Ford HIS is dead. Here's what F-150 Lightning + Charge Station Pro owners can actually do for V2H in 2026.

[Eos Backup & Battery TX]

Quick disclosure up front: I'm with Eos Backup and Battery, a Houston-area firm, we mainly deploy on the foundation of Sigenergy/Pointguard technology (Including their awesome V2H EVDC bidirectional charger). The post below isn't a pitch, it's what I keep telling Lightning owners who reach out about the Charge Station Pro, and I figured it was worth putting in one place.

If you bought the Ford Charge Station Pro thinking you'd run your house off the truck someday, the news isn't great. The Home Integration System that was supposed to make that work is no longer sold, and Ford ended support for it.

Ford says it on their own Home Backup Power support page:

"The Ford Charge Station Pro, required for Automatic Home Backup Power, is no longer for sale."

That's the short version. Below is what owners are actually doing about it.

Why the CSP can't just talk to a generic inverter

The CSP has DC terminals inside it. The install manual shows where they are and how to land conductors on them. A lot of people see those lugs and figure they can wire up any inverter and call it a day.

It doesn't work that way. The DC terminals only go live when the Delta BDI inverter inside the HIS sends a command over the RS-485 link telling the truck's battery to close its high - voltage contactors. No HIS, no command, no power on the lugs. It's a permission problem, not a wiring problem. No off-the-shelf inverter solves it.

Path A - Pro Power Onboard through a transfer switch

Skip the CSP entirely. The truck's 240V / 30A bed outlet feeds a generator inlet box, which feeds a transfer switch on your panel. You're using the truck like a portable generator.

Owners on this forum have done it and posted follow-ups:

• Pro Power outlet success with Reliance LinkX
• Generac 6852 install on the Pro Power plug
• Roundup of real-world backup setups

One thing that catches people: the transfer switch has to be designed for bonded-neutral / GFCI generators. A standard transfer switch will make the truck's GFCI trip the moment you connect. There's a Torque News writeup of exactly that, and the electrician-side discussion is on Mike Holt's forum if you want the theory.

Models' owners have confirmed working: Generac 6852, Generac 6853, Reliance Controls LinkX.

Rough idea of what you're looking at: about 7.2 kW continuous off the bed outlet, truck has to be home and plugged in, hardware around $400 - 800 plus a licensed electrician for the panel work.

Path B - Replace the CSP with a bidirectional charger

A few products now do what HIS was supposed to do. They plug into the truck's charge port and run DC bidirectionally to a home battery and inverter. The CSP becomes redundant.

What I install is the Sigenergy V2X DC Charging Module, 25 kW bidirectional, NACS or CCS1, paired with the Sigenergy hybrid inverter and a SigenStor BAT 9.0 modular battery stack. Each module is 9 kWh nominal (8.76 kWh usable). With the V2X module included, a single stack holds up to 5 batteries. Typical Lightning configs:

• 9 kWh - 1 module
• 18 kWh - 2 modules
• 27 kWh - 3 modules

Scales up to 45 kWh in a single stack with V2X (5 modules), more by adding a second stack. There are other bidirectional chargers on the market, I won't speak to those because I don't install them and can't vouch for the install side. Happy to answer Sigenergy specifics in DM if anyone's looking at it.

Whatever you go with, none of these talk to the CSP. They replace it. So your existing CSP plus any wiring you ran to the DC terminals becomes legacy hardware.

What to do with a stranded CSP

Two options. Keep it as a Level 2 AC charger - at 80A / 19.2 kW it's still solid for extended-range owners.


Or sell it.

Just keep expectations realistic, because resale prices have softened pretty heavily now that the HIS ecosystem is effectively dead.

Anyway... that's where things stand right now.

Not trying to convince anybody to buy anything.

Just wanted a single thread that explains the reality of the situation clearly, because there's still a lot of outdated information floating around.

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[fhteagle]

How's your in service failure / replacement rate been with the Sig products? Any significant or ongoing issues?

 

[Eos Backup & Battery TX]

Howdy feller,

Honestly, we don't see many issues, State side. The customers we work with are the kind of guys who'll diagnose stuff themselves before reaching out, and the system itself is built solid. Warranty's ten years from the manufacturer with a five-year extended on top of that. The one catch is you have to keep it online, Wi-Fi or hardwired internet. No connection, no warranty. On the hardware side, the battery's rated for 10,000 cycles. That's two-plus decades of normal use. UL listed, meets all the current safety and grid codes, IP66 outdoor rating, installed right and kept out of direct sun, it just runs.

I watch the Sigenergy communities globally. Most of the chatter is UK-side, mostly solar tuning and little app sync bugs. Every now and then you'll see a unit get replaced because of a hiss sound. Nothing failing outright on the battery side.

Where they really win is stackability. In the same footprint as a single Tesla Powerwall you can fit roughly 3 to 4x the kWh (not cheap though). And unlike most batteries that need 3 feet of clearance, these can sit 12 inches apart if you add a second stack.

Why would you run two stacks? The Controller is a hybrid (it's the inverter too), and a single stack gives you 11.5 kW throughput. A second stack takes you to 23 kW. So you can have two stacks at just 18 kWh of capacity if power output matters more than runtime, useful when you've got big loads but don't need long backup hours.

 

[Runaway Tractor]

The one catch is you have to keep it online, Wi-Fi or hardwired internet. No connection, no warranty.

Is there some connectivity uptime requirement to maintain your warranty?

 

[nate002]

You mention it’s a “permissions issue” with the CSP only working with the HIS. That sounds like a software issue. No idea how any of this works, but has anyone tried reprogramming or “hacking” the CSP to work around the permissions issue so it can work with other products? Consider that I’m an idiot and I have no idea what I’m talking about, just asking a question.

 

[Highspeedplay]

yes Software is the key, since Ford dropped the ball. Hopefully they will open the code and possible allow other systems to communicate with the CSP or other setups/systems. No loss of money for them and maybe some happy Ford customers. Plan B works for now but its limited to 30amps, would be nice to get a full 50amp system going.

 

[ridgebackpilot]

Thanks, @Eos Backup & Battery TX! Great information. For comparison, what does a typical Plan B installation cost?

For reference, I have 36 solar panels, three Tesla Powerwall batteries, and an Emporia Level 2 charger that can charge my EVs with excess solar power.

 

[chl]

Good explanation of the FCSP HIS operation.
Many problems with the communication between the truck and the HIS system have been preventing it from being reliable as the many threads can attest.

The HIS provided a 40A x 240V = 9.6kW output through the FCSP.

The path B, which I have done, provides 30A x 240V = 7.2kW.
Path B cost me about $600 using a GENERAC 6853.

You did not mention some things about the Sigenergy system which I think would be useful for people to know.

Assuming you just want an emergency backup system and vehicle charger:

1) the cost.
2) the kW output available from the truck with the system - is it more than the HIS 9.6kW?
3) the EVSE MAX charge rate - I have read somewhere it is 48A?
4) how you access the energy stored in the truck using the truck's DC control software, and what will happen if Ford changes the DC control software so that is no longer possible?
5) does the Sigenergy system require wifi and cellular service?

If solar were a possibility for me (I have too much shade for it to be practical), I might consider a system like Sigenergy. Right now, all I need and can implement is an emergency backup for outages via the 240V x 30A bed outlet.

 

[Tom D]

I have been waiting (quite impatiently) for Enphase to release their bi-directional EV charger. It was supposed to be released last year but was delayed until the end of this year. I have an Enphase solar system so theirs is the only bi-directional charger I'm willing to consider.

 

[Eos Backup & Battery TX]

Is there some connectivity uptime requirement to maintain your warranty?

Yes, not me though,"I just work here" - It's a Sigenergy thing but they provide ample means to support folks.

You can run ethernet, your own Wireless dongle or their own Comm Module. It has a data they can provide with 3 years or 5 years' worth.

The hardware is so reliable that they believe as long as they have the ability to maintain it through firmware updates then they can resolve most issues.


Even still, without a stable internet connection they will maintain a 5-year warranty instead of 10. (from installation date)

​

 

[Eos Backup & Battery TX]

You mention it’s a “permissions issue” with the CSP only working with the HIS. That sounds like a software issue. No idea how any of this works, but has anyone tried reprogramming or “hacking” the CSP to work around the permissions issue so it can work with other products? Consider that I’m an idiot and I have no idea what I’m talking about, just asking a question.

The hack would be more of a jailbreak and then most likely void all kinds of other things. The worst part is that this hypothetical will most likely be temporary! Since the Lightning itself would get firmware updates and then whoever responsible for the patch would need to repatch again. On a Corporate Level I doubt anybody wants to have DMCA suits from Ford circling. As the driver you are then exposed and at mercy of the "hacker" not causing any spicy issues !

I feel the same way about firewire ports and drivers. But that's another story, Ha!

 

[Eos Backup & Battery TX]

yes Software is the key, since Ford dropped the ball. Hopefully they will open the code and possible allow other systems to communicate with the CSP or other setups/systems. No loss of money for them and maybe some happy Ford customers. Plan B works for now but its limited to 30amps, would be nice to get a full 50amp system going.

Siden EVDC Charging module is up to 80 Amps of output. It's a fast charger (you could say level 3)
Up to 25kW in/out (fluctuates)

 

[Eos Backup & Battery TX]

I have been waiting (quite impatiently) for Enphase to release their bi-directional EV charger. It was supposed to be released last year but was delayed until the end of this year. I have an Enphase solar system so theirs is the only bi-directional charger I'm willing to consider.

Tom, brand loyalty makes sense, and the two can actually work together. Your Enphase microinverters keep doing what they do, both systems connect at the AC distribution panel, so there's no conflict. The Sigenergy adds battery storage and V2H on top!

Enphase's charger, if/when it ships, will be in the same V2H space, the main difference is the AIO benefit in a small footprint.

If V2H matters to you before that date, holler.

 

[Eos Backup & Battery TX]

Good explanation of the FCSP HIS operation.
Many problems with the communication between the truck and the HIS system have been preventing it from being reliable as the many threads can attest.

The HIS provided a 40A x 240V = 9.6kW output through the FCSP.

The path B, which I have done, provides 30A x 240V = 7.2kW.
Path B cost me about $600 using a GENERAC 6853.

You did not mention some things about the Sigenergy system which I think would be useful for people to know.

Assuming you just want an emergency backup system and vehicle charger:

1) the cost.
2) the kW output available from the truck with the system - is it more than the HIS 9.6kW?
3) the EVSE MAX charge rate - I have read somewhere it is 48A?
4) how you access the energy stored in the truck using the truck's DC control software, and what will happen if Ford changes the DC control software so that is no longer possible?
5) does the Sigenergy system require wifi and cellular service?

If solar were a possibility for me (I have too much shade for it to be practical), I might consider a system like Sigenergy. Right now, all I need and can implement is an emergency backup for outages via the 240V x 30A bed outlet.

Answering in order.

Cost depends on config. We offer the full service of getting it installed, permit running and commissioning plus we have in house financing with no prepayment penalty.

Output to the house

yes, more than HIS. With the truck as the source, the limit is the Controller's AC output, not the battery stack, the truck has plenty of reservoir to sustain it. One Controller delivers up to 11.5 kW continuous. Two stack setups roughly double that to ~23 kW. The V2X moves 25 kW DC between truck and Controller; the house-side number is the Controller's AC rating.

EVSE rate

the V2X is a DC fast charger, not an AC Level 2 EVSE. It charges or discharges the truck at up to 25 kW DC (80A on the DC side). The 48A you saw is most likely the Controller's AC grid-side current, different leg of the system, different number.

Truck DC access + Ford OTA

connection runs over the truck's CCS1 port (Most folks use NACS with CCS1 adapter) using the standard DC fast-charge protocol, not the proprietary RS-485 handshake the HIS depended on. That's a meaningfully different surface than the HIS situation. Ford could still change something on the truck side over OTA, but they'd have to do it inside a standard charging protocol, not yank a private key. Lower exposure, not zero.

WiFi / cellular

yes. Wi-Fi or hardwired Ethernet required for normal operation and full warranty. Optional 4G cellular module (CommMod) available if site connectivity is shaky. Without an internet link, battery warranty drops from 10 years to 5.

 

[Eos Backup & Battery TX]

Thanks, @Eos Backup & Battery TX! Great information. For comparison, what does a typical Plan B installation cost?

For reference, I have 36 solar panels, three Tesla Powerwall batteries, and an Emporia Level 2 charger that can charge my EVs with excess solar power.

Congrats on that awesome setup. Really cool!

for the 45 kWh equivalent with the V2X module included, the Sigenergy path lands roughly a third less than what 3 Powerwalls typically run installed. A few other things worth knowing:

All 45 kWh sits in one stack, not three separate cabinets, same footprint as a single Powerwall holds 3 -4x the energy.

Sigenergy's LoadHub is a built - in Smart Panel with 5 individually controllable load circuits, automatic load shedding, and generator integration. The Powerwall handles backup at the panel level; circuit-by-circuit control on that side typically means adding a separate device on top of the Backup Gateway since tesla's limited to partial or whole home backup.

On the app and automation side, gives you per-circuit visibility and control across the 5 LoadHub circuits, OTA firmware updates, and time-of-use scheduling for both the battery and the V2X module. So the truck can top off on off-peak rates and discharge during peak hours rather than just sitting on the charger.

Battery sizing is also finer, 9 kWh modules vs the Powerwall's fixed 13.5 kWh, so the stack matches the actual home load instead of rounding to the next unit.

Add 2 more battery modules to this photo and you're at 45kWh!

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