Randy Jones of Katy, Texas, was using his 2021 Ford F-150 to power space heaters and other appliances in his home when he lost power during the winter storm earlier this week.
Source: Randy Jones
When Randy Jones from Katy, Texas bought his new Ford F-150 a few weeks ago, he did not think he would use it to keep the lights on in his home during a historic winter storm that left millions without power not.
The Ford F-150 hybrid truck on board 2021 “gives you the ability to use your truck like a mobile generator” that can deliver up to 7.2 kW of power, says Ford.
Jones, 66, said in a telephone interview with CNBC that he bought the truck in part because of the feature, adding that he often loses power due to hurricanes and other storms. When he lost power on Sunday night, he got out some extension cords and decided to put the generator to the test.
“Without it, I would have been in the dark and cold like everyone else in the area,” the retired refinery worker 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 we always have power outages in South Texas with hurricanes and things like that. “
Jones said he used the generator on board the truck for three days to power appliances in his home until his power was restored Wednesday. He is not alone. Jerry Hall (73) bought his new F-150 at the end of January. That seems to be the perfect timing, he said.
“The truck saved the day,” a Kerrville, Texas resident said in a telephone interview. Hall said his home lost power Sunday night until early Thursday. “It would have been three miserable days without the truck.”
Hall said he and his wife still spent those days without heat, but that they were able to turn extension cords from the truck into the house to turn on lights, the refrigerator, television and other luxuries.
“It connected us to the outside world,” he said.
Hall added that ‘the main reason’ he bought the truck was the generator on board. He said the severe weather last spring led to some eclipses in his part of the state and he knew he wanted to get some kind of generator. It only made sense to get a new truck with a generator built in, he said.
Other truck owners post similar stories to those of Hall and Jones in an online forum for F-150 owners. Photos from the forum flooded Twitter, where Ford CEO Jim Farley took note: