From Ars Technica · · 1m 40s
Ford's Fathom puts home battery power in a $30K truck
Ford's new sub-$30,000 electric pickup includes bidirectional charging built in, letting owners use it as a home backup battery without expensive add-ons.
In brief
Ford's new sub-$30,000 electric pickup includes bidirectional charging built in, letting owners use it as a home backup battery without expensive add-ons. Ford's Fathom electric truck, due next year at under thirty thousand dollars, includes a built-in inverter for vehicle-to-home charging, making it the first…
Ford's cheap truck gets home power built in
Ford revealed the Fathom, a sub-thirty thousand dollar electric pickup due next year, will have an inverter built into the truck itself. This lets every Fathom act as a backup battery for your home.
How the old system worked
Until now, vehicle-to-home technology like Ford's F-150 Lightning setup took DC power from the EV and ran it through an inverter built into the wallbox to turn it into AC the house could use.
Ford acquired the technology three years ago
Ford acquired Auto Motive Power three years ago. The result is the Fathom's charging module, one of five powerful computers that each handle a different aspect of the truck's functions.
You still need Ford's Home Power Station
The Fathom won't need a wallbox with a built-in inverter like the eighty amp unit needed for the Lightning.
Emergency backup costs less than before
To use the Fathom as an emergency battery during outages, customers need Ford's Home Backup Panel. Ford says this should cost sixty percent less than the first-generation panel, which cost around five thousand dollars.
Ford is testing vehicle-to-grid programs
Ford is working with utilities across the US and Canada to develop vehicle-to-grid pilot programs with the Fathom.
The bottom line
Ford's Fathom electric truck, due next year at under thirty thousand dollars, includes a built-in inverter for vehicle-to-home charging, making it the first sub-thirty K bidirectional EV with AC power.
