F150 Hybrid Generator with a FWC

[mikeyc]

Just sold my van and am looking for an upgraded camping vehicle after I sell my tacoma as well. Doing some research now and have really enjoyed browsing this site!

I’m in the market for an F150 3.5 powerboost hybrid with a 7.2kw generator and hookups in the truck. Curious is anyone is charging their campers straight off of a plug In their bed or if you can. From what I’ve seen FWC has a different power connector on their campers.

Trying to make the decision to buy new for a fancy gadget or just save some money and buy an older F150. I just test drove one today and man they’re fun to drive. I’ll likely have a FWC Hawk and will remove it for daily driving.

 

[Wallowa]

Just sold my van and am looking for an upgraded camping vehicle after I sell my tacoma as well. Doing some research now and have really enjoyed browsing this site!

I’m in the market for an F150 3.5 powerboost hybrid with a 7.2kw generator and hookups in the truck. Curious is anyone is charging their campers straight off of a plug In their bed or if you can. From what I’ve seen FWC has a different power connector on their campers.

Trying to make the decision to buy new for a fancy gadget or just save some money and buy an older F150. I just test drove one today and man they’re fun to drive. I’ll likely have a FWC Hawk and will remove it for daily driving.

I am not an authority...only a user, Tundra/Hawk...but removing Hawk frequently takes a lot of patience and skill if, as in my case 1/2inch clearances are tight..

First I would lay out how and where I intend to use the Hawk. Long off-road trips or a combination of tarmac and dirt or no dirt...running the Ford to charge whatever battery bank or single battery you choose can be a whole new sub-set of issues...

In my opinion, solar provides the optimal flexibility to use the Ford/Hawk combo for differing durations and locations...generators, portable or installed and driven by truck motor, can be limiting in numerous areas and most beneficial if solar is not possible..

Anyway...welcome to the FWC Cult...it is a merry band!

Phil

Ps...No idea what a "powerboost hybrid" is....sounds interesting...

 

[Kolockum]

Welcome to the site.

Most of the campers are powered by DC off of the alternator. Going the inverter route would require taking DC to AC to DC and thus you will lose energy. Not sure how big of a deal it is.

My camper battery is wired to my trucks alternator but I have a battery tender hardwired in, normally just for storage. My buddy borrowed my camper and just plugged the trickle charger into the inverter on his Tacoma. It is only 100W while driving and 400W while parked. Never had any issues for his 3 week trip. The only downside is you have to remember to push the inverter button every time you start the truck. I would not plan on that for a long term solution.

 

[Wallowa]

OK...looked up the "Powerboost Hybride @ 7.2KW"...at 13 volts that means you have 600 available amps...that is a lot...don't know how low you can draw it down [min SOC] or if it is a LiFePo4 battery or how much you need for the truck motor..could not find specs on Ford website...

Interesting concept indeed...replacement for FWC batteries? Can you add solar for times parked? New to me...thanks for the introduction.

Phil

ps...Looked up the price, if I found the correct F-150, holly crap $72,000!

 

[mikeyc]

Haha, yeah they can get pretty expensive if you’re looking for the fancy interiors. Powerboost is just their name for the ecoboost hybrid I guess.

As far as the usages, I’d likely be going on climbing and surfing trips up to a month or so.

The one I’m interested in is about 55k for the sticker price. But I’m pretty sure I could get something a bit cheaper.

Would definitely love to get more opinions on this potential setup!

 

[Wallowa]

Haha, yeah they can get pretty expensive if you’re looking for the fancy interiors. Powerboost is just their name for the ecoboost hybrid I guess.

As far as the usages, I’d likely be going on climbing and surfing trips up to a month or so.

The one I’m interested in is about 55k for the sticker price. But I’m pretty sure I could get something a bit cheaper.

Would definitely love to get more opinions on this potential setup!

Dig into exactly how much of the 7.2kw can be used and what it takes to recharge the system..... amps are like gasoline...you run out, you then improvise...walk or use no electrical devices...

The price I saw was specifically for the truck with the 7.2Kw 'generator'....

 

[Wallowa]

Found answers to my questions...no free lunch but a unique if complex system...

https://www.forbes.com/wheels/features/2021-ford-f-150-hybrid-pro-power-generator-explained/

Phil

 

[Vic Harder]

Interesting. The onboard battery is only 1.5Kwh = 120AH. So most of the power is coming from running the engine. I can't imagine that this is more efficient than running a small honda generator. They are able to draw up to 7.2KW from the system. I can only get 2KW from my 200AH of Battleborn batteries, and can't keep it up for a full day like they can because my DC-DC charger can only supply 360W.

Notice the run times on these systems is also completely dependent of how much gas you have in the tank. I switched to a diesel because the range on my gasser wasn't enough for some of the longer out/back trips to nowhere. I would NOT want to run my power generation from the same device I need to use to get back home.

 

[OutToLunch]

You might want to check the youtube channel The Fast Lane Truck. They just bought a hybrid F150 to test.