Image: Youtube@truckedupevs | Gadget ReviewYou see a Ford F-150 Lightning rolling down the highway with a bed full of Bluetti battery boxes humming away, feeding charge back into the truck while it moves. That's YouTuber Simon Lindley's setup on his channel Trucked Up EVs, using a prototype called EverDrive to convince his Lightning to accept AC power mid-drive. The result of roughly $9,500 in hardware and serious DIY effort? About 34 extra miles. Not a typo.How EverDrive Actually WorksA microcontroller convinces your truck to charge itself while rolling down the interstate.EverDrive bolts an auxiliary J1772 Level 2 charging port onto the Lightning — in Lindley's case, drilled straight through the bed liner. A PEAK microcontroller sends custom CAN bus messages to the truck's systems. Think of it as texting the vehicle in its native language, persuading it to accept AC charge while moving — behavior Ford's firmware deliberately blocks. The kit isn't commercially available yet, with developers targeting around $2,000 when it ships.AdvertisementAdvertisementLindley stacked roughly 16 kWh of Bluetti portable power stations in the bed, purchased for about $5,300 CAD — closer to $7,500 at US retail. High-voltage cables run under the truck to the front. This is not a weekend project.Here's what the numbers actually show:16 kWh of Bluetti capacity delivered about 34 miles of extra range in real-world testingAn 8% energy loss from pack imbalance meant some stored power never reached the truckAn earlier test fed 7.32 kWh and gained roughly 22 miles — about 3 miles per kWh, consistent with highway Lightning efficiencyEverDrive's developers claim up to 500 miles of travel is theoretically possible with a large enough external source, though that figure is unverifiedIs $9,500 Worth 34 Miles?The math hits like a credit card statement after a very optimistic weekend.AdvertisementAdvertisementFord's own extended-range Lightning pack delivers 131 kWh and 300-plus EPA-rated miles — factory-warrantied, no drilling required. Tesla's cancelled Cybertruck range extender targeted roughly 47 kWh for about $16,000, OEM-engineered. One Reddit community build using EverDrive plus a generator reportedly hit 60 miles for around $15,000. The cost-per-mile math here is, frankly, brutal."EverDrive simply 'wakes up' the onboard chargers when an external AC source is present." — EverDrive developers, via Facebook community groupIf you're commuting to the office, this makes zero sense. But if you're towing into rural Montana with no DC fast charger for 200 miles, or running a remote job site where range insurance matters more than range records, the value calculation shifts — a scenario familiar to anyone managing life on road. EverDrive is power-source agnostic: generator, solar, battery bank — your call. Worth flagging clearly: no OEM support exists, warranty implications are real, and safety validation remains community-level only.This is the EV equivalent of a home-brewed setup that costs more than it probably should — it shouldn't work this well, but it does. EverDrive is pre-commercial, the install isn't for amateurs, and 34 miles for $9,500 is a tough sell. Still, a modular, fuel-agnostic range extender for existing EVs is a concept worth watching.From the coolest cars to the must-have gadgets, GadgetReview's daily newsletter keeps you in the know. Subscribe - it's fun, fast, and free.