Space Flash
Well-known member
Thanks very much for the info. We just bought a 2025 Flash with the 9.6kW onboard Pro Power. Among other things, we specifically wanted the option of powering our home during outages.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.
Our previous EV was a KIA EV6 GT which had V2L via the CCS port to a 6 circuit transfer switch we had installed. It saved our bacon (and everything else in the refrigerator) several times. Running fridge, kitchen lights/outlets, gas furnace, two offices (broadband, WiFi, etc.), family room (TV lights, etc.), primary bed and bath, bonus room, instant hot water. Last outage was about 7 hours which used about 2% of the HV battery. The EV6's V2L maxed out at 1.9kW/16 amps. We rarely used more than 1kW or so though. Understand that we'll be using the outlet in the Lightning's bed rather than the charge port now.
After doing a bunch of research here and elsewhere it's clear we'll need to have our electrician do some additional work to address the Lightning's GFCI though. Still some more due diligence to do so thanks for the links, etc., much appreciated.
Welcome anyone's thoughts or advice of course, especially if you've sorted out this issue (need some clear "next steps" for the electrician) and TIA!
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