Fathom vs. Mach-E

[Tdubz]

Jim Farley has talked about this. Since most of the cost is in the battery pack, using a smaller battery combined with a gas engine doesn't really increase the cost of the vehicle. However, he was a little adverse to the idea at first because of the build complexity to make ICE and EV work together reliably. What changed his mind is that Lightning ended up only comprising <5% of F-150 sales, and the people who did buy/lease them (myself included) complained about the absolutely miserable range while towing. And so, with the Ram 1500 REV launching this fall I think Farley wants to see how that goes and if Ram has success with it, the next gen Lightning will also use a gasoline range extender too.

For the Fathom, the entire point is to make assembly as simple and easy as possible, which is one way they are keeping this under $30k. I suspect, but cannot confirm, that lower quality parts are the other half. Anyway, so it made sense for THIS vehicle to be EV only.

I think one of the ways ford is reducing the cost is by using smaller LFP batteries. Smaller batteries equal lower price, but also decrease range. So ford is also adding more aerodynamic designs to the UEV vehicles. So smaller battery and aero design equals the same range as bigger battery with boxy design. This is why the fathom doesn’t look like your typical truck.

 

[nvabill]

Nope.
Ford never said that or even hinted it would be an option.

Yeah, my bad, guess I had the Lightning confused with it.

 

[Flash]

I think overall for the entire EV market, the challenge selling new ones is the great value a used EV is right now.

 

[onuiebvbevnulib]

For the Fathom, the entire point is to make assembly as simple and easy as possible, which is one way they are keeping this under $30k. I suspect, but cannot confirm, that lower quality parts are the other half. Anyway, so it made sense for THIS vehicle to be EV only.

The other half is that they used this quote in the design to reduce costs:

The Best Part is No Part

and if Part is Necessary it must serve Multiple Purposes

 

[metroshot]

Wasn't the Fathom going to also be an EREV with a gas engine. I thought it was but now can't find anything about that. Guess that was just the lightning replacement.

No - Fathom won't have a gas generator - too expensive and bulky to add onto a small crossover/truck platform.

Scout has an EREV planned - I have had a deposit with them for years now and haven't seen one yet.

https://www.scoutforums.com/

 

[nvabill]

No - Fathom won't have a gas generator - too expensive and bulky to add onto a small crossover/truck platform.

Scout has an EREV planned - I have had a deposit with them for years now and haven't seen one yet.

https://www.scoutforums.com/

Thanks

 

[WXman]

The more I read and contemplate, the less excited I become about the Fathom. So I ended up following my own chain of thought and picked up a used Mach-E. There are a TON of these coming in off lease right now, in excellent condition, with anywhere from 10k to 40k miles on them and they can be bought cheap. The one I bought is a '23 GT. I'm in love with it.

I do have a Ram 2500 for jobs and tasks so I don't need a truck. I've been interested in Fathom as a daily driver mostly, which is what I think most people will do with it considering its small size and cargo capacity. The Mach-E presents a better daily driver with 600 lb/ft of torque and range closer to 300 miles and a track record of being extremely reliable along with very reasonable insurance costs.

I will still follow this forum, as I'm still intrigued by what Ford may do with this new Fathom vehicle.

 

[Snakebitten]

You won't hear me dissing the Mach-E GTPE. It's a fantastic vehicle, and one of the best vehicles that I have ever owned.

But I wouldn't consider it as cross-shopping choice with a Fathom. Completely different mission.

Enjoy that gorgeous car. And hopefully you find it to be as solid as my 2023.5 (build 2) was.

 

[rbertonieresr]

I’m a 23 Mach-E premium owner with 72,000 miles and love this car. I’m looking forward to seeing what the Fathom is all about. Timing is great since I’ll be ready to trade in around that time.
I’m sold on Ford but it depends on the size and range. If it is as small as the Maverick and less than 280 miles of range with the larger battery pack, it could be a deal killer.
I will have to pivot to the Subaru Trailseeker as an alternative option.

 

[WXman]

I’m a 23 Mach-E premium owner with 72,000 miles and love this car. I’m looking forward to seeing what the Fathom is all about. Timing is great since I’ll be ready to trade in around that time.
I’m sold on Ford but it depends on the size and range. If it is as small as the Maverick and less than 280 miles of range with the larger battery pack, it could be a deal killer.
I will have to pivot to the Subaru Trailseeker as an alternative option.

I looked at the Trailseeker also. Very interesting vehicle. The interior is where it falls behind. Very Toyota, i.e. dirt cheap. Looks like Rubbermaid was contracted to make the interior. And the placement of that 1980s LCD looking gauge cluster is horrific. It's a shame because the rest of the vehicle has potential.

As far as Fathom goes, it's almost confirmed now that it's the same size as a Maverick. That's going to turn off some folks. Adults have to squeeze into the second row. The bed is so small that it's very limited in use. It'll be interesting to see where the EPA rates it with the two battery packs. If the battery pack really is 51 kWh in the standard range, the Fathom will need some miraculous aero and light weight to even reach 200 miles of range, especially considering the 0.7 correction factor they apply to window sticker ratings. The extended range pack will need to be considerably larger to reach 300 miles probably, and if there's that much chasm between the two batteries it'll make the standard range a tough sell. I don't know... so many questions with this Fathom...