Ford’s upcoming Fathom electric truck will support bidirectional home backup through an architecture that places the DC-to-AC inverter inside the vehicle, the automaker says. The truck is priced at $30,000 and is scheduled to go on sale in the United States next year, according to Ford’s published details.
The system is designed to supply more than 10 kilowatts of AC power to a residence. That distinction matters because an EV battery stores electricity as direct current, while a typical home electrical system uses alternating current. In many vehicle-to-home installations, an external inverter is therefore needed to convert the battery output before it can serve household loads.
Inverter moves into the truck
Ford says the Fathom’s inverter is integrated into its E-Box, which the company identifies as one of the truck’s five main electrical modules. The arrangement is intended to reduce the amount of conversion equipment required outside the vehicle. Ford also points to the Tesla Cybertruck as another example of an EV with a built-in DC-to-AC inverter, although the Fathom will still require external equipment to transfer power between the truck and the home.
For the installation, Ford identifies two required hardware elements: the Home Power Station and the Home Backup Panel. The Home Power Station is the bidirectional charger, while the backup panel forms part of the home-side integration hardware described by the automaker.
Ford compares the system with F-150 Lightning hardware
The planned arrangement differs from the one Ford offered for the now-discontinued F-150 Lightning. The earlier setup used the Charge Station Pro, Ford’s first-generation bidirectional charger, which debuted at $1,310 in 2022. Ford says the Fathom’s Home Power Station will cost half as much as that charger.
Ford further says the new hardware will cost about 40% of the $5,205 price of the complete Lightning backup system. That earlier package consisted of a bidirectional charger and a Home Integration System. Ford describes the Fathom system as simpler and more affordable, although the published details identify the comparison at the hardware-system level rather than as an installed project price.
| Item | Published detail |
|---|---|
| Vehicle | Ford Fathom electric truck |
| Vehicle price | $30,000 |
| Home output | More than 10 kilowatts of AC power |
| Vehicle inverter | Built into the E-Box |
| Required home hardware | Home Power Station and Home Backup Panel |
| Availability | Truck scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. next year |
Installation considerations
Ford’s description places the bidirectional charger and home backup panel outside the vehicle while moving the inversion stage into the truck. The resulting equipment list is relevant to integrators and electrical contractors evaluating vehicle-to-home projects, because the system combines EV charging, transfer of energy into a residence and backup-load management in one installation.
- The Fathom can deliver more than 10 kilowatts of AC power to a home, according to Ford.
- The truck’s E-Box contains the DC-to-AC inverter.
- Ford says the new hardware will cost about 40% of the earlier $5,205 Lightning backup system.
Ford has not presented the Fathom hardware as currently shipping in the published details. The truck remains an upcoming US product, and the Home Power Station and Home Backup Panel are described as the equipment required for its home-backup capability.
