The Ford Fathom Electric Pickup Will Cost $28,350, But Don’t Expect 300 Miles Of Range At That Price

$28,350. That’s how much Ford’s all-new Universal Electric Platform-based pickup truck — which it is calling the Ford Fathom — will cost when it hits the market next year. This comes shortly after Slate announced pricing for its truck: $24,950. Which is the better deal? Well, it’s hard to know, especially since we’ve learned that its range will not be 300 miles as I previously thought.

Ok, right away, let’s add some destination charges. The Ford Fathom electric pickup truck comes out to $29,945, while the Slate costs $26,400. That’s $3,545 more for the Ford truck. Is it worth it?

I obviously don’t have an answer, since I haven’t seen underneath the Fathom’s camouflage and I haven’t driven it (I have driven the Slate; I found it charming). But I wouldn’t be a journalist if I didn’t at least conjecture a bit, and my guess is that the Ford will offer a decent bit more for the money. Not only will the standard Fathom almost certainly come with power windows, but it also gets an infotainment screen:

Available for pre-order in early 2027, the midsize electric truck, with standard-range battery, has a starting MSRP of $28,350* competing in the heart of the affordable EV market.

But the price is the least interesting thing about it. Projected to have more passenger volume than a Toyota RAV4, with a large, high-resolution touch screen, bidirectional power capability, digital key, as well as a frunk and bed for added cargo flexibility, Fathom seats five adults and is just as comfortable on a workday commute as it is on a weekend adventure.

Advanced technology adds value to the already well-equipped Fathom. Every truck is BlueCruise capable, and the Fathom’s BlueCruise integration with Apple Maps offers a more seamless on-ramp to off-ramp experience. Fathom is also Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capable.

[Note: The “the price is the least interesting thing about it” seems like an odd quote given that the price is the thing. -DT]

It’s worth noting that, later in the press release, Ford writes “It will also maintain compatibility with standard CarPlay and Android Auto.” I’m going to read that as those two being standard on the truck. Another, more important standard feature on the Ford and not on the Slate is four doors, which is pretty much a requirement on any high-volume vehicle in 2026:

But here’s the critical question we don’t have answered yet, and that I myself kind of thought had been answered: How far will the Ford Fathom drive on a single charge? (The Slate will do 205mi).

The reason why I say I thought it had been answered is that, on Ford’s website, there’s a Q&A in which The Blue Oval says its plan is to offer 300 miles of range:

Q: Is the goal to extend range as far as possible on the UEV, or is there a certain threshold of range, say 300 miles, that Ford deems sufficient to balance cost and range anxiety?

A: Our strategy is to meet the expectation of some customers of around 300 miles of range. Instead of using larger, more expensive batteries to achieve this, we are focusing on extreme vehicle efficiency through aerodynamics, weight reduction, and energy management to achieve similar range with a smaller, lower-cost battery.

We all know Ford — and any automaker — can offer an electric vehicle with 300 miles of range; just chuck a big enough battery into it. But the story of the Ford Universal EV pickup is its starting price of under $30,000, so to answer that question by saying the goal is to hit 300 miles of range without pairing that number with another constraint made me think that the other constraint was implied — i.e. it was the $30,000 starting price.

Anyway, it appears I was mistaken. Per Ford, the $28,350 ($29,945 after fees) base Fathom is not expected to achieve an EPA-estimated range of 300 miles. If you want 300 miles of range, you have to pay extra. And we don’t yet know how much. From Ford:

We have said previously that some customers will want to see an EPA-estimated range of around 300 miles and we will have an option for that customer.

The truth is, I suspected $100-per-mile of range was too good to be true. After Autopian member Life’s Short; Drive Fast! commented last month about the truck’s features, I admitted that — at the price point ($30,000; I think Life’s Short; Drive Fast! may have edited in the $40,000 figure after the fact), 300 miles seemed super ambitious:

I guess my intuition was correct, and my reading of Ford’s Q&A response was not. In any case, this all leads me to wonder: How much range does the base Ford Fathom have to offer to be competitive? Or, put another way, how much does the 300-mile truck have to cost to be competitive?

Let’s talk about the competition.

You can buy a Nissan Leaf with 303 miles of range for about $33,000 all-in:

A Chevy Equinox EV offers 319 miles of range for about $37,000:

For under $39,000, you can buy a Tesla Model 3 with 321 miles of range:

A Chevy Bolt, at $28,995, offers a range of 262 miles:

And a 245-mile-range Hyundai Ioniq 5 costs about $37,000:

But are these the Fathom’s competitors? I just named a bunch of crossovers/hatchbacks. The Ford Fathom is a small pickup, like the Ford Maverick Hybrid, a $30,000 gas car free from range anxiety and with basically the same base price as the Fathom:

Ford has made it clear that the Fathom is not meant to be a car solely for EV enthusiasts; Ford has called the Universal EV Platform the company’s “Model T Moment.” In other words: This vehicle has to appeal to everyone.

If the average person has to choose between a 38 mpg Maverick and a 220 mile Fathom, are they choosing the Fathom? What if its 250 miles? 270?

I don’t have an answer. We haven’t even seen what the Fathom looks like, or all the features it will offer. If it’s extremely stylish and feature-rich, maybe I’d be tempted at 250 miles for $30 big-ones? Or maybe I’d drop the $35 grand (or whatever it ends up being) for the 300 mile variant, as that’s still a great price if the vehicle is cool.

But with such heavy depreciation on EVs, $30-35 big-ones goes a long way these days on the used market. Though I remain excited about this truck, it’s a lot to think about; when we finally have the base range and the price for the bigger battery, plus a look at the feature list and the styling, I’ll be doing even more thinking about the new, sub-$30,000 Ford Fathom.

Top photo: Ford