Ford has given its long-teased affordable electric pickup a name, a price and a firmer timeline. The truck will be called the Fathom, and it starts at $29,945 including a $1,595 destination charge. It is the first model to ride on Ford’s new Universal EV Platform, and the company is treating it as a second attempt at getting electric vehicles right.
That reset was expensive. Ford took a $19.5 billion writedown in 2025 tied to cancelled EV projects as federal tax credits and fuel economy standards were rolled back, and it retired the F-150 Lightning after concluding the big truck had no route to profitability. Until the Fathom arrives, the Mustang Mach-E is the only passenger EV Ford sells in the United States.
What you get for under $30,000
Ford is keen to stress that this is not a decontented penalty box. Every Fathom is set to ship with a large high-resolution touchscreen running native Apple Maps, with EV route planning that suggests charging stops and shows nearby plugs, alongside Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Bidirectional charging, a digital key and a frunk are all standard.
- Starting price: $29,945 including a $1,595 destination charge
- Midsize pickup, with more interior room than a Toyota RAV4 according to Ford
- BlueCruise-capable across the range, though activation costs extra on the base truck
- Domestically produced prismatic LFP cells from BlueOval Battery Park Michigan
- Assembled in Louisville, Kentucky using a new assembly-tree production method
How it stacks up
At just under $30,000 the Fathom sits roughly where Ford’s own Maverick does, and in the same neighbourhood as the Chevrolet Bolt and the current Nissan Leaf. Slate’s stripped-back electric truck still undercuts everything at $26,400 with destination, but it arrives without standard speakers, a touchscreen or power windows, which makes the Fathom a very different proposition.
What Ford has not said yet
The gaps are notable. Ford has not published battery capacity, range or DC fast-charging figures. The $29,945 price applies to the standard-range pack, so an extended-range version is a reasonable expectation. Ford’s Model e general manager Kay Hart has acknowledged that buyers are looking for around 300 miles and said options will follow, without committing to a number.
Preorders open early next year alongside a full reveal, with customer deliveries scheduled for autumn 2027.
