A bad winter storm couldn’t stop the Lightning EV.

Massive winter storms smothered most central U.S. states, northeastern areas, and Canada over the holiday season. Thankfully, one Ontario homeowner had an F-150 Lightning EV and used Ford’s truck to keep his home powered up and the lights on for two days while the power was out.

If you were wondering if an EV could power a house, the answer is yes. While we’re already well aware of Ford’s bidirectional charging technology, which allows the F-150 Lightning EV battery packs to send or receive power, this is an excellent example of a real-world usage scenario.

Interestingly enough, Reddit user RapsFanLJ doesn’t have Ford’s “Home Integration System” or the correct wiring connected to their home electric panel and grid, but that didn’t stop the user from taking advantage of the F-150 Lightning’s massive battery cells.

According to a post on Reddit, once the power went out in their neighborhood, the F-150 Lightning EV owner sprung into action. Even without a proper bidirectional charging system, this owner used both power outlets in the EV’s truck bed and some splitters to run home essentials for 44 hours.

The user stated that the F-150 Lightning ran “ran our fridges, freezers and our wifi, select lights and the TV for close to 2 full days. AND the battery was only down to 65%.”

This family could safely keep food cool, the lights on, and entertainment from the TV for 44 hours while the city worked on restoring power. And after all that, the truck still had more than enough juice left. Those running Ford’s official home connection system may experience different results, potentially drawing more from the truck battery and running an entire home.

It’s worth mentioning that the F-150 Lightning isn’t the only EV with bidirectional charging or AC outlets in the truck bed, but with a big battery of up to 131 kWh in size, it has more than enough power to keep your lights on in an emergency.

Electric cars aren’t a danger in winter traffic jams, and if you’re stuck inside during a winter storm and the power goes out, get creative and take advantage of those fully-charged battery packs.

via DriveTeslaCanada