Ford revealed the Fathom Ford on Thursday as its new affordable midsize electric pickup, with a starting price of $28,350 before destination and delivery charges. The truck is built to give buyers a lower-priced EV option, and Ford said preorders will open in early 2027 before deliveries begin later that year.
The starting price applies to the standard-range battery, and Ford said a $1,595 destination and delivery charge sits on top of that figure. Ford also said the Fathom will be one of the cheapest EVs on the US market, a claim that hinges on keeping the truck’s base price low before the extra charges are added.
Alan Clarke on EV costs
Alan Clarke, who runs Ford’s skunkworks team out of Long Beach, said the company is still on a really steep decline of EV costs. He added that innovation and system level optimizing are needed to create a product that a customer wants. That lines up with Ford’s effort to bring a cheaper truck to market without stripping away the features buyers are likely to expect.
Every Fathom will be BlueCruise-capable and will include bidirectional power capability, a large high-resolution touchscreen, and a digital car key. Ford also said Apple Maps will be natively embedded in the navigation system, while owners will still be able to project Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The truck will have a frunk and a bed for added cargo flexibility.
UEV at Louisville Assembly Plant
The Fathom is the first model to roll off Ford’s new Universal Electric Vehicle platform and the first vehicle built using Ford’s new assembly tree manufacturing process at Louisville Assembly Plant. Ford said the platform reduces the total number of parts by 20% compared with a typical Ford vehicle program and eliminates 40% of process workstations compared with current production on the factory floor.
Ford said it is using lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry to keep battery costs low. It also projected more passenger volume than a Toyota RAV4, signaling that the truck is aimed at buyers who want utility without moving to a larger vehicle.
Ford’s EV write-offs
The new truck arrives while Ford is still dealing with $19.5 billion in write-offs related to its first-gen EVs. Ford said those earlier efforts, including Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, gave the company lessons about customer demand and manufacturing difficulties. The Fathom is Ford’s attempt to apply those lessons to a product built for lower costs from the start.
Customers can sign up now for Fathom updates. For buyers tracking affordability, the number to watch is not just the $28,350 starting price but the final figure after the $1,595 charge is added, which Ford did not include in the base announcement.
