Ford F-150 Lightning, Hybrid Can Charge Other EVs, Not Just From Ford

The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning and Hybrid can both work as a mobile power generator to feed battery juice into external devices, varying from tools to house appliances. The Pro Power Onboard can also be a source of energy for other electric vehicles, not just from Ford. The Blue Oval does show its fullsize pickup truck topping off the battery of a Mustang Mach-E and an E-Transit, but it can also be done to EVs that don't wear the Blue Oval badge.

For the bidirectional function to work, the other electric vehicle must be fitted with the SAE J1772 charge port, which both the zero-emissions SUV and van from Ford have. In the case of the Mustang Mach-E with the extended-range battery (upgraded from 88 kWh to 91 kWh for 2022MY) and rear-wheel drive, it adds 20 miles (32 kilometers) of range per hour. The energy transfer is done through the Ford Mobile Power Cord charger capable of Level 2 charging speeds.

As far as the F-150 Lightning is concerned, 13 miles (21 kilometers) of range can be added in an hour, while charging the E-Transit's battery for 60 minutes will result in 10 miles (16 kilometers) of range. Ford sells the F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid with an optional 7.2-kW Pro Power Onboard generator and will introduce a beefier 9.6-kW version this coming spring for the all-electric Lightning.  

Time will tell whether the Mustang Mach-E will be updated in subsequent model years to feature bidirectional charging for devices and other electric vehicles. Rivals such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and the fancier Genesis GV60 can all share battery juice. In addition, Volkswagen recently announced all of its ID. models fitted with the 77-kWh battery will offer this capability "in the future," so the Mustang Mach E-fighting ID.4 will get it sooner or later.