Duke taps Ford F-150 Lightning energy to stabilize grid, flipping the ‘EVs break grid’ script

Ford and Duke Energy are planning to use F-150 Lightning batteries as backup energy storage to conserve energy use on the grid.

Duke Energy, one of the largest utility companies with over 7.4 million customers in the Carolinas, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, is filing a petition for a new pilot program with the North Carolina Utilities Commission.

The new program intends to help lower vehicle lease payments for eligible EVs, including the Ford F-150 Lightning. Meanwhile, utility customers will be able to use energy from their EVs to give back to the grid.

The exchange will help stabilize the energy grid, helping to break the “EVs are bad for the grid” naysayers. New technology will allow for a two-way flow of energy to the EV and back to the grid.

The program will start in the Carolinas, where Duke supports around 2.1 million energy users.