The Blue Oval and the solar company Sunrun have partnered to make the Ford F-150 Lightning capable to provide power and security in houses during an electrical outage.

The Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck is the first in the USA to be an energy storage source for households, the automaker reports. Owners will be able to use it to power homes when the grid goes dark and to enhance their energy independence in such a way.

With Sunrun, people in selected areas will have the opportunity to install solar energy for powering houses and charging their trucks with renewable energy. Sunrun’s solutions include an 80-amp Ford Charge Station Pro and a Home Integration System (the latter is available thru this spring).

Ford Intelligent Backup Power debuts on the F-150 Lightning. With this technology and the Home Integration System, the F-150 Lightning starts powering the home automatically if the grid goes down. The system automatically turns back to utility power, as soon as power is restored.

While an average American home consumes 30 kWh daily, the Ford F-150 Lightning with extended-range battery provides complete home power for up to 3 days or 10 days when used along with solar power or rationing. This battery pack can store 131 kWh of energy and deliver up to 9.6 kW of power.

Purchasers of the extended-range model get the Ford Charge Station Pro automatically. Customers of the standard-range F-150 Lightning can buy the 80-amp Ford Charge Station Pro separately paying for activation. Deliveries of the Ford F-150 Lightning to customers begin in spring.