Ford made an on-board generator available on several variants of the latest F-150 to let workers run power tools off the grid. One use case that engineers likely didn’t have in mind is helping newlyweds dance through the night.
Rachna Nanda Kumar and Vetrivel Chandrasekaran got married on a rainy August day in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Big storms delayed the reception by about two hours, according to the Detroit Free Press, but the sky cleared in time for the wedding party to start. It didn’t last: the power went out at about 10 p.m.
“I thought, ‘Oh, crap,’ but then we heard a generator across the street go on,” remembered Chandrasekaran. Borrowing the generator was out of the question; so was running an extension cord from it to power the wedding.
Confusion reigned until another guest reportedly said, “Yo, I have an F-150, I can just plug it in.”
Last weekend, there was a power outage during this couple’s wedding. Thankfully their friends—two @Ford employees—used their F-150 PowerBoost hybrid with Pro Power Onboard to bring the party back to life! Love seeing F-150 save the day.🛻⚡️🎶💙 pic.twitter.com/CXcFJz9Q44
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) August 18, 2021
In the car world, the term “generator” no longer denotes the alternator’s much-maligned predecessor; it now refers to a system that provides a useful source of power. Hybrid and non-hybrid versions of the F-150 can be ordered with an on-board generator called Pro Power Onboard, the output of which varies depending on the truck’s specifications. Non-hybrid models deliver two kilowatts of power, a figure that increases to 2.4 for the hybrid PowerBoost model. Alternatively, buyers who select the gasoline-electric truck can order a seriously capable 7.2-kilowatt system.
Which generator the guest’s truck was fitted with is unknown, but it provided enough juice to power tent lights, music and a sound system complete with speakers, amplifiers and microphones. Most of the other guests were surprised, according to the Detroit Free Press, but the owner — who works for Ford — knew exactly what his truck was capable of. Company boss Jim Farley posted a video of the event on his official Twitter account.
“That F-150 plug saved the day,” said Chandrasekaran.
Ford’s perennially popular truck has stepped in to keep the lights on before. Earlier in 2021, when a winter storm caught Texas and its power grid off-guard, several F-150 owners used their pickup to power their homes. Ford later instructed its dealers in the Lone Star state to loan generator-equipped trucks to communities in need.
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