Ford Lightning engineer explains why Pro Power Onboard is an emotional feature for him

https://electrek.co/2022/11/29/ford-engineer-lightning-ev-tech-explains-pro-power-onboard/

Ford engineer behind Lightning EV tech explains why Pro Power Onboard is an emotional feature

Vyas Shenoy, a Ford engineer behind the advanced Pro Power Onboard technology on the Ford F-150 Lighting electric truck, says the feature means more to him than just having portable energy.

.... the brains behind the technology, Vyas Shenoy, a Ford engineer, says the electric truck’s portable power capabilities “is a perfect testimony to life coming full circle” after growing up with electricity being a luxury.

Shenoy grew up in a small village in Southern India where the electricity could be out for several weeks at a time. In a LinkedIn post on Ford’s page, Shenoy explains:

Where I grew up in India, we had mandatory electricity cuts every day. And during a monsoon, we had to live without electricity for weeks because the trees had fallen, and it was flooded. There was no developed infrastructure to support the grid because all the power was going to the big cities.

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Even everyday items for many of us, like battery-powered flashlights, were hard to come by. Shenoy says, “those were real commodities,” adding around grade 11, “we started getting 12-volt batteries – a portable charger with a 12-volt battery and two fluorescent tubes that could be used for study.”

Meanwhile, he added, “they were very expensive and a luxury to afford.”

Shenoy was determined for a better life, earning a Bachelor of Engineering and Diploma DME (GL) degree in Mechanical Engineering from Manipal University in India.

He wanted more. Shenoy wished to pursue higher education in the US, but again, it was expensive.

Imagine a person struggling to get a battery for studies now investing in a higher education in America.

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To help his son achieve his dreams, Shenoy’s father gave him property rights to the family house. Shenoy hopped on the opportunity, taking a loan against the property and making his way to the US without knowing anyone.

My mission is zero to hero.

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Shenoy earned a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from the University of Michigan and then took a job with Ford, where he has helped develop Pro Power Onboard on the F-150 Lightning.

Shenoy’s parents visited him over the summer, and knowing their struggle, he brought Ford’s electric truck to the house to show them what he has been working on. He said, “my parents were on cloud 9.”

Thinking back, Shenoy feels immense pride in what he has accomplished with the Lightning, adding:

I’ve seen what it is to be without electricity growing up, getting my education under that kerosene lamp. And now to be on this aspirational journey working with a fantastic team on a technological breakthrough product at Ford that can provide up to 9.6 kW of power through an electric truck is a perfect testimony to life coming full circle. I’ve seen the other side of life without electricity, and I’m contributing to a future where we don’t have to worry about things like that.

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What great story. Imagine the dedication and hard work it took to be part of this product. Glad I came across this.

That kind of hard work deserves to be rewarded, good on him and his family. Need more people like that in this world.

I love stories like this. So many people think it's impossible to move from poverty unto better situations and mock the whole "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mantra, but there are so many that have done just that.

Humans are very capable creatures when determined.