How useful/practical will the 2,000 watt on board power supply be? Anyone know if the option on the F150 is a reliable source to run 15 saws, compressor ps or is it just going to trip the breaker frequently? Any real value vs cost to it as an option?
What AMP out can it sustain on an extension cord etc..? Thank you.

 

I don’t know if it’s a matter of if it can run tools, but more so about does the truck have to be running?

aka if you’re going to be running it for hours per day it might make sense to turn the truck off and just run a Honda gas powered generator or something of the sort.

 

I get that. But am wondering if it’s practical for making a few cuts here and there, run an espresso machine etc... in the middle of no where vs cost? I get the value of having a generator but I just don’t always travel with one when I have a mitre, table saw or coffee machine in the bed.
If it can’t handle the amp out put need to power the saws through a plywood cut, or run on an extension cord then... Wondering how folks anticipate or have seen it being used vs cost of the option? Thank you.

 

Output will be approximately 16 amps

 

My opinion, based on my basic knowledge... it's not worth it. It just doesn't make any sense at all...

If the truck has to be running to produce the power, it's not worth it. Why run a $60k or more truck just to make coffee... a thousand dollar generator will be a much better option to leave running to make a cup of coffee... even on the fly. (And if you are carrying a coffee pot and a few saws around, then it. shouldn't be a problem to throw a 2000 watt generator in the back with them.)

If the truck doesn't have to be running, then it is drawing energy from the trucks cranking batteries, or there are more batteries somewhere else that is being used to store the power. If it is drawing from the cranking batteries, well, that would suck... make that cup of coffee, and then hope that the truck will crank... coffee pots use a lot of energy! If it's drawing from separate batteries, then that is extra weight added to the truck, extra room taken up, plus, it's likely mediocre batteries that will cost a lot of money to replace them when the time comes... nevermind the upfront cost, or even the possible delays from adding it if ordering the truck.

I just don't see any good sense of using these onboard power whatever's they are called.... if you really expect to be making a cup of coffee or running a saw often enough to need it, then carry a generator and make it truly portable... plus, don't put all that extra wear on your vehicle by leaving it running, or on your vehicles batteries.

As for how much it can run, I would assume that the 2000 watts is at 120V. There should be a tag or a stamp somewhere on any electrical device stating what the draw is for that device. Pretty simple.

 

Funny, your first post had me thinking you wanted to run 15 saws off of it. You meant 15 amp saws. If the Super Duty is going to have the same system as the F-150, you might get more first hand experience in the 150 section.

 

It's not the continuous amps that you need to worry about so much as the surge amps. A soft start tool like my Bosch router won't hammer the inverter like my Dewalt 10" chop saw will.

It would be helpful to find the full specs on the inverter. The surge amps and the number of seconds or milliseconds that it can handle those surge amps will be important.

My Victron Multiplus 12/3000 inverter (rated at 2400 watts continuous, 6000 watts peak), can handle starting the rooftop air conditioner in my RV. I doubt that the Ford inverter would.

The longer/smaller the extension cord, the more amps you're going to suck out of the inverter.

 

All helpful answers. Thank you. Periodic tool use is the likeliest usage case. Generator weighs a fair bit and takes up precious bed space to keep in bed regularly. Thinking diesel tremor so not overly concerned with running the truck at idle for an hour here and there. I’ve been more concerned with what the on-board power would handle at 2,000 Watt.
Everyone's answers have been helpful. I’ll have to look at the cost of the option to make a decision - what’s the convenience worth to me? Cheers!

 

GUARANTEE the truck will have to be running. No way anything will work off the batteries alone.


I had the 7.2kw in my F150. I never used it. I didnt order that truck but bought it off the lot. There were a lot of "gotchas" to using the 7.2kw to power your house, which is something Ford touts big time. The 7.2kw in the 150 powerboost claims 32 hours of usage on a full tank of 30 gallons using all 7.2kw... so 1 gallon per hour burn... Im seeing the 7kw Honda and 9kw Predator are just north of that with the Predator at full bore burning ~1.5 gallons. So fuel burn is less than a comparable portable generator. I would have to see fuel burn numbers for the 2kw vs. a comparable Honda 2kw generator. Guessing at that point the Honda would win handily.

Im guessing the 2kw inverter will be standard on the superduty or did they say it will be an option?

Its standard on the F150 line so guessing they are simply swapping over from the 400w to the 2kw inverter across the whole line to save money.

 

Probably not a helpful answer, but here goes anyway. As far as tools are concerned, if you're carrying them anyway, why not reliable battery operated? Especially if it's only a few uses here & there. I run my Dewalt 1/4 inch impact drills for days without recharging them in my seamless gutter business.
For espresso, I have no response for that.

 

I would be careful just idling these diesel trucks equipped with emissions… the pre-emission trucks were great for that but these with all the emissions stuff will just sit and idle and get clogged up. To me, that’s even more of a reason the on board power is useless. I try to idle my (diesel) truck as little as possible… I don’t even go through drive through anymore because it’s easy to spend 20 minutes or more just idling. I also instilled a high idle switch, so if I ever absolutely do have to idle I can kick it into high idle, but that’s still not ideal to me. I want my truck to last a long time, and the emissions is the bane of this truck, so I try to be good to it.

A 2000 watt generator isn’t all that big or heavy. Sure, it occupies space, but not that much. I still say that if you have room for coffee pots you have room for a generator. The Predator 2000 watt generator is 13” wide by 23” long by 19” tall and about 50 lbs. plus let’s not forget that a gallon of gas is quite a bit less expensive than a gallon of diesel right now (and likely for the indefinite future).

Anyway, I get that it sounds good, but when I started actually thinking about it, it’s a horrible idea, and one that they are likely using to try to get “EV” in our heads. But this feature is about as useless as the FX4 package if you ask me.

 

Thank you, may just be me but I prefer my saws and compressor to be plug vs battery. On board espresso is always welcome while outside.

 

Interesting, good point. I never considered it would come standard. Given the inevitable price increase, getting that standard would be welcome, probably wouldn’t pay north of a grand for it as an option.

 

Good points raised, thank you. I thought idling helps to keep everything warm vs numerous cold starts during the day - especially in CDN winters, so I tend to idle when I can. I like the high idle switch because I get what you’re saying. Espresso cups are small, disposable, espresso machine is light and welcome.
Diesel in Canada is slightly more than gas but the difference isn’t that much depending on where you are. I think going forward gas is going to be more premium as they reduce the number of consumer pumps in favour of charge stations. I’m at a loss on that argument as current EV/hybrid argument falls flat with me on so many levels.

 

The bag of battery tools make WAY more sense than paying for a 2000W inverter and having to run the truck to use it. You may prefer plug in saws but if that is all you have these days, you are limiting yourself needlessly, those tools work great for the short intervals and portability.

As to idling the truck for long periods. I am in the camp that would just prefer a small generator. I do not know if idling the diesel is as bad as Chadispoindexter makes it out to be but I do think it is true running any emissions diesel at idle is going to be hard on it. We have a rented Cat excavator right now and had some regen issues with it. Tech said to just leave it run at full throttle pretty much all the time to avoid issues.... I know my last gas truck had over 7000 hours of idle time and 200k miles, that truck still runs great.

Then a willingness to spend up to $1000??? 2000W inverters are under $400

For me it is easy, I embrace the latest battery tools and the 400w plug in my truck generally charges batteries up on the way too and from jobs, never run out of batteries for tools yet. I like having the inverter built into the truck. I would do that again. I have no need for the 7.2kw version and 2000w is overkill for my needs as well but if it is the lowest level inverter offered, I would probably option it in.