Need backup power? Automakers want you to look no further than their vehicles in your driveway

Summary by The San Antonio Editorial Desk · Based on reporting by Alexa St. John, Associated Press, KSAT 12 (ABC affiliate) · July 22, 2026 · 5 min read

Winter Storm Uri, the multiday freeze that slammed Texas in February 2021 and pummeled the state's power grid, has been on Kenneth Kovar's mind ever since. Though the resident of New Braunfels, northeast of San Antonio, didn't lose power at the time, he wasn't able to run his septic tank — it is ...

Why this matters in The San Antonio

For San Antonio residents, the prospect of using their vehicles as a backup power source is particularly intriguing given the city's history of grid strain during extreme weather events. Winter Storm Uri, which ravaged the state's power grid in 2021, left many without electricity, and the memory of those outages still lingers. As automakers like Ford explore the home energy business, locals may find themselves at the forefront of this emerging technology. The ability to plug a vehicle directly into an electric meter, as with Ford's F-150 setup, could provide a vital lifeline during future outages. With San Antonio's growing population and increasing demand on the grid, innovative solutions like these could help bolster the city's energy resilience. As car companies continue to adapt their electrification technologies to the home energy market, San Antonio residents may soon find themselves with a new tool to weather the next big storm.

About this story

Original reporting by KSAT 12 (ABC affiliate). The San Antonio surfaces reporting from trusted publishers and adds local editorial context so readers can quickly understand what a story means for their community. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page.

For the complete original report, visit KSAT 12 (ABC affiliate). Have a tip or correction? Contact our newsroom.

Category: local · Published: July 22, 2026 · Source: KSAT 12 (ABC affiliate) · Reading time: 5 min

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This article was first published on July 22, 2026 by KSAT 12 (ABC affiliate) and curated for The San Antonio readers.

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Summary created by	The San Antonio Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed
Original reporting	Alexa St. John, Associated Press, KSAT 12 (ABC affiliate)
Original story	Read at the source
Source published	Jul 22, 2026
Indexed here	Jul 22, 2026
AI assistance	Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text
Prepublication human review	No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples

Need backup power? Automakers want you to look no further than their vehicles in your driveway

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