fleets as soon as possible, offering $600 incentive per vehicle above its normal price paid for fleet vehicles.
Another example of the all-new Ford F-150 with Pro Power Onboard making a difference in Texas. Proud! pic.twitter.com/6jyY70abcv
— Mike Levine (@mrlevine) February 18, 2021
According to the above tweet shared by Mike Levine, Ford’s North American communications manager, one household loaned out a F-150 XLT from Holiday Ford and used the 2.0-kW generator to power their home furnace. They raised the house’s temperature from a finger-stiffening 47 degrees to far-more-tolerable 64 degrees Fahrenheit. The 2.0-kW model is, in fact, the least powerful of the three generators available (with different engine selections) on the ’21 F-150: a 2.4- and a 7.2 kW unit are also available.
We’re thrilled to see these trucks helping Texans survive the sudden rash of power outages and frigid weather. Kudos to Ford and its Texas dealer network for helping to provide for folks in the Lone Star State.
