Ford’s Fathom targets lower-cost EV home backup power

By Daniel Okafor

Starting at $28,350, Ford’s forthcoming Fathom electric pickup will let owners send power to their homes without the external power-conversion equipment that can cost from just under $7,000 to more than $10,000, Ford said Tuesday. The automaker plans to put the truck on sale sometime next year, but it has not finalized pricing for the complete home-power package.

What changes with Ford’s onboard inverter?

Ford says the Fathom will convert direct-current battery power into home-ready alternating current through an onboard inverter, then deliver it through less costly equipment. Most EVs sold in the U.S. lack that capability and instead need a DC-to-AC converter connected to the home.

The Fathom also targets the discontinued F-150 Lightning and nearly every other bidirectional-capable EV on the market. Dave McCreadie, Ford’s director of grid and energy services, said: “One of the most central points of this whole story is the cost piece. In order to see the adoption rate increase, reduced cost is a big piece of it, not just with the vehicle itself but the charging equipment — and now in this case, the discharging equipment.”

Takeaway: Ford is moving power conversion into the vehicle, removing the largest piece of home-backup hardware cost.

How much could a Fathom home-backup system cost?

Ford has not fixed the exact price of the Fathom-compatible home power management equipment, but it says buyers will pay substantially less than with current products. Its new AC-capable bidirectional charger will cost roughly half the $1,300 Ford Charge Station Pro, the bidirectional charging system Ford developed for the F-150 Lightning.

For outages, owners also must buy a home backup power panel. Ford says the new charger and panel together will cost 60% less than the $5,200 Ford Charge Station Pro-plus-home-integration combination. Ford’s comparison excludes installation costs.

Ford says these systems can also help homes manage power consumption while the grid remains up and running.

Takeaway: Buyers could save several thousand dollars before labor, although Ford has yet to publish final package pricing.

Does Ford have a competitive opening?

Tesla is the only other manufacturer selling EV models in the U.S. with equipment that sends AC power back to chargers. Its Cybertruck has supported AC-to-home charging for more than a year, and earlier this month Tesla announced that the latest Model 3 and Model Y can send AC power to homes equipped with Powerwall batteries.

Ford positions the Fathom below Tesla EVs on price and says its setup does not require costly backup batteries, although owners still need the home backup panel for outages. General Motors sells several EVs capable of DC-based vehicle-to-home charging; its bundle carries a $6,748 sale price.

University of Delaware professor Willett Kempton, who developed the J3068 AC charging capabilities with EV standards expert Rodney McGee, said: “I talk with other automakers. They’re interested. But when one of their peers announces ‘This is what we’re doing, and we’ll be 60% cheaper,’ … I think that will have a big effect.”

Takeaway: Ford has a price-led opening against Tesla and GM, but competitors could respond with similar hardware.

What has to happen before AC charging scales?

Ford developed its onboard inverter for the Fathom and Universal EV Platform with engineers at Auto Motive Power, a startup the automaker acquired in 2023. Jiaqi Liang, AMP’s former vice president of hardware and now Ford’s senior director of electrical hardware for Advanced Programs, said the team designed charging and discharging from scratch to avoid legacy-platform constraints.

Ford says other vehicles based on the Universal EV Platform, a technology line coming from its retooled Louisville, Kentucky, factory, will also gain AC bidirectional charging. McCreadie said the Fathom will not be Ford’s last bidirectional-capable EV.

Ford’s system uses communications technology from SAE J3068, a standard certified by automotive standards body SAE International, to keep AC power safe for homes. Kempton said automakers can embed grid-ready inverter capability for $200 to $300 when they design it into a vehicle from the start; adding it later costs much more.

McCreadie said only California and Maryland have established utility regulations for AC bidirectional charging outside pilot projects. He described the country’s 3,000-plus utilities as a patchwork of rules and procedures that complicates deployment. Ford has also engaged utilities and regulators in Michigan and Colorado.

On Tuesday, Ford said it has worked since July with American Electric Power, BC Hydro, Consumers Energy, Exelon and Pacific Gas & Electric to establish common standards for integrating its AC vehicle-to-home system into standard utility interconnection rules. The aim is to let customers connect home systems with less friction.

Takeaway: The next milestone is regulatory: utilities in Michigan, Colorado and other states need workable interconnection rules before the planned next-year launch, or lower hardware prices will not translate into broad vehicle-to-home use.