Ford Motor Company is pushing forward with yet another electric pickup truck, the Fathom, despite canceling its F-150 Lightning in 2025 and absorbing billions in EV losses. The announcement, reported by Motor Trend and discussed in a recent American Thinker column, has raised eyebrows among industry observers and truck enthusiasts alike.
The Fathom, a compact pickup similar in size and configuration to Ford’s popular Maverick, is scheduled to hit the market in late 2027. Ford is encouraging customers to place preorders in early 2027, even though the company has not released any range figures for the vehicle.
According to the American Thinker piece by Mike McDaniel, a self-described Wyoming truck owner and Ford enthusiast, the Fathom’s primary selling point is a starting price of $29,945, plus a $1,595 destination fee, bringing the total to $31,540. However, McDaniel notes that “every manufacturer makes a few at the lowest price point for advertising,” and buyers wanting minimal additional equipment should expect to pay roughly $6,000 more.
Lessons from the Lightning
The decision to launch another electric pickup comes after the F-150 Lightning—Ford’s attempt to electrify America’s best-selling vehicle—was discontinued in 2025. The Lightning had been positioned as a sure bet, marketed as high-tech, green, and innovative, complete with its signature “frunk” (front trunk).
But customers eventually discovered that the Lightning couldn’t perform the duties expected of a pickup. According to the column, its range was particularly poor when towing, and cold weather reduced range by approximately 50%, dramatically increased charging times, and left drivers without sufficient cabin heat—Ford recommended using only seat and steering wheel heaters.
Financial losses were staggering. Despite MSRPs in the $80,000 range, Ford reportedly lost as much as $60,000 on each Lightning. The company posted an $11.1 billion loss in the first quarter of 2026, with executives expecting to lose an additional $4 to $5 billion for the full year—a pace they’ve maintained on EVs for years.
“I think the customer has spoken,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said on the company’s earnings call. “That’s the punchline.”
Continued EV push
Despite these results, Ford continues to produce the Mustang Mach-E, which starts at $37,795. Ford attempted to market the Mach-E as a police cruiser, and a few municipal police departments in “blue cities” gave it a try, but not for long, according to McDaniel. Sales figures paint a grim picture: only 4,600 units sold in the first quarter of 2026, which optimistically projects to about 18,400 for the year. In comparison, Toyota sold 317,186 Camrys in 2025. “Manufacturers selling so few vehicles normally cancel that product,” McDaniel notes.
Ford is also investing heavily in EV infrastructure and development, spending $50 billion through 2026 on electric vehicles, which includes the upcoming Fathom.
Fathom’s features and concerns
The Fathom boasts features like “Bi-Directional Power Capability,” which allows the truck to power appliances during camping trips or, theoretically, a home during a power outage—though McDaniel points out that once the battery is depleted, there’s no way to recharge it without grid power.
Motor Trend, described by McDaniel as “a notorious EV cheerleader,” speculated about a tire symbol on the Fathom, suggesting it could indicate a drive mode or traction control system akin to the Maverick’s off-road or performance modes. Motor Trend wrote, “If nothing else, we think it’s meant to signal capability since critics have questioned whether a small, low-riding, electric pickup will be able to do ‘real’ truck things like towing, hauling, and off-roading.”
McDaniel finds such speculation ironic, noting that the full-sized F-150 Lightning itself struggled with those very tasks, which contributed to its demise.
Skepticism about EV truck viability
McDaniel, who owns both a Maverick and a Ranger with his wife, expresses concern that Ford is ignoring “apparent lessons” learned from the Lightning. He lists persistent issues with EVs: cold- and hot-weather performance problems, severe range degradation when loaded or towing, extended recharging times, astronomical repair and insurance costs, and poor resale values.
These challenges, he argues, are why Ford abandoned its ambitious plan to make 50% of its lineup electric by 2030—a retreat mirrored across the auto industry. Electric vehicles currently represent only about 7% of all vehicles sold in the United States, a “very small market,” according to McDaniel.
“Perhaps Ford is hoping to lose only $20,000 or so on each Fathom?” McDaniel writes. “I thought they were a for-profit corporation. Silly me.”
The Fathom’s launch date in late 2027 gives Ford time to potentially refine the vehicle, but McDaniel remains skeptical that the company has truly absorbed the lessons of the Lightning’s failure. For now, Ford appears committed to its EV strategy, even as customers and markets signal otherwise.
Source: www.americanthinker.com — https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/09/ford-markets-another-electric-pickup-in-late-2027/