Andrew Heinzman
Ford began delivering F-150 Lightning trucks near the end of May, and the first customers are in for a small surprise. As reported by a user on the Lightning Owners forum, F-150 Lightnings come with a free Tesla charging adapter, likely to highlight the truck’s bi-directional charging capabilities (something that Tesla lacks).
We sat on this story for a few days because we weren’t sure if it was real. After all, the F-150 Lightning manual states that charging adapters are “sold separately,” and the staff at Inside EVs didn’t reach any conclusions after investigating the story. But sure enough, a Ford representative confirmed to Review Geek that that the “first Lightnings” come with adapters so customers can “lend a hand if needed.”
“F-150 Lightning can charge other EVs using its bi-directional charging capability. We’re shipping our first Lightnings with adapters so F-150 Lightning customers can lend a hand if needed.”
Using this charging adapter is fairly easy. If an F-150 Lightning driver comes across a stranded Tesla (which is surprisingly uncommon), they can simply take out the truck’s bi-directional charging equipment, hook up the adapter, and start juicing up the Tesla.
The bi-directional system works at 7.5kW, which should provide around 20 miles of range to a Tesla after an hour of charging. That said, I’m making a pretty rough guesstimate based on the Model S specs—we’ll get a more accurate number once customers can test this in the real world.
We’re not sure if Ford will continue handing out free Tesla charging adapters. Maybe this is just a nice gift for the earliest customers, or a way to poke fun at Tesla’s lack of bi-directional charging. Either way, it’s neat.
Source: Lightning Owners
