You can run your whole house with an F-150 Lightning in a pinch, so why not your Tesla (or someone else’s if they’re stranded on the side of the road)?
First impressions pour in as highly anticipated F-150 Lightnings hum off the end of the Ford assembly line and into new owners’ garages. One of those impressions recently raised some eyebrows.
Some F-150 Lightning owners have reported that their new truck came equipped with, among other accessories, a cable and adapter capable of charging a Tesla.
Internet feedback arrived immediately.
“Here you go! Lightning to the rescue. We can help all those poor dead Teslas,” one user on the Lightning Owners Forum quipped.
‘Compatible With All Tesla Vehicles’
We already knew that the F-150 Lightning could charge other EVs, most evidently the Mustang Mach-E.
But it’s a surprise that the packaging for the included equipment refers specifically to Tesla — which it most certainly does, or at least did in one case that’s gone viral.
“I took delivery of my 2022 Lightning, and as I’m going through the included items, I found an adapter to charge Teslas,” the semi-viral forum post reads. “Interesting find. If I find any dead Teslas, I’ll let my Ford Lightning come to the rescue.”
Why? Ford CEO Speaks Up
Ford reportedly did not mention the Tesla adapter under the truck’s list of included accessories. The J1772 plug is the standard EV connector in North America.
But according to Electrek, its only practical use to F-150 Lightning owners would be to charge a Tesla with their truck.
Of course, charging an EV with another EV is less efficient than using a grounded charging station. So, even if you owned both a Tesla and an F-150 Lightning, you’d charge both from your home charging station — or whichever one you were driving at a public station.
The limitation leads to a relatively rare use case for the accessory: charging a dead or dying Tesla with a (presumably) better-charged F-150 Lightning.
Pro Power Onboard lets F-150 Lightning owners use their truck as a mobile generator and can crank out enough juice to give the truck’s mobile charger a 7kW charge rate.
That’s enough to make another EV limp at 20 mph, so it shouldn’t take too long to give the other car enough of a jolt to make it to the nearest grounded charger.
The Drive noted that Ford does seem plenty proud of the truck’s power system — with Pro Power Onboard, it can also charge and run itself simultaneously. However, the process will eventually drain the battery.
Meanwhile, Ford CEO Jim Farley sought to clarify any confusion around whether or not the company included the aftermarket adapters to poke fun at Tesla.
“Not trolling,” Farley said of the inclusion. “Just helpful.”
Not trolling. Just helpful: https://t.co/6pI71MtsdR
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) June 6, 2022
