As most of America enters the cold months, losing electricity is not a viable option. In some cases the loss of electricity can even prove to be fatal. As options for a backup power system dwindle before the cold months hit, Ford Motor Company has announced another option that adds even more value to the already technology savvy and popular F-150 Lightning providing a safety net in adverse conditions.

Ford has now teamed up with Sunrun, the nation’s leading solar company, to allow the new F-150 Lightning to be used as a backup energy supply. If you’ve researched the F-150 Lightning you might have seen the Sunrun name appear, as they are the preferred installer for F-150 Lightning home charging solutions. Sunrun also has the capability to install solar energy panels on your house, allowing owners to charge their truck with solar.

“F-150 Lightning brings new innovations to customers, including the ability to power their homes when they need it most,” said Matt Stover, Ford charging and energy services director. “Teaming up with Sunrun leverages their expertise to bring solar power to even more customers, giving them the chance to turn their truck into an incredible energy storage source – and future truck features can help accelerate the development of a less carbon-intensive grid.”

The Ford Charge Station Pro will be a first for Ford and arriving on the F-150 Lightning extended range trucks and comes with an available home integration system giving your home access to the F-150 Lightning energy source. The Ford Intelligent Backup Power technology will allow customers to not only charge the truck, but also have it automatically switch to a generator in the case of a power outage. This can be during a brutal winter storm in the north or a massive heat wave in the south. Once the power is restored the energy supplied from the house, via solar or local electricity, will go back to charging the truck. This could potentially be used as a money saving technique in the future to avoid peak time charges.

So, just how long can this hold your house electrically afloat? Well, the F-150 Lightning extended-range battery can store 131 kilowatt-hours of energy and deliver 9.6 kilowatts of power. Considering the majority of American households use 30 kilowatt-hours of use daily, you could potentially see anywhere from three to ten days of power depending on if you can remember to turn a few lights off or combine this with solar energy.

If you are looking for yet another reason to purchase a new F-150 Lightning then this should do just the trick. After all, the spouse is going to remind you frequently just how loud that old gasoline generator is. Think of how quiet it’ll be with one less complaint in the house.