The discovery that Ford's F-150 Lightning pickup comes equipped with a free charging adapter for Tesla vehicles has made some waves on the internet.
Several initial owners who recently took delivery of F-150 Lightning electric trucks shared images online of the adapter that came with their pickup enabling them to charge Teslas, which use different plugs from the rest of the auto industry.
Some of these owners wrote in forums that Ford is intentionally trolling the world's biggest EV maker by including an adapter that could charge a stranded Tesla.
Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley wanted to set the record straight and assured his followers on Twitter that the automaker has nothing but good intentions. Farley retweeted InsideEVs' post that linked to our report with the comment: "Not trolling. Just helpful."
It is not the first time Jim Farley mentions the possibility of the Ford F-150 Lightning charging a Tesla. In late April, during the electric pickup's production start speech at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, the executive referred to the truck's bi-directional capability, saying that "you can even charge other EVs for your friends that own Teslas."
The F-150 Lightning's bi-directional charging capability is a key selling point of the pickup, and Ford loses no opportunity to emphasize how customers can use their pickup to power their home, other electric vehicles or simply as a backup generator at worksites. This functionality also has the potential to help owners sell electricity back to the grid, helping utilities manage peaks in demand.
While Tesla electric vehicles do not have outflow ability, they may not need Ford's help with charging. Tesla has the second-largest US public charging network with 19% of all connectors and dominates the fast- and ultra-fast segments, accounting for more than half of those connectors in the country through its Supercharger network, according to BloombergNEF estimates cited by Automotive News.
Over the next two years, Tesla plans to triple the size of its Supercharger network, the company's senior vice president of powertrain and energy engineering, Drew Baglino, said in October.
Gallery: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Vehicle-to-Vehicle Charging
