Ford has finally given its next-generation electric truck a name, and it's 'Fathom' - which, we're told, represents 'a deep understanding' of the driver. That's one way to spin it. The other is that Ford is hoping to dive deep into the sub-$30,000 market, with a starting price of $28,350. Add the mandatory 'destination and delivery' fee, and you're looking at $29,945 - just under that magical $30,000 mark that Ford has been chasing since 2025.

The Fathom, arriving in fall 2027, is Ford's second all-electric truck (third if you're nostalgic about the Ranger EV from the '90s). It's the first vehicle built on Ford's new 'Universal EV Platform' (UEV), a cost-cutting assembly line experiment that CEO Jim Farley hopes will help Ford catch up to Tesla and fend off those pesky Chinese EVs he keeps complaining about. The truck will be assembled in Louisville, Kentucky, because nothing says 'American innovation' like a factory in the heartland.

Ford won't show the truck until early 2027, when preorders open. But we do know some things: It'll have Apple Maps built in, plus Android Auto and Apple CarPlay - but notably not Apple's next-gen CarPlay Ultra. So if you were holding out for that, you're out of luck. The Fathom seats five, has more interior space than a Toyota RAV4, a big touch screen, a digital car key, and bidirectional power, just like the Lightning and the hybrid F-150.

Every Fathom will be 'BlueCruise-capable,' meaning the hardware is there, but you'll likely have to pay extra to actually use Ford's hands-free driver assistance. A more powerful BlueCruise is coming, with eyes-off driving promised by 2028. So you'll be able to nap while your truck drives - if you're willing to fork over the cash.

The base price includes only the standard-range lithium iron phosphate battery, and Ford hasn't said how far it'll go on a charge. But the Fathom is a gamble: Electric trucks haven't exactly set the U.S. market on fire. The Lightning sold just over 10,000 units in its best quarter, and the Cybertruck's sales have cratered. But Ford is betting that a cheap, purpose-built EV truck will undercut the competition, which at that price point is basically just the Slate pickup from Jeff Bezos's startup and a few non-truck EVs like the Chevy Bolt.

The Fathom's development started as a skunkworks project led by former Tesla exec Alan Clarke, staffed with talent from Rivian, Tesla, and Apple's dead car project, working in isolation in Los Angeles. That probably helped get the price down, given that the average new car now costs $50,000. Ford's small Maverick pickup has been a hit, so they're trying to bottle that lightning - without going the way of the Lightning.