It’s Game On As Ford Fathom Steals Thunder From Tesla Cybercab Launch

Ford is turning up the volume on its new electric pickup, the Fathom, right as Tesla holds a launch event for its Cybercab robotaxi in Austin, Texas. Ford has been teasing the Fathom for months, and this week the Wall Street Journal reported the company hopes to sell 100,000 of them in its first year of production. The Fathom is set to start at just under $30,000 (about $29,945 with delivery fee) and will be the first vehicle built on Ford's new "Universal" manufacturing platform, meant to cut costs. Deliveries are expected to begin next year, with an official reveal by the end of this year.

For homeowners thinking about an EV, the price point is the headline detail: a sub-$30,000 electric pickup would be one of the more affordable EVs on the market if Ford hits that target. Tesla's Cybercab, a driverless robotaxi with no steering wheel, is priced similarly but is built for ride-hailing fleets rather than personal ownership, so it's not really a comparable purchase for a household.

Separately, Ford is also reviving the F-150 Lightning as a plug-in hybrid-style "extended range" EV, meaning it runs on electric power but has a small gas engine and generator on board for trips over long distances, with a claimed range over 700 miles. Like the original Lightning, this version is expected to offer exportable power, useful as a backup electricity source during outages.