For 2021, the F-150 pickup truck can be fitted with a PowerBoost hybrid powertrain, combining an electric motor with a turbocharged V6 engine. Part of its appeal is the ability, when equipped, to serve as a 7.2-kW generator for powering tools and appliances.

https://www.driving.ca/ford/auto-news/ne...in-frigid-texas

Apparently it worked well. The genny function is designed for worksites, so it only starts the engine when needed.

I really like the idea of this -- only one engine to maintain, only one fuel tank to keep filled. I hope that truck manufacturers start doing something like this in larger models. It wouldn't be big enough to run the air conditioning in my house but it would cover everything else.

Always use appropriate extension cords or a properly installed transfer switch -- never backfeed into the power utility's system with a generator!

Nice, that's some serious power. Toyota TRD Off-Road versions of their trucks and SUVs have built-in inverters but they only put out 100 Watts/400 Watts engine on/off.
-Blast

I'm hoping that will be my next truck. I've currently got a Toyota TRD that Blast references, and couldn't even pull enough power to run a crockpot full of chili the last time I went tailgating. I think the Ford would do that nicely!

It's worth noting that a separate, good quality stand-alone genny will cost you a helluva lot less money than a F150 hybrid with the works.

Yes but the truck has the merit of almost no EXTRA maintenance, beyond that required for normal driving.
No fuel cans to rotate, normal consumption and regular filling will take of that at no extra cost or trouble.

Not certain how the fuel consumption would compare, the truck has a much larger engine than is required for the electric power output, but OTOH it does not run continually.

If it's a tradesman's working vehicle, perhaps that has merit. Otherwise, it would be a gargantuan premium to pay for a tiny bit of convenience. I know people who I suspect have spent $60-70,000.00 on a pickup truck. I think they are completely bonkers. They're also the ones who complain loudly about how hard it is for a middle class person to get ahead.

My understanding is that the generator option is cheaper than a generator, if you’re already buying an F-150.

Hi
That doesn't sound right (free lunch?)


A quick check with google shopping or home depot,
shows various brands of 7000-8000 watt generators
for around $1000
even as low as $600 at harbor freight
(3 times cheaper than lowest priced powerboost)

Thanks for the correction!

The F150 genny option still has merit, but perhaps not from a cost perspective if intended solely for emergency use.

The other consideration is "the Leatherman problem." It's great having all your tools in once package, but that can be a liability. An F150 can be stuck in a snowbank or at the other end of a closed road doesn't keep the furnace running.

The original article stated: "As a stand-alone option, the 7.2-kW generator – available only on trucks equipped with the PowerBoost hybrid engine – costs about $1,000 in Canada. That’s a great value compared to portable residential generators, considering its power output and run time."

That made a lot more financial sense to me than spending 2x or more a standalone generator.

I've always been of the opinion that offering a heavy duty alternator (or 2nd alternator) and power inverter as an option for every vehicle manufactured for the US market would allow for a far more robust resilience to natural disasters, and would therefore be in the national security interest of the US to encourage or incentivize.

I have used a Dodge 1 ton 4x4's DC alternator to charge LiFePO4 batteries. Batteries connected to 1500w inverter. Charge rate was over 60 amps and I could probably have gotten more if I messed with the alternator controls. But that was more than sufficient.

The vehicle was somehow modified to accept a Power Take Off and part of the mod was to change something in the power train to allow the vehicle to idle for long periods of time without damage to the transmission system. Something about lubrication. I never got a clear explanation of the system.

So now I have a Toyota Tacoma. Same batteries and inverter, but a much different vehicle. Especially the electronics. Anybody messed with using a Tacoma in this configuration?

In general DC to battery to inverter works well. The gotcha is how the vehicle reacts to long term idle. When I was doing Red Cross stuff, I idled one of their ECRV's (electronics truck) for weeks at a time. Never could find out if the vehicles were stock or modified.

Or, of course, you could simply get a gas powered generator...

I wonder though, if you had a modern vehicle with an computer controlled fuel injected efficient 4 cylinder engine and compared to an inexpensive carburated generator, which one would burn fewer gallons per hour.

I think parasitic load would come into play as well.

In any event, the main benefits in my opinion are having only one engine to maintain, having it with you wherever you have your car, and larger fuel capacity than most standalone generators. The big disadvantage is, of course, you can have power or transportation, but not both at the same time.

FWIW my 2004 V8 has an hourmeter and I've used an average of 1.89 gallons per hour over 150k miles.

You can easily add to the capacity of a standalone generator. I remember after hurricane Sandy visiting my parents who were without power for a month and my father had driven 4 fence posts in the ground around their old generator to support a larger gas tank above it.

I have a 2009 Tacoma--found this:

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/24717-how-long-can-you-idle-tank-gas-2.html

...figured 4runner was close enough to tacoma...

Damn, having both a Tacoma and a 4Runner, this is good to know!
"Therefore with a 23 gallon fuel tank I calculate one can idle for 54.8 hours. To call it safe round down and assume that you can idle for one day with a half tank of gas and two days with a full tank."

Farther down in the link there's a quote from an actual car manufacturing engineer for Ford who states, "We’ve had test engines idling for thousands of hours without significant changes. I’m not sure I have seen anything to back up the idea that excessive idling causes buildup in cylinders or fouls plugs." which is good to hear. I was always told that prolonged idling is bad for the engine. If it doesn't hurt a Ford, it definitely won't hurt a Toyota.
-Blast

I understand that for well-made gas engines, idling doesn't damage anything. I also understand that diesel engines can suffer from wet stacking when run under light load for long periods.

The extended idling is bad comes from the carburetor days from what I can tell.

Odd that diesel has an issue since you always see them idling. Though the newer ones with DEF there are some issues.

Blast,

We need to come up with the engineering to pull kilowatts off of our Tacomas!

I have been told it is not the engine that is the problem, but the transmission. I was told to put it in drive periodically to insure complete lubrication. True or another falsehood?

For modern vehicles, I'm thinking this is correct but "periodically" is closer to every month than every day.