Does anyone know if the energy coming out of the Lightning when used for home backup is AC or DC current? I came across a Sunrun diagram showing the home backup energy flowing through their inverter, which makes me think it’s DC. However, that energy first enters the Charge Station Pro, which as far as I know, takes in and sends out AC power to the truck, then converts that to DC for battery storage. So I’m a bit confused.
Also trying to figure out if the stated 9.6kW discharge power from the Lightning (versus the up to 19 kW charging speed at home) is based on the Charge Station Pro or the truck itself.
For the pricey Sunrun system, it comes out as DC and requires an external inverter. You don’t need ProPower from what I know. For the basic home backup, you connect ProPower to your house with 240V and need to switch the main panel breaker off yourself.
Yan said: @Quillan
Oh interesting. So the charge port on the truck can output both AC and DC?
The charge port can only output DC, but only through SunRun. It can take in either AC or DC when charging, depending on if it’s level 1, 2, or 3.
The 9.6kW discharge comes from the optional ProPower onboard system. This setup gives the truck an extra inverter and outlets. You can pull up to 30 amps at 240V (or 7.2kW) from the rear outlets, plus another 20 amps at 120V (or 2.4 kW) from the cab or frunk. Combined, that reaches 9.6kW.
The 19.2kW you might have seen is from the 80 amp charging speed available on 2022 and 2023 models. They stopped this in 2024, but left it as an option on some fleet vehicles. It doesn’t have to be the Ford Charge Station Pro (FCSP), though many had it on their window sticker.
For home backups, many people skip the heavy costs and equipment from SunRun and instead go for a simple generator backup with an interlock or a more advanced generator transfer switch. Here’s a post with a detailed installation. Make sure to get a transfer switch meant for bonded neutral generators.
@Jules
Just to clarify on the bonded neutral generator point, the transfer switch should be a switching neutral, aka 3 pole type for it to work correctly.
@Jules
Wait a minute? I thought Lightnings could also charge other EVs using vehicle-to-vehicle (v2v) charging with the right adapter? And aren’t those typically Level 2 class AC? Does the mobile charger have a built-in inverter?
@Yan
Yes—if you have the Pro Power 9.6kW option, there’s an L14-30R (240V 30A) outlet in the bed. The inverter is built into the truck.
The Ford mobile charge cable that comes with the Lightning has a firmware update that caps charging power at 30A. This lets you plug it into the bed outlet with an L14-30P to 14-50R adapter, which provides a 7.2kW charge to another EV.
You can also use the frunk outlet for Level 1 charging at up to 2.4kW since the frunk has a separate inverter.
The Pro Power 9.6kW feature comes standard on Platinum models (across all years), on all 2022-2023 Extended Range XLT and Lariat trucks, and on all 2022-2024 trucks with Max Tow, regardless of battery size or trim. It’s an extra-cost option only available from the factory for other configurations.
@Quincy
Thank you a lot. So there’s an inverter for the charge port, one for the bed outlet, another one for the front outlet, and at least one for the AC motor? That’s quite a lot!
Yan said: @Quincy
Thank you a lot. So there’s an inverter for the charge port, one for the bed outlet, another one for the front outlet, and at least one for the AC motor? That’s quite a lot!
I’m not sure where you’re getting the impression that there’s an inverter on the charge port. An inverter transforms DC into AC, but a rectifier does the opposite, converting AC into DC. EV batteries require DC for charging, so the DC inputs on the charge port connect directly to the batteries, with no inverter involved. The AC inputs connect to the onboard charger, which includes a rectifier to turn AC into DC for charging. Most onboard chargers have a boost converter to increase voltage and various DC-to-DC stages to manage charging voltage, so no inverter is needed there. Finally, the backup power feature exports DC from the charge port to an external (which isn’t part of the truck or the charge station) inverter that supplies backup AC to the house.
The truck comes with one 120V 20A inverter as standard, and an optional 240V 30A one. Each drive unit contains an inverter to provide variable-frequency AC to the motor since the Lightning has two drive units (it’s a dual-motor design).
That’s at least three or four inverters within the truck.
Lastly, there’s a DC-to-DC converter that keeps the 12V battery charged.
Generally, the onboard charger includes a power factor conversion stage.
The truck generates DC out through the Charge Station Pro, which is why it has the full CCS1 connector with AC and DC pins. In the home backup setup, the Charge Station Pro includes separate high-voltage DC wiring going to the inverter, which carries around 400V DC at around 25A, and the inverter changes this to 240V AC at approximately 40A for use in the house.