Ford is trying to turn its EV reset into a volume play: a practical, four-door electric pickup priced within reach of budget buyers, but not stripped to the studs. The catch is that Slate’s cheaper DIY truck is set to get there first.

Ford’s earlier strategy—electrifying the F-150—failed to gain enough traction, prompting the company to build a California skunkworks team and rethink its electric lineup around a clean-sheet Universal Electric Vehicle platform. Its first result is the Fathom, a compact-looking, four-door pickup starting at $28,350 before a $1,595 delivery charge.¹

The company’s pitch is that affordability need not mean austerity. The Fathom will offer bidirectional charging, optional BlueCruise hands-free driver assistance and a roomier cabin than a Toyota RAV4, despite exterior dimensions closer to a Ford Maverick.¹ Its zonal electronics architecture is designed to slash wiring and replace a mass of separate control units with a smaller number of powerful computers.

That is a sharply different bet from Slate’s. The $24,950 Slate Truck arrives later this year—roughly a year before Ford expects Fathom deliveries—and embraces minimalism: no paint, power windows, touchscreen or standard stereo. Ford, by contrast, plans a large touchscreen with Apple Maps, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, plus seating and utility intended for buyers using the truck as their only vehicle. “Not everyone wants manual window winders or having to install back seats themselves,” one account of the Ford launch noted.¹

Ford says parallel assembly of the Fathom’s front, middle and rear sections, combined with simplified construction and scale, will make the price possible. But the challenge is not merely manufacturing. Weak buyer and dealer demand helped sink Ford’s prior EV push, including the F-150 Lightning. The Fathom is due to enter production in Louisville next year, with pre-orders opening early next year and deliveries promised before the end of 2027.²

Slate has the early lead; Ford is wagering that more truck for only $3,400 more will matter more.