Can the Ford F-150 PowerBoost charge an EV on the move?
We have a new addition to the TFL fleet — and it’s probably not a vehicle any of you were expecting. Don’t worry, new trucks are definitely on the horizon, but for now we have this 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV. Out of left field? Probably, but there’s some method to the madness, as this tiny little city car packed a whopping 400 lb-ft of all-electric torque for that model year. We’ll have more of that coverage over on TFLcar.com, but today’s video focuses on range.
What happens if your buddy with an EV runs out of juice in the middle of nowhere? Lucky for them, you just happen to have the 2021 F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid with Ford’s new 7.2-kW Pro Power Onboard inverter, but can you actually use that to charge a car up on the move? That’s what Tommy and Andre see whether it’s feasible and just how much you can recharge after the Chevy Spark EV, in this case, runs out of steam.
For reference, the 2014 Chevy Spark EV has just a 21-kWh battery pack, so it really doesn’t take much to run it out. In fact, according to official EPA estimates the tiny electric car can manage 82 miles on a full charge. That’s good enough as a city runabout, but you’ll want to consider the short range should you want to head farther out. As for charging it up, the 7.2-kW Pro Power Onboard is exclusively available for the F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid. When the system draws enough energy away from the truck’s 1.5-kWh battery, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 kicks in acting as a generator to keep the current flowing.
Check out how it performs over an hour-and-a-half trip back to our office below:
