California’s PG&E to Test Ford Lightning EV as a Way of Preventing Wildfires – Roadshow [CNET]

Ford has made a big to-do of the forthcoming F-150 Lightning’s ability to serve as a power bank for your house in the event of a power outage. Now, it seems, based on a report Friday by Automotive News, that at least one major utility company is getting interested.

California’s Pacific Gas and Electric is working with Ford on testing the vehicle-to-grid feature’s capabilities. Specifically, the major utility provider is looking for ways to avoid having to preemptively cut power to areas during high-wind conditions to reduce the risk of wildfire.

PG&E will start by testing the efficacy of five F-150 Lightnings, though precisely what those tests will entail isn’t clear. We asked PG&E for clarification but haven’t heard back as of the publication of this story.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, PG&E isn’t putting all its eggs into Ford’s basket, as it has already announced its plans to test some of GM’s upcoming electric vehicles for similar capabilities, as it announced last week.

We also asked Ford for comment and didn’t hear back in time for publication.