As the world becomes an ever increasingly chaotic place full of pandemics, insurrections, and natural disasters, a truck that can also power your house feels nearly like an absolute necessity. Trucks always promise the world, when in reality, they tend to kind of suck at everything except pulling stuff and carrying your friend’s mattress when they move. The 2021 F-150 Hybrid will still pull stuff and carry plenty of mattresses, but it can also provide power to your home in a pinch. The might be the most useful truck, nay, vehicle, ever. 

Can the 2021 F-150 hybrid really power a house?

Yes. Ezra Dyer, a writer for Car and Driver, decided to see how far he could push the electric generator on the new Ford F-150 Hybrid. He mentions that living in Florida requires a yearly dependence on generators due to the frequency of hurricanes. He owns a Honda EU2200i generator that could run a handful of appliances in a power outage event. So when he heard about the F-150 hybrid’s onboard generator, he was curious to see if it could be a stand-in for the Honda. 

Not only does this new F-150 have an onboard generator, but it also has a killer motor and engine combo. 

The F-150 hybrid’s generator is strong

There are multiple ways to use this generator. As Dyer says, the simplest option is running a cable from a 30-amp, 240-volt outlet in the bed to a 30-amp transfer switch. This method of generating power can directly power specific circuits in your home as you need them. Pretty cool, right? This means no Clark Griswald extension cables nested in a frustrating mass in the garage.

The generator is home to four familiar 120-volt outlets below the 30-amp guy. Each of the two pairs of 120-volt outlets is on a 20-amp circuit rated for 2,400 watts. Because this thing puts so much power out, you’ll need fat extension cords (if you don’t have the switch box) to safely use this high wattage. 

Apparently, you can buy new extension chords at the hardware store. I always thought they just grew in people’s basements. *When buying an extension cord, make sure to check wattage ratings and buy the proper equipment.* Dyer says he plugged in everything he could need in a power outage and more without a problem. He ran a coffee maker, Shark vac, TV, internet modem and router, tankless gas hot water heater, fridge, garage fridge, and a couple of lamps, not because he needed these things all at once just to see if the generator could take it – It could. 

It is not only powerful but friendly 

The generator has a dash readout in the truck’s cabin that shows a real-time readout of the power being used and how much time, wattage, and output you have left. Dyers says that his cacophony of home goods only used up 3200 watts, which is enough to blow many home generators out of the water. Not to mention, you can drive this generator to the store to get its own gas. If the power load isn’t too great, the V6 engine can shut down and run the generator off the lithium battery from the hybrid part of the truck’s name. 

Here’s the kicker. Sure, you could buy a 7,200-watt generator and drive something else, but that will cost somewhere around $4,500 big ones. The same size generator option for the F-150 hybrid is only a $750 option. Even I can work that math out. 

Simply put, this is the most useful feature a truck has had since they started putting beds on them.