It is not Ranchero. It is Ford Fathom™. $28,350 Starting Price

[gzebrick]

Fathom is a better option than Ranchero; everytime I hear Ranchero, I think Canyonero from the Simpsons. Neither is what I think FORD wants for their new EV trucklet.

 

[jpdurr]

great to see more details being revealed and confirmed.





perhaps being named Fathom, the body without mirrors will be right around 6' wide like the Maverick..





hopefully, rather than necessarily offering a second battery option, there is a gas powered range extender for easy travel to and through remote areas far from chargers, especially when towing a small trailer..

while it may not be the case, it'd be great if this offers more than just the lower midgate opening (as a patent filing suggested a couple years ago), to potentially have the entire window and rear cab wall open, so one can have plenty of room to comfortably sleep inside the bed with a topper option (ideally with a camping mode that can run a/c or heat all night, regardless of whether plugged in / charging or unplugged), and where one is able to hop back into the driver's seat without exiting the vehicle. i know perhaps i'll need to wait for the UEV van, though this could be a nice alternative until a long range electric van or EREV is available at a similar price point.

that, is Ridiculous. The Maverick could easily become a Plug-In Hybrid for that purpose. The Fathom was Designed from Scratch to Be BEV and nothing else.

 

[gzebrick]

Let's go!!!!!!

We need battery size and range specs ASAP. Gotta' have 250 miles of range minimum to be legit in today's world. And I don't want to have to pay an additional $10,000 to get that range via an "extended range" battery. C'mon Ford....this has so much potential to be excellent.

I'll maintain that max miles is a crappy metric to look at (as long as its' ~200 or greater).

We've had an EV in our stable going on about 3 years now. Honestly, anything over 200-225 is more than enough for most users to cover all daily driving tasks like work/doctor/store/bar store/ bar again. without any range anxiety.. assuming you have level-2 charging at home so you can tank up again over-night and start with a full charge.

I pretty much just give a shrug at anything over 250. Sure, it's nice to have longer range, but for most (but not all), 200+ is more than enough for a vehicle that goes primarily around town. Unlike the low cost of making a gas tank larger, going to a larger EV battery for more range greatly increases cost and weight

A much more pragmatic metric is the efficiency: miles/kWh. Hoping it will come in at 4m/kWh or better. (I think the SLATE is spec'd at under 3). If you do a LOT of longer drives, level-3 charging capability is also going to come into play. Hoping the Fathom comes in at 150kW or better.

Once you own an EV and tank up every day at home, you learn that "Size isn't that important"

 

[jpdurr]

Can't wait for my Fathom EV!

I have reserved and ordered: F150 Lightning & Mach E which I took delivery of.

Can't wait for the Fathom reservation phase!

Now, I have to tell the wife that I am going to lose the $300 deposit at Slate Automotive...

why would you lose your deposit at Slate? My understanding when I placed mine was that it is fully refundable......

 

[truckplease]

This is something entirely new. Although, similar footprint to a Mav.

Oh thank goodness. I have a small garage and don't want to park this on the street. The Mav footprint works out great for me at the moment.

 

[gzebrick]

I (and most) am NOT looking for any TOW with a BEV (Battery Electric vehicle).

Pure physics ...to move a mass at speed ... duration, and "against" gravity (hills/mountains) and 'air' (fluid dynamics) ... needs ENERGY that no battery can deliver.

When 'towing' all dinosaur-juice vehicles drop their MPG (miles per gallon) and as speed and hills increase, the gas/diesel needed really increases.

NOT until a TRUE Solid-State battery is perfected and the price comes-down will anyone be 'towing' with a BEV ... far, heavy, etc. Nope ... isn't going to happen.

======

BUT, what IS needed is ... AWD.

There's towing, and there's towing...

I agree that hauling a camper hundreds of miles isn't the best use case for an EV, but...

We've a Mav with the 4K tow option. Our towing needs are pretty much limited to a small tilt utility trailer for occasional around-town hauling like an ATV, small tractor, or going to Lowes and picking up some wood. A Fathom with 3,500 lb towing capability would be fine for those less-than 50 mile round trips even if the range is cut in half. I'd pay for that as long as it's a reasonably priced option.

 

[dorbi]

Can't wait for my Fathom EV!

I have reserved and ordered: F150 Lightning & Mach E which I took delivery of.

Can't wait for the Fathom reservation phase!

Now, I have to tell the wife that I am going to lose the $300 deposit at Slate Automotive...

I thought I recognized your profile pic from the Slate Forums!

 

[onuiebvbevnulib]

Here's a good summary of the Fathom pickup by @Kamuelaflyer at Macheforum:

Biggest Remaining Questions

• Battery capacities – Standard Range and presumed Extended Range specifications.
• EPA range – Perhaps the single most anticipated specification.
• Charging performance – Peak DC fast charging power and charging curve.
• Battery chemistry – Not yet publicly confirmed.
• Drivetrain choices – RWD, AWD, or both.
• Power and torque – Performance specifications remain unknown.
• Towing and payload – Essential specifications for a pickup.
• Bed dimensions – Length, width, and overall utility.
• Frunk capacity – Practical storage volume.
• 12-volt or 48-volt low-voltage architecture – An important engineering detail.
• Charge-port location – Particularly relevant for owners who tow trailers.
• Trim structure and options – Equipment differences between models.
• Extended Range pricing – Cost of stepping up from the base model.
• Destination charge – Needed to determine true entry price.
• Model year – Deliveries begin in fall 2027, but Ford has not yet indicated whether Fathom will be sold as a 2027 or 2028 model.

Charge Port location is already known.

It is at the driver side rear.

Destination Charge is also already known.

Shallow Pockets? Here’s Your Truck
Perhaps any consternation around the name will fade when considering the starting price. The Fathom will begin at $29,945 ($28,350 plus a $1,595 destination fee).

Official: Ford’s $29,945 Small EV Truck Is Called Fathom, Not Ranchero

 

[ScooterAsheville]

why would you lose your deposit at Slate? My understanding when I placed mine was that it is fully refundable......

Not the $300 preorder. Non refundable. Though they might change their minds later. The $50 early interest deposit was refundable. Ask me how I know.

 

[jsus]

why would you lose your deposit at Slate? My understanding when I placed mine was that it is fully refundable......

$50 reservation deposit is refundable. $300 pre-order is non-refundable.

What’s the difference between a reservation and a preorder?

A reservation is a $50 refundable fee that secures a place in line to preorder with priority timing. As of June 24, the reservation window closed, and the preorder portal opens.

A preorder is a $300 ($250 with an active reservation) non-refundable deposit that locks in your delivery timing and counts toward your purchase of a Slate. This gives you a time slot for production and allows you to plan accordingly. You'll finalize and purchase accessories closer to your delivery date.

Ready? Preorder here.

PS. The sooner you preorder, the earlier you receive your delivery window. So don’t wait!

https://www.slate.auto/en/how-to-preorder

 

[commadorebob]

There's towing, and there's towing...

I agree that hauling a camper hundreds of miles isn't the best use case for an EV, but...

We've a Mav with the 4K tow option. Our towing needs are pretty much limited to a small tilt utility trailer for occasional around-town hauling like an ATV, small tractor, or going to Lowes and picking up some wood. A Fathom with 3,500 lb towing capability would be fine for those less-than 50 mile round trips even if the range is cut in half. I'd pay for that as long as it's a reasonably priced option.

As I posted in the MTC forum, I need a truck to do Home Depot truck things, not super duty truck things. Mavericks works perfectly for that use case and I suspect the Fathom will as well.

 

[onuiebvbevnulib]

At that price it looks like standard range will be around 210 miles. I wonder what the extended range will be and how it pans out on the highway.

210 miles is for the boxy Slate not the Aero designed Fathom.

Quotes from Ford about the Fathom previously have stated around 300 miles.

 

[awd]

that, is Ridiculous. The Maverick could easily become a Plug-In Hybrid for that purpose. The Fathom was Designed from Scratch to Be BEV and nothing else.

while it may not be likely that we see an EREV option initially, it's quite possible it was considered in designing the UEV platform and that it could be offered in the future.

several years ago i saw designs of very simple engines / generators that would fit into a portion of the space that a larger battery pack would normally take. these wouldn't look anything like normal engines we see today and could be a solution if/when engineered, or they could potentially install a more typical engine in lieu of the frunk.

it does sound like Ford will keep the Maverick for those who want more capability and the Fathom will be more of a lifestyle vehicle for city folk, though the UEV platform would be more efficient and the benefits of the EV drivetrain would be welcome for those of us who want an EV for local driving with ability to tow long distances without many charging stops.

maybe a future version of the Maverick will offer an EREV drivetrain.. eventually all vehicles could be an EV with various size batteries and/or gas powered range extenders.

the simplicity and benefits of the fully electric drivetrain with an optional series hybrid configuration could theoretically replace all other drivetrain types in the transition from internal combustion to electric. (the Nissan e-Power Hybrid is an interesting drivetrain at one end of this spectrum, with no capability of plugging in to charge the small battery, though i'd prefer a battery that can be charged at home with at least enough usable range for the average daily drive)

 

[Tdubz]

Fathom is definitely better than Ranchero (although their story for coming up with that name sounded a little ridiculous and AI generated). I heard someone call it a Phantom and now I think Ford Phantom sounds 10x then either Fathom or Ranchero.

The price sounds good, but I really hope this isn’t another Maverick fiasco where the price jumps 10k in a year or two. Interior space and the 15” screen are nice. Don’t really care about the midgate, Apple Maps, or blue cruise. Overall package is sounding pretty good so far. Now the actual design needs to deliver. I hope it does, but I have my doubts. The massive rake of the windshield coupled with the short/low hood has the potential to not look very good. I personally would have sacrificed a few miles of range for a more traditional looking truck, but maybe I will be surprised. They are doing a good job of hiding the true shape of the vehicle with the camo. Here’s some more info from other forums. These first comments were posted months ago from a user on another forum who claims to have seen it.

“I thought it was something from Kia/Hyundai at first”

“It did have a cool feature similar to the Avalanche truck where the back wall of the cab can open as the seats fold down to give more length for objects in the bed. I believe it had a power tailgate as well.”

“Ford intends the base model to be RWD with a range of at least 200 miles and a target price of $30K. An AWD option with some other features including extra range was a small upgrade to maybe $35-38K.


The comment below is from an “insider” on another forum:

“The Fathom only has one trim level with a few option packages with a standard or extended range battery. The option packages are similar to Tesla really; sound system, seats, Blue Cruise, and wheel choices. So there won't be a huge price swing like a typical Ford, and the base spec won't be the penalty box like a typical Ford.”