Randy Jones from Katy, Texas used his 2021 Ford F-150 to power space heaters and other devices in his house when he lost power due to the recent winter storm.
When he got his brand new pickup truck a few weeks ago, Randy, 66, had no idea he would be using it to keep the lights on in his house during the historic winter storm that left millions of Texans without electricity.
According to Ford, the hybrid’s generator “gives you the ability to use your truck like a mobile generator” that can release up to 7.2 kW of power.
In an interview with CNBC Randy – who is a retired refinery worker – said that he bought the vehicle partly due to that specific feature, adding that his power goes off often because of hurricanes and storms.
When the power died Sunday night, he decided to put the truck to the test.
“Without it I would have been in the dark and cold like everybody else in the neighborhood,” he said, adding that he helped neighbors charge their phones and laptops.
“Quite a few of the neighbors said, ‘Hey, I’m getting one,’ like, ‘I’m trading my Dodge or GMC,’ because, South Texas, with hurricanes and things like that, we’re always having power outages.”
Randy said he used his Ford’s generator to power his home for 3 days until his power came back on Wednesday.
And he isn’t the only one who found the F-150 incredibly useful.
Jerry Hall, 73, bought his Ford in January, just in time. The Texan said his home lost power Sunday evening through early Thursday.
“The truck saved the day.”
“It would have been three miserable days without the truck.”
Texas Ford F-150 hybrid owners taking advantage of generator functions while the power is out: https://t.co/1OpYIoGTH7 pic.twitter.com/wmeA7S9wbY
— Autoblog (@therealautoblog) February 18, 2021
Jerry said he and his wife still had no heat during these days, but they were able to run extension cords from the vehicle into the home to power home appliances like lights, fridge, and TV.
“It kept us connected with the outside world,” he said.
Jerry added that the main reason he bought his F-150 was because of its onboard generator. And after the bad weather last spring caused some blackouts in his area he knew he had to search for a reliable generator.
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
Others who bought the 2021 Ford F-150 shared similar stories in an online forum, and pictures from there were shared to Twitter, getting the attention of Ford CEO Jim Farley.
He said:
“The situation in the SW US is so difficult. Wish everyone in Texas had a new F150 with PowerBoost onboard generator….”
The situation in the SW US is so difficult. Wish everyone in Texas had a new F150 with PowerBoost onboard generator…. https://t.co/KTgJpqjvPH
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) February 18, 2021
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