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Old 08-02-2020, 03:57 PM   #1
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The 2021 Ford F-150 will have a big generator . . .

The recently announced 2021 F-150 lineup includes a hybrid model that has an optional 7.2 kW generator and a lithium battery pack.

Not much detail is yet available, including pricing and towing capacity, but what I've seen so far is certainly intriguing as a boondocking TV--one that can delivery 30amps of power.

Any thoughts here?

Mike
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Old 08-07-2020, 08:30 AM   #2
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Great idea! All trucks should be like this.
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Old 08-07-2020, 08:40 AM   #3
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That’s a great option, wonder what it’s toll is on payload. But great for people that don’t mind or truly need carry all over power requirements.
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Old 08-07-2020, 09:51 AM   #4
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Question

Just a big battery/inverter. The term "generator" is there to catch eye-balls . . . quite successfully IMO.



The truck's engine is the mechanical device sending electrical power to the large battery, which then inverts the 12-volt direct current to 120-volt alternating current.

Earlier threads:

24 posts -- lots of good info and links: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f46...or-208957.html
3 posts: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f14...ng-210391.html

FYI
FWIW
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Old 08-07-2020, 11:50 AM   #5
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It reads as the vehicle engine acts as a generator, additional there is battery that stores power, when load exceeds a certain draw the car engine/generator kicks on. Sounds like a generator to me.
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Old 08-07-2020, 12:17 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OTRA15 View Post
Just a big battery/inverter. The term "generator" is there to catch eye-balls . . . quite successfully IMO.



The truck's engine is the mechanical device sending electrical power to the large battery, which then inverts the 12-volt direct current to 120-volt alternating current.

Earlier threads:

24 posts -- lots of good info and links: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f46...or-208957.html
3 posts: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f14...ng-210391.html

FYI
FWIW

If this is similar to the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid, the engine turns a generator, but I do not believe these engines drive a 12v generator for anything more than on-board accessories (lights, radio, etc). The engines are attached to a generator that produces a lot more than a 12v generator can create and be inverted. The battery packs and drive line system voltages are 360v. Pretty sure all electrics and plug-in hybrids also use higher voltages drive lines than 12v inverted to 120v and I am also pretty sure they don't put in a 4 banger engine just to generate 12v to invert. The wiring alone in these types of cars are far more dense (size) than simple 120v cables and they are colored bright orange.

As for this application in a truck, Bob Lutz the guy that pushed GM to make the Volt later said they got it wrong, they should have done it with a truck first. Seems that philosophy only took automakers 7 years to realize. The concept is just a consumer grade version of what electromotive locomotives have been doing more than 60 years, so the ability is there to make it work....the question really is.....can it be built and sold at a price consumers can afford and does it make sense at $2.50/gallon. The higher gas prices go, the more thee make sense. Best of both worlds.....electric for say 100-150 miles towing, then a internal combustion engine to produce electricity to the drive motors, run low on gas, roll up to the next station and fill 'er up in 3-5 mins and off you go for another 300 miles (on gas)...get to your campground, plug in the RV and the trailer, or don't.

I use the Volt as an example, but pretty sure all plug-in hybrid electrics will behave and use similar tech. See pages 18 and 19 of the attached PDF for some general info on the drive line electrical system that supplies the electric motors.

As you'll see, it's not simply 12v inverted.
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File Type: pdf Chevrolet Volt Collision Awareness Guide.pdf (2.85 MB, 54 views)
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Old 08-11-2020, 08:55 PM   #7
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2021 Ford F 150 hybrid

Quote:
Originally Posted by mkaiseraz View Post
The recently announced 2021 F-150 lineup includes a hybrid model that has an optional 7.2 kW generator and a lithium battery pack.

Not much detail is yet available, including pricing and towing capacity, but what I've seen so far is certainly intriguing as a boondocking TV--one that can delivery 30amps of power.

Any thoughts here?

Mike
I am new to RV camping and would prefer to boondock as opposed to using a traditional RV Park. I’m very intrigued with this hybrid Ford F 150. Other than vehicle cost, what could be the downside?
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Old 08-11-2020, 10:01 PM   #8
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Towing payload for one. It will be interesting to see the specs in detail.

Mike
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Old 08-12-2020, 03:16 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by CRRVP View Post
. . .
Other than vehicle cost, what could be the downside?
You have to run the truck's engine to charge the battery, as opposed to having a separate stand-alone generator with its own gas/propane-fired engine to power its own electrical generator. Less efficient this way, plus campground rules and neighbors may not like a truck engine idling for an hour or two, just to accomplish this [unnecessary] task IMO.

See sources referenced in earlier Post #4:
Quote:
Originally Posted by OTRA15 View Post
Just a big battery/inverter. The term "generator" is there to catch eye-balls . . . quite successfully IMO.



The truck's engine is the mechanical device sending electrical power to the large battery, which then inverts the 12-volt direct current to 120-volt alternating current.

Earlier threads:

24 posts -- lots of good info and links: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f46...or-208957.html
3 posts: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f14...ng-210391.html
. . .
Of course solar panels can augment either system.

Welcome to the forum CRRVP.

Happy trails,
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Old 08-12-2020, 07:03 AM   #10
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Only the hybrid can get the 7.2 kw generator. An ICE vehicle gets a 2 kw generator, less than what a Honda 2200 watt generator puts out. Not to mention that the vehicle engine has to be running full time (on the ICE). That is far less efficient that just getting the Honda. It is all about the trade offs. What does the battery of the hybrid take from the payload capacity?
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Old 08-12-2020, 08:39 AM   #11
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Quote:
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Only the hybrid can get the 7.2 kw generator. An ICE vehicle gets a 2 kw generator, less than what a Honda 2200 watt generator puts out. Not to mention that the vehicle engine has to be running full time (on the ICE). That is far less efficient that just getting the Honda. It is all about the trade offs. What does the battery of the hybrid take from the payload capacity?
A couple of thoughts.

I was on a ride and drive of the 2020 hybrid Escape. I was amazed at how small the battery pack was for the vehicle. I don't remember the weight, but it wasn't much. Could be equivalent or less than a 2k inverter generator.
I wonder if the 2k watt rating is surge or continuous.
Much of the discussion on inverter generators focuses on noise. I suspect my 2019 F150 EB is as quiet or maybe quieter than these generators.
Unlike the stand-alone generators, the truck has a full set of emission control devices.
Also, not sure how many people have seen them, but there is a company selling a gizmo that plugs into any vehicle to provide AC power called the CarGenerator. I haven't seen the detail specs for their 2k unit though they claim a F-150 with a 36 gallon fuel tank will run at idle for 90 hours. I expect the Ford OEM version will have similar run time.
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Old 08-12-2020, 11:53 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OTRA15 View Post
You have to run the truck's engine to charge the battery, as opposed to having a separate stand-alone generator with its own gas/propane-fired engine to power its own electrical generator. Less efficient this way, plus campground rules and neighbors may not like a truck engine idling for an hour or two, just to accomplish this [unnecessary] task IMO.

See sources referenced in earlier Post #4:


Of course solar panels can augment either system.

Welcome to the forum CRRVP.

Happy trails,
Thanks!

I was originally thinking that the F 150 hybrid would be great for boondocking. Less gear to mess with; fuel containers, portable solar panels, inverter generator,
Lithium batteries, etc.. Just plug into the truck. Easy. Plus the truck bed is great for hauling my bicycles.
Or, just get a Honda 2200 inverter generator to top off the battery and help run the trailer when needed. Should I spend $70,000 or $1,000?
What to decide?
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Old 08-12-2020, 11:57 PM   #13
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Oh, go for the highly complicated and elegant solution, like the Department of Overkill Engineering almost always does.

Yeah, I caved and got a Champion 3500 watt inverter generator. SWMBO only allows me to buy Toyota vehicles.
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Old 08-13-2020, 05:24 AM   #14
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Thumbs up

Quote:
Originally Posted by CRRVP View Post
. . .
Should I spend $70,000 or $1,000?
What to decide?
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Old 11-03-2020, 09:53 AM   #15
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New Specs

I am looking closely at this truck and see that the payload is 1830 pounds which is approx 100 pounds more than the 2020.

I am still talking to the Ford dealerships to understand exactly how the battery will work when I plug my camper into the 240 volt outlet. I do know that I will need to convert 240 volts down to 120. When taking to my engineer friends they suggest that the 7.2KW battery at 120 volts will equate to having a 60 amp battery. The question I have is how will that work? Will it be like plugging into a pedestal? Will the gas engine need to be running? Will the truck need to be in accessory mode? My understanding is that once the truck hybrid battery gets too low then the gas engine truck will start and charge the battery automatically.

I have spoken to a large Ford dealership specifically about these questions and have not received a definitive answer. They are supposed to get me the answers to these questions or if possible put me in touch with a Ford engineer.

If I learn more I will share.
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Old 11-03-2020, 06:38 PM   #16
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This is very interesting, I will continue to follow this post. Maybe not for the 2021's but maybe 22 or 23 technology is moving so fast....
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Old 11-03-2020, 07:14 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by rmkrum View Post

Yeah, I caved and got a Champion 3500 watt inverter generator.
We've been Ford for a lot of years, been good to us.
Sorry for the drift but how quiet is that generator ?
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Old 11-03-2020, 07:34 PM   #18
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The 2021 Ford F-150 will have a big generator . . .

Quiet enough to easily hold a normal conversation next to it without raising your voice any at idle. When my air conditioner compressor comes on it is still about that quiet. It barely comes off economy idle. I don’t have a MicroAir EasyStart installed yet, and I think installing it will quiet the load transition more.

The airstream is a 30 amp system, and even in the heat of the day in El Paso Texas in September last year it was not real loud. Still conversational, and with the generator on the tailgate of the truck and the exhaust port pointed at the front of the trailer we couldn’t hear the generator over the air conditioning fan.

We only run ours on propane, and I’m quite happy with the noise and the price. It has plenty of capacity for our setup.

For reference I’m strictly a Toyota guy...
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Old 11-04-2020, 10:16 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffCross View Post
I am looking closely at this truck and see that the payload is 1830 pounds which is approx 100 pounds more than the 2020.

I am still talking to the Ford dealerships to understand exactly how the battery will work when I plug my camper into the 240 volt outlet. I do know that I will need to convert 240 volts down to 120. When taking to my engineer friends they suggest that the 7.2KW battery at 120 volts will equate to having a 60 amp battery. The question I have is how will that work? Will it be like plugging into a pedestal? Will the gas engine need to be running? Will the truck need to be in accessory mode? My understanding is that once the truck hybrid battery gets too low then the gas engine truck will start and charge the battery automatically.

I have spoken to a large Ford dealership specifically about these questions and have not received a definitive answer. They are supposed to get me the answers to these questions or if possible put me in touch with a Ford engineer.

If I learn more I will share.

Looking at the power center in the truck bed, there are 4 standard 20 amp outlets and one 4 wire 240 volt outlet. So, if you want to use the 240 plug, most likely, you will need a dog bone similar to what you would use to plug in to a 50 amp pedestal outlet. You could also use a 20->30 amp adapter.



https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/w...ard-scaled.jpg
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Old 11-04-2020, 10:33 PM   #20
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Originally Posted by SailorSam205 View Post
Looking at the power center in the truck bed, there are 4 standard 20 amp outlets and one 4 wire 240 volt outlet. So, if you want to use the 240 plug, most likely, you will need a dog bone similar to what you would use to plug in to a 50 amp pedestal outlet. You could also use a 20->30 amp adapter.



https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/w...ard-scaled.jpg


That at least is my plan to convert the 240 down to 120. Of course I can plug the camper into one of the 20amp outlets too just to charge the batteries assuming I didn’t need the full 30 amps.

On a side note Ford is next week having a show in 2 Texas cities and in Phoenix to demo the new F150s. You can register at f150drive.com. It’s a 12 hour drive for me but I am pretty tempted. If there is anyone reading this thread who has the ability to go, I would love to have you ask questions about the hybrid from a camping perspective. I have found that Ford is focusing the use of this hybrid for “job site” activities and not campers. I don’t think they realize there are a lot more campers than there are guys buying this for the construction site.
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