Ford’s second attempt at an electric vehicle strategy is getting closer to primetime. After its initial approach of electrifying its best-selling F-150 fell a little flat, it decided to try something a little radical. An internal skunkworks was set up in California with a brief to rethink the idea of a universal EV platform from the ground up, taking into account the advances made by EV startups and clean-sheet designs both in the US but especially China.
And today, we found out what that first new EV—an affordable four-door pickup truck—will be called: the Ford Fathom.
We’ve known for some time that the first EV built on Ford’s new UEV platform was going to be a pickup truck. And that it would use a new zonal architecture for its electronics, which massively reduces the amount of wiring needed by swapping the hundred or more discrete electronic control units you find in most new cars with a handful of powerful computers each controlling multiple domains.
We’ve also known for some time that we should expect something the size of a Ford Maverick on the outside—except far more streamlined—with more cabin space than the Toyota RAV4. The Fathom will be capable of bidirectional charging, and Ford’s BlueCruise, hands-free, partially automated driver assist will also be an option.
What we didn’t know was the exact starting price, but like the name, we now have that missing puzzle piece: $28,350, plus a $1,595 delivery charge.
The Internet loves to create fandoms and then pit them against each other, and for the Slate Auto fanboys out there, that means the Blank Slate pickup will still be a few thousand dollars cheaper than a Ford Fathom, at least if you don’t pick any options. Ford fans can take heart in the fact that not everyone wants manual window winders or having to install back seats themselves, and for many, a four-door pickup will have much greater utility, especially if it’s their only vehicle.
