Ford, PG&E to test new F-150 Lightning EV as power source for homes (NYSE:F)

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) and California utility PG&E (NYSE:PCG) unveil a plan to test the use of the new F-150 Lightning electric truck to provide backup power for homes during blackouts and connect the EV to the power grid.

Tests will start this spring, when Ford is scheduled to begin selling the electric version of the top-selling pickup truck in the U.S.

Ford CEO Jim Farley and PG&E CEO Patti Poppe made the announcement late Thursday at the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference in Houston.

“This is a really big deal for us to take this next step of bidirectional charging,” Farley said, adding that the option will differentiate Ford from Tesla, which sells its Powerwall battery system for homes but does not currently enable bidirectional vehicle charging.

Poppe noted one in five electric vehicles sold in the U.S. are in PG&E’s service area – “That’s 6,600 MW of capacity that’s driving around today.”

Earlier this week, PG&E also said it will work with General Motors (NYSE:GM) to test electric cars as a backup source of home power.