If you haven’t heard, electric cars are pretty much magical, even containing the power to light up your home. But to do so, you’d better be willing to shell out tens of thousands more.
As President Joe Biden noted in November, big things are happening in the world of technology. Cars no longer require dangerous fossil fuels to run, and as it would happen, those cars can even be plugged into your home to provide electricity in the event there is a power outage or something.
When Biden said this, the crowd laughed. But Biden was quick to tell that this was no joke. “Literally you can,” he said.
And on this rare occasion (unlike when he usually says things like this), he is being literal, and it is indeed not a joke.
However, that doesn’t mean this statement, and the reality of it shouldn’t be taken with a few grains of salt, or rather, very deep pockets.
According to a long-term driving test by automotive magazine MotorTrend, the Ford F-150 Lightening EV can indeed serve as a power source for your home. However, it will cost you – somewhere around $18,000, to be exact.
As the outlet explains, a few purchases must be made right up front.
The first, of course, is the Ford Charge Station Pro, which can provide Level 2 quick charging in its charging mode. Its other mode allows you to transfer power from your charged car to your home with its bidirectional capability.
The kicker, though, is that the charger only works in conjunction with Sunrun, a big-time solar energy company. Through Sunrun, you can then purchase the Home Integration System, which basically connects the electricity from your charger to your home.
As MotorTrend’s Christian Seabaugh recently wrote, both are rather pricey, and that’s just the beginning of the process.
As Seabaugh was researching and looking into getting his 1950s home wired to be powered by the Lightening for his long-term drive test, he naturally called Sunrun to see what all would be involved and what it would run him.
According to estimates from the solar energy company, the charging station will run you about $1,650. The Home Integration System will tack on a whopping $9,400.
And then there is a slew of “upgrades” and such that will need to be done to most homes to make sure they are compatible with the integration system and charger. A new electrical panel is the most likely upgrade, seeing as most homes have a common 100-amp panel, and the charger alone uses up to 80 amps.
Sunrun could do a new panel and its installation for an extra $7,940. This would include the price of the new panel itself ($5,500), “relocate some circuits ($840), and do some ‘Other Work’ ($1,600),” Seabaugh wrote.
And yes, Sunrun actually used the term “other work” to describe part of the process without giving any further details.
Sunrun suggested that Seabaugh have a home inspection (which is not free) done to determine what other types of upgrades and changes might be needed.
In total, Seabaugh was given an estimate of “at least $17,340 to give our $80,889 Lightening the ability to power my home in an emergency.”
And no, that’s not a joke.
So yes, Biden is correct. Technically, your Ford EV can be used to power your home.
But just as with EVs in general, the price to do so isn’t really in most Americans’ budgets. Essentially, you could end up paying $100,000 for a cool truck and gadgetry.
I don’t care how much leftist politicians try to push EVs on us; there is just no way that most of us can afford one, let alone to then power our homes with them. And that doesn’t even begin to explain all the problems that EVs and, more specifically, Ford has had recently.
I mean, who wants to pay $100,000 or even $30,000 for a vehicle you can’t use the heater in, haul stuff, or travel uphill in? The answer is no one. It’s just not practical – no matter how magical Dems want to make them seem.
