Ford wants its Texas dealers to help locals keep the lights on by borrowing F-150 trucks equipped with power generators.
The automaker sent a letter on Thursday asking dealers to offer the juiced pickups to Texans who had lost power due to the massive winter storm that walled the south. according to Automotive News.
The 2021 F-150 are equipped with a built-in “Pro Power Onboard” generator that can deliver between 2 and 7.2 kilowatts of electricity, depending on the motor.
Some F-150 owners in Texas have since used their trucks to power lights, heaters, refrigerators, and other appliances an unusual cold snap crippled the state’s power gridafter a Online forum for fans of the truck.
Ford dealerships in the Lone Star State have around 415 generator-equipped F-150s that they can lend to residents who are still in the dark, said Ford spokesman Mike Levine.
“Due to the urgent and unprecedented weather situation in Texas, some of our local dealers are using brand new Ford F-150s equipped with Pro Power Onboard to help in their communities,” Levine told The Post in a statement. “We are proud to be helping Texas in this time of need.”
ON Advertising brochure For the Pro Power Onboard feature, it should be noted that the generator can power gearboxes for tailgates, landscaping, or heavier projects like building a deck or masonry.
But some F-150 owners said CNBC that they bought trucks equipped with generators because their homes had previously lost power in hurricanes or other bad weather.
“The truck saved the day,” 73-year-old Jerry Hall told the network. “Without the truck it would have been three miserable days.”
Even Ford boss Jim Farley pointed out that America’s best-selling pickup truck could come to the rescue in a dire situation.
“The situation in the American Southwest is so difficult,” Farley said on a Wednesday Twitter post. “I wish everyone in Texas had a new F150 with a PowerBoost generator on board.”
