F-150 hybrid designed to be "worksite generator"

[CampbellDaycrui]

The recently announced hybrid F-150 has been designed allow the system to be used as a "worksite generator". There is also talk of future diesel hybrids in years to come. Having an integrated Smart generation system in your tow vehicle that can power your fiver while quietly idling away has the potential to be a game changer for those who dry camp.
Removing the genset from the RV removes the noise and vibration as well as the possibility of theft if you use a portable: they would have to steal your truck! All your refueling issues would go away too if you had a decent fuel capacity. The only downside would be removing power from the RV when you took the TV on a ride.
With a large enough battery capacity one could power an RV for hours before the engine kicked on to charge the pack. The ability of modern Lithium batteries to discharge at a high rate without harm would allow the pack to start several a/c units simultaneously while running the microwave, making toast and drying your hair.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

KD4UPL wrote:
Apparently no one cares about this idea. Why do I say that? Because GM came out with this probably 10 years ago on their Silverado hybrid. You could pull 120v AC power off of those trucks to power stuff while parked. But, I sure haven't see many people talking about, writing stories about, or using them over the years. It's rare to even see one on the road.

I agree.

Ford had this almost 50 years ago. Although the below example was not on the truck engine it never caught on.

It doesn't make a bunch of sense to idle a 100 HP engine when a 5 HP engine will do.



Plus there are several idle laws on the books in many states for diesel trucks.

[KD4UPL]

Apparently no one cares about this idea. Why do I say that? Because GM came out with this probably 10 years ago on their Silverado hybrid. You could pull 120v AC power off of those trucks to power stuff while parked. But, I sure haven't see many people talking about, writing stories about, or using them over the years. It's rare to even see one on the road.

[Rbertalotto]

You can bet the farm that the future of electric vehicles will include large scale outboard power. No question. Having a small engine that simply runs a generator that in turn charges a large battery bank is the future of electric vehicles (see Chevrolet Volt)
Tesler is already talking about your car running your house in a power outage or overnight when your solar panels are not producing.
I've been saying for quite a while.....why are we not towing electric vehicles as toads where the huge Li battery pack is the main campers power supply. Recharging during the day as you sight see and using retentive braking to charge while towing. Just makes too much sense.

[tatest]

It would be interesting to see the specs on the offering. A "worksite generator" could be 1.5 to 2.4 KW, easy to support with a 200 amp alternator matched to a good 120V inverter of that size. Most current offerings of "emergency vehicle" or "ambulance" packages for Class 3 to Class 5 trucks readily handle these loads, so what might be novel is moving the option (easily achieved with an alternator upgrade) down into the Class 1 truck market. Hybrid tech not needed, just install a bigger alternator at a cost of about $30 at factory.

The loads you are speculating about for RV needs are in the 8-10 KW range, requiring up to 40-50 KWH battery storage for your scenario, and 800-1000 amps of alternator capacity to back it up. With respect to engine output, 10 KW is in the 12-15 horsepower range, readily available at a fraction above idle for any prime mover capable of moving a 7 to 20 ton RV at highway speeds. It is just a matter of supplying a large enough generator or alternator was attached to the engine. Hybrid tech usually means installing an alternator/motor in the 20-50 HP range, so with a hybrid the electric powerplant becomes a freebie rather than an extra cost option.

There exists, today, "all electric" Class A and Class B motorhomes with such capabilities, without any need for hybrid propulsion. It is just a matter of sizing the battery bank and the engine-driven charging system. The Class A offerings usually have an independent genset backing up the batteries, as the smaller 10-20 HP genset
engine is usually more fuel efficient than running a 400-600 HP prime mover at idle power.

[spoon059]

That sounds like a neat idea! Take your truck to a tailgate and have a built in generator. During the heat of the day you can turn your truck on (very quiet) and run the AC for a little while. At night time before bed run the truck and cool off/dry out the camper a little.

Yea, some wear and tear... but is it any worse than a work truck running all day on a highway construction site? I doubt too many people would be using the truck generator day in and day out, maybe a weekend trip every couple months where you use it.

Cool idea, I'd be interested to see where it goes.

[time2roll]

DrewE wrote:
While the hybrid battery can produce prodigious amounts of instantaneous power, I would be shocked if Ford installed an inverter that could supply anything approaching 12 kW. (For one thing, they would call it a "whole-house power failure backup generator" rather than a "worksite generator" if it was a large inverter.)

VIA Motors is showing 14.4 kW and 50 kW optional.



Exportable power
Power where you need it—at home or the workplace. 240 volt outlets right on the rear of the truck provide easy access for work or emergency. Now you can plug your house into your truck in an emergency! The VTRUX power export module option provides 14.4 kW at 60 amps of onboard mobile power. A utility grade output module is planned for the future and will be designed to provide 50 kW of mobile emergency power to keep critical facilities online.

http://www.viamotors.com/vehicles/electric-truck/

Should not be a big deal for Ford to do something similar.

[CampbellDaycrui]

Early days and baby steps....... The market will respond if they can make more money by selling a trailer package that includes high Amp capability. The parts will already be there on the vehicle, just a matter of using them. There are already systems that use a Prius or other hybrid to power a home in case of emergency, this will not be much different.

[DrewE]

While the hybrid battery can produce prodigious amounts of instantaneous power, I would be shocked if Ford installed an inverter that could supply anything approaching 12 kW. (For one thing, they would call it a "whole-house power failure backup generator" rather than a "worksite generator" if it was a large inverter.)

[dave17352]

I personally don't think it will be a game changer. You still are going to have to run a very large engine to power your generator. I would rather put the wear and tear on a stand alone generator. I use to think it would be great too. But sense I have owned my Honda eu 3000 (for about 11 years now) I am sure I would rather run that than my truck engine. JMHO