As it gets closer to launching an all-new lineup of battery-electric vehicles, Ford Motor Co. is finally offering some insight into the first of the new models. The two-row, all-electric pickup set to debut next year will be called the Ford Fathom – and will start at $28,350 plus $1,595 in delivery fees, undercutting virtually every EV now on the market. More from Headlight.News.
Ford’s first Universal EV will be called Fathom.
It’s been a full year since Ford CEO Jim Farley first announced a “skunk works” program based in Long Beach, California had been charged with developing an all-new line-up of affordable battery-electric vehicles. Now, with the first of those EVs soon to go into production, the automaker is offering some hints of what’s to come.
And, at least from one standpoint, the newly named Ford Fathom is on target. Equipped with a “standard-range” battery the electric pickup set to start at $29,945 – factoring in a base MSRP of $28,350 plus $1,595 in delivery fees.
That positions it to become one of the lowest-priced all-electric models available in the U.S. Among other things, it could pose a challenge to the upcoming Blank Slate pickup set to debut later this year.
What’s new
The Universal Vehicle program is based out of Long Beach, California.
Fathom is the first product developed by a new Ford operation, dubbed the Universal Electric Vehicle, based in Long Beach and intentionally isolated from the rest of Ford Motor Co. A number of other products are in development and, during a visit to the California facility earlier this year I saw a plywood mockup of a three-row SUV that could follow Fathom to market over the next several years.
The base MSRP of $28,350 includes a standard-range battery that is widely expected to yield somewhere around 200 miles of range. Ford officials have said they are aware that “some” customers want something closer to 300 miles – about what the now-discontinued Ford Lightning could deliver — and that’s likely in line with what an extended-range pack will yield with Fathom
The new model will be “tech-forward,” Ford said in a release Thursday. It will feature bi-directional charging which would allow an owner to pull power from its lithium-ion pack when needed, say, to keep a refrigerator running in a blackout or to charge up a camp or work site. It also will become the first vehicle to feature embedded Apple Maps.
The competition
A number of different DIY wraps will be available for the Blank Slate pickup.
EV sales in the U.S. topped out at about 8% of the new vehicle market last year, tumbling sharply once federal tax credits were phased out last September. It hasn’t helped that the typical EV has a transaction price in the mid-$50,000 range. Ford is betting that demand can be charged up by delivering more affordable models. At less than $30,000 out the door for a base model, Fathom will be about $20,000 less than the typical gas-powered vehicle, according to Cox Automotive.
Ford is by no means the only automaker pushing to deliver more affordable EVs. New models from brands as diverse as Chevrolet and Nissan undercut existing product lines. The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt starts at $27,600 before $1,395 in delivery fees. The 2026 Nissan Leaf S+ starts at $29,990 before delivery fees of $1,545. But the most direct competition to Ford Fathom is likely to be the Blank Slate pickup set to go into production later this year. It will start at $24,950, or $26,400 with delivery fees.
But that truck – developed by a Michigan start-up backed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos – will be an extremely stripped-down single-row model. It will, for one thing, feature hand-cranked windows and a radio will be an option. The Blank Slate will feature a composite body in a single color. The alternative will be to purchase a wrap option starting around $500. There will be only one battery option, a 65-kWh lithium-iron phosphate pack with a range of 205 miles.
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Drivetrain
Universal EVs will use more densely packed LFP batteries, rather than lithium-ion chemistry.
Ford isn’t offering many details about Fathom at this point, following the industry’s current communications strategy of dripping out select details in a running series of news releases meant to build excitement. It has yet to reveal any pics of the new truck, for one thing.
What we know is that it will offer a choice of standard and long-range battery packs that will likely come in around 200 and 300 miles, respectively. The packs will use lithium-iron phosphate technology, rather than the lithium-ion chemistry chosen for the old Ford Lightning. While less energy dense, LFP chemistry is also less expensive and less prone to technical issues that, among other things, can lead to fires. Ford’s Universal Vehicle engineers have come up with ways to squeeze more cells into a given space, effectively making up for the lower energy density.
An all-new motor drive system has been developed for Fathom and future EVs sharing its new platform. The base model will rely on a single motor. It’s not clear if two-motor packages will follow on the pickup or other products to come.
Tech-forward
Like Ford’s current Mustang Mach-E EV, Fathom and future Universal models will feature North American Charging Standard, or NACS, ports mounted on the driver’s side front fender. That will permit the use of Tesla Superchargers, greatly expanding the options when public charging is needed. The port will allow bidirectional charging, as well. It’s unclear how much power that will permit the vehicle to deliver, however. The big Lightning pickup could be used to charge an entire home during a blackout.
The new EVs will feature a 48-volt electrical system for radio and other accessories, unlike the 12-volt technology. The electrical architecture, meanwhile, follows Tesla’s lead, eliminating virtually all remote microprocessors in favor of a centralized computing system.
There’ll be a reasonable amount of technology onboard even the base Ford Fathom. That will include a large touchscreen. It’s unclear if entry models will include navigation but Ford is migrating to Apple maps. That will be the first time Apple’s navi technology is used in an automobile. More and more automakers have, of late, switched to Google Maps. Fathom also will offer BlueCruise, Ford’s hands-free driving system.
Will buyers care?
Ford hopes to reinvigorate the slumping EV market with Fathom. And it contends the new pickup will have more than just a low price tag to lure in buyers.
The new Universal Electric Vehicle Platform relies on a skateboard-style architecture moving the battery pack and key drivetrain components below the load floor to free up space for passengers and cargo. Ford claims that Fathom will offer more interior space than a Toyota RAV4. And it will add a frunk, or front trunk, “for added cargo flexibility.”
The automaker is betting big on Fathom, which will begin production in Louisville, Kentucky early next year. Ford is spending about $5 billion on the project, roughly evenly split between plant upgrades and product development. It remains to be seen whether the new project has found the right formula to re-energize the EV market.
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