One of the biggest selling points of the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is its Pro Power Onboard generator with vehicle-to-vehicle charging capability, which gives owners the ability to power their homes solely using electricity stored in its battery pack with a feature called Intelligent Backup Power. Ford has teamed up with Sunrun – a solar company – for at-home installations of the automaker’s 80-amp Charge Station Pro and Home Integration System, and now, that same company has launched a new Level 2 EV charger that expands upon its current home energy management offerings.
The new 40-amp Level 2 Sunrun EV charger is compatible with all EVs and offers customers a wide array of smart features, which allows them to configure a variety of settings and control the entire charging process. When bundled with the company’s home solar-plus-battery system, customers can charge their vehicles without using the grid for significant savings.
The new Sunrun charger will initially be available next month in California, Vermont, and New Jersey, and will roll out in all other U.S. states by the end of the year. The launch of this new unit corresponds with booming EV sales that saw the overall market double in the U.S. last year versus 2021.
“Home solar and electric vehicle charging go hand in hand,” said Mary Powell, Chief Executive Officer of Sunrun. “There is a strong correlation between EV ownership and solar adoption. People want to charge their vehicles with a clean, reliable energy source that’s cheaper than what they’re used to paying. As we work with customers to understand their energy needs, our new EV charger, coupled with our ability to potentially upsize home solar systems to meet those needs, position us nicely to help them future-proof their homes and provide peace of mind.”
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Comments
The PRICE is the most important thing: No mention of it in the article.
Sunrun hasn’t announced pricing for the new EV charger yet.
Hi Brett:
Doesn’t explicitly state in your article, but the 40 ampere charger appears to not have any bi-directional capability…. And 40 ampere charger docking stations are somewhat less valuable these days since almost all FORD electrics will have an included 32 ampere charging cord – besides there are enough different 40 ampere wallbox manufacturers that Ford’s pricing better be competitive since there is no real reason to buy from especially them…
Having seen the HIGH prices elsewhere for the bi-directional interface for the 80 ampere charging dock stations shows that the easy assumption is that anything smaller will just be there to charge the vehicle. Any EMERGENCY power take off will either have to be done at the ‘Power Pro’ level (I would assume the vast majority of homeowners WITHOUT money to burn – will economically power their furnaces, sump pumps, refrigerators, and well pumps with temporary extension cords from the power-pro vehicle).
The bi-directional capability will be for those RICH people who want ‘turn-key’ installations – similar to GENERAC installations where the customers also purchase a maintenance contract on the machine itself for routine oil and spark plug changeouts, as well (on the larger machines) anti-freeze changeouts. Of course – THOSE people don’t have to worry about discharging their vehicles since the GENERAC will keep the house lit and the vehicle fully charged – even in an emergency.
Poorer customers like me will do the work arounds of power-pro facilities, or portable emergency generators.