Ford’s $28,350 Fathom Takes Aim at the Cheap EV Truck Race

Ford’s $28,350 Fathom Takes Aim at the Cheap EV Truck Race
Ford is betting that the affordable electric pickup does not have to feel stripped bare. Its new Fathom arrives as a more fully equipped challenger in a market where low sticker prices have often meant sharp compromises.

After the costly, uneven rollout of Ford’s earlier EV strategy—including the cancellation of the F-150 Lightning—the company built a California skunkworks team to rethink its approach around a clean-sheet Universal EV platform. The first result is the Fathom, a midsize four-door pickup priced from $28,350, plus a $1,595 delivery charge.

Ford says the truck will offer more interior room than a Toyota RAV4, an open bed and a front trunk, while bidirectional charging and its hands-free BlueCruise driver-assistance system will be available. The base truck is also set to include a large touchscreen with Apple Maps, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay—features that sharpen the contrast with Slate Auto’s $24,950 Blank Slate pickup.

That comparison is central to Ford’s pitch. Slate has embraced austerity: its entry truck omits paint, power windows, a touchscreen and a stereo, seats two as standard and requires a $5,000 kit to expand to five seats. Ford’s argument is that buyers who need one vehicle for work and family may accept a $3,400 premium for four doors and conventional equipment.

The harder question is whether Ford can make the economics work. The company plans to cut labor and component costs by assembling the Fathom’s front, middle and rear sections in parallel before joining them together, pairing that simpler process with high production volumes. As one account put it, “High-volume manufacturing plus streamlined assembly will be key” to sustaining the suggested price.

Production is scheduled to begin next year at Ford’s updated Louisville Assembly Plant, with preorders opening early next year and deliveries expected before the end of 2027. Slate, however, is due on roads later this year—giving the cheaper rival roughly a year’s head start.

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