How the 2021 Ford F-150's onboard generator works

Re:How the 2021 Ford F-150's onboard generator works by ocdtrekkie on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @03:31PM (#23705470)

Yeah, this kinda makes me want an F-150. Though I'd really like a more conventional SUV form factor with this generator in it. I generally keep my car stocked with a tool bag, emergency supplies, etc. such that in most cases, if I'm in proximity to my car, I have everything I might need. Add a generator and I'm golden.

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Re:How the 2021 Ford F-150's onboard generator works by unethical_ban on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @04:46PM (#23706442)

I agree with others: I love this feature, but I wonder if most people need the level of power being offered vs. an inverter that can do 400W or so.

Having a "second aux battery" would be a nice factory option, so you don't worry about draining the starter. There are mods you can do to vehicles to make this work.

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Re:How the 2021 Ford F-150's onboard generator works by ocdtrekkie on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @04:56PM (#23706567)

In the case of the F-150, it seems Ford has the numbers to back up that a lot of people would otherwise literally lug generators around with them. For the construction market, I absolutely suspect this feature will be well-used.

I'd like it in an SUV, and I'm willing to bet if offered, folks would jump on it, but I agree it's a lot less likely it'd be heavily used.

Re: Adding another battery, I've considered (and done some napkin math) adding solar panels and a second battery to my car to power the computer I run onboard. But it's something I don't have the time or money to play with right now.

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Re:How the 2021 Ford F-150's onboard generator works by kube-system on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @10:47PM (#23709426)

Ford is clearly aiming at their fleet customers with this feature -- they're the ones hauling 5000 watt generators around. Fleet sales are a particularly profitable segment for Ford, they want to attract those customers more than your average Joe off the street.

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Re:How the 2021 Ford F-150's onboard generator works by Waterluvian on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @07:55PM (#23708297)

In my kit I also have six basic towels. The kind you get at the gym. I’ll give about one away per year for assorted things. I know this is a meme but honestly, bring a towel.

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Re:How the 2021 Ford F-150's onboard generator works by carlhjerpe on Wednesday July 01, 2020 @03:51PM (#23705720)

You can add a 1kw inverter to any car, the 12w system will handle it just fine though not indefinitely. There's a really simple formula you need to know. P=UI P=Power U=Voltage I=Current

Get the specs of you generator and you can see how much you can sustain while your engine is running. The inverters do usually create a square voltage "wave" rather than a good sine one, but it has never been a problem in my experience.

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