Ford announced two new EV chargers today that will allow its forthcoming Fathom pickup truck to serve as a battery capable of delivering power to the home or grid.

The new chargers promise to be about half the cost of Ford’s existing equivalent products, which could make the technology available to more households. Ford said the Fathom itself will start at $28,350.

The Fathom will be capable of delivering “over 10 kW” to a home, Ford said. That would allow the electric vehicle to substitute for a small standby generator. For most U.S. homes, it wouldn’t be enough to power everything, but it could keep a refrigerator and air conditioner operational for about half a day. 

Such capability has been touted as an advantage EVs have over fossil fuel vehicles, but not many EVs come properly equipped, and the chargers required to make use of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) services tend to be costly. 

The Home Power Station device can help customers shave their utility bill by charging the Fathom when power prices are low and sending electricity back to the home when prices are high. The automaker says it will cost around $650, about 50% less than its first-generation bidirectional charger. 

The other option, Home Backup Power, is a package that bundles the Home Power Station with a second device, the Home Backup Panel, to allow the Fathom to also power parts or all of a home when the power goes out. Ford says the package will cost around $2,100, about 60% less than its first-generation product.

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