Ford is officially pitching the “Fathom” as a $28,350 EV that’s going to seriously sweat the Slate Truck.
From the moment it announced its “Model T Moment”, there’s been a ton of coverage and hype about what Ford has planned for the near-term future. On Thursday, we got a few more details on how it’s vaunted sub-$30K electric truck is going to shape up. We know know that it’s going to be called the Fathom (not the Ranchero, an old-school name we thought Ford might use for this project). Even better, Ford officially announced the MSRP well ahead of the truck’s official debut: $28,350.
Now, keep in mind automakers typically leave out destination charges, as well as other taxes and fees. Nevertheless, Ford is committing to that selfsame $30K-ish all-in price tag that initially emerged when it began detailing its future-looking electric vehicle platform.
This starting price tag does put it a few thousand dollars over the Slate Truck’s MSRP. However, Ford has an ace up its sleeve there, too. The automaker says that standard features include a “large, high-resolution touchscreen” (something the Slate lacks), “bidirectional power capability, digital key, as well as a frunk and bed for added cargo capability”. The company also reiterated the Fathom’s passenger volume which is greater than a Toyota RAV4, and can comfortably seat five people.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto also come standard, but here’s where Ford goes for the jugular: Every version of the truck will be BlueCruise capable. Now, reading between the lines, that doesn’t necessarily mean every trim of the Fathom will get BlueCruise as standard. Ford has recently been updating its price structure for the self-driving technology. So, while the hardware will come with each truck for the system to work, some (or possibly all) versions of the Fathom will require a subscription or a one-time purchase, which currently would set you back an additional $2,495.
There’s still plenty of information to come, of course. At this time, we don’t really have any firm technical specs as to drivetrain and performance capability, battery size or range. We should get a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pack, with some estimates floating around that it will be anywhere up to 65-kWh. Again, we don’t know how large it will be with any certainty yet, though such a capacity could enable a driving range of up to 300 miles, depending on the electric motor configuration.
The upcoming Ford Fathom is also going to premiere the automaker’s Universal Electric Vehicle Platform. This architecture dramatically simplifies the assembly process by using the structural battery as the vehicles spine, and using large aluminum castings in place of dozens or hundreds of different components that will come together to make up the front end, cabin or rear area.
Ford says the Fathom will be available to pre-order in early 2027. With that sort of time frame, it’s possible we’ll see a launch date and trucks actually reaching end customers by the end of next year, as a 2028 model.
