---
title: "Ford's Fathom pickup sends power to your house during an outage, with no wall-mounted inverter"
description: "The sub-$30,000 truck builds the inverter into the vehicle, and Ford says that cuts the cost of home backup equipment."
url: https://cars.skoop.news/ford-8217-s-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-f-9b6f4c/
published: 2026-10-27T19:28:01.704751-04:00
modified: 2026-10-27T19:28:01.705036-04:00
section: "Cars & EVs"
publisher: "skoop.news"
language: en
keywords: ["Ford", "Home Power Station", "Home Backup Panel", "Home Power Management", "Ford CEO Jim Farley", "American Electric Power", "Auto Motive Power", "Fathom", "EVs", "Canada"]
hashtags: ["#HomePowerStation", "#HomeBackupPanel", "#HomePowerManagement", "#cars", "#ev"]
image: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Woman_with_rectifier_and_electric_car.jpg/1280px-Woman_with_rectifier_and_electric_car.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail
---

# Ford's Fathom pickup sends power to your house during an outage, with no wall-mounted inverter

> The sub-$30,000 truck builds the inverter into the vehicle, and Ford says that cuts the cost of home backup equipment.

Published 2026-10-27 · Updated 2026-10-27 · Cars & EVs, [skoop.news](https://skoop.news/)

## In brief

- Ford's upcoming Fathom electric pickup will come with bidirectional charging, letting it send power to the owner's house during an outage.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging)
- EV batteries store power as direct current, while homes use alternating current.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/)
- Ford acquired startup Auto Motive Power in 2023 and redesigned its bidirectional charging system from the ground up.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/)

## A cheap truck that can power a house

Ford's upcoming Fathom electric pickup will come with bidirectional charging, letting it send power to the owner's house during an outage.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging) It is due in 2027 and will be the first EV from a US automaker priced below $30,000 that can deliver more than 10 kW of AC power to a home without a separate wall-mounted inverter.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/)

If you want backup power from a truck without paying for extra hardware on the wall, that matters to you. The Fathom is priced to start under $30,000.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging)

## Why the inverter matters

EV batteries store power as direct current, while homes use alternating current.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/) Traditionally, sending battery power to a house required an expensive external inverter.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/)

Ford built the inverter directly into the truck's E-box, one of the vehicle's five main modules.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/) The Fathom will not need a separate, expensive wall-mounted inverter to supply power to the home.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging)

Ford says fewer parts lower costs and that the savings will extend to the home charging equipment.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/) It also says the rest of the home power equipment will cost considerably less than current options.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/)

## Where the design came from

Ford acquired startup Auto Motive Power in 2023 and redesigned its bidirectional charging system from the ground up.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/) Ford worked with the startup while engineering the Universal EV Platform that underpins the Fathom.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging)

The system is designed to meet UL 1741 requirements and IEEE 1547 interconnection standards.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/) It uses SAE J3068 communications technology, which Ford says helps reduce charger costs.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/)

## Two features, two pieces of hardware

Home Power Management lets owners charge the truck when electricity rates are low and use the stored power at home when rates are higher.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/) That could save money on time-of-use electricity plans.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/)

It requires Ford's Home Power Station, which Ford expects to cost about half as much as its first-generation Charge bidirectional charger.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging)

Home Backup Power lets the truck keep the lights on during an outage.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/) It requires both the Home Power Station and Ford's Home Backup Panel.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/)

## What the old system cost

The original first-generation Ford Lightning home package was a $1,310 Charge Station Pro plus a $3,895 Home Integration System.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging) That came to $5,205, excluding installation.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging) Ford's first-generation Lightning has been discontinued.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging)

Ford has not released prices for the Home Power Station or Home Backup Panel, so the full cost of a home installation is unknown.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/)

## The utility hurdle

Connecting to the grid is complicated because there are more than 3,000 utility companies across the U.S. and Canada.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging) Their regulations and processes mostly apply to solar and stationary batteries rather than vehicles.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging)

Ford formed a working group in July with American Electric Power, BC Hydro, Consumers Energy, Exelon, and Pacific Gas and Electric to make it easier to connect bidirectional EVs before the Fathom arrives.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/) It aims to set clear processes for owners who use their EVs only for charging and occasional backup power, as distinct from rules for those connecting to the grid.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging)

Someone using their truck solely for home backup during an outage should not have to go through the same approval process as someone sending electricity to the grid.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/) The group is also examining how to update utility procedures for newer bidirectional charging standards and make it easier for EV owners to join virtual power plants.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/)

## The truck and the competition

The Fathom will be built at Ford's Louisville plant, which is undergoing a $2 billion retooling for the new platform.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging) The base truck is expected to use a rear electric motor and a lithium iron phosphate battery pack.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging)

Elsewhere, the Chevy Bolt supports vehicle-to-home power through GM Energy equipment.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/) The Nissan Leaf offers vehicle-to-load through an external device plugged into its charging port.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/)

## What this means for you

If you want to use the Fathom for backup power, you will need the Home Power Station and the Home Backup Panel.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/) Ford has not released prices for either, so the full cost of a home installation is unknown.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/)

If you are on a time-of-use electricity plan, Home Power Management could save you money.  [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/) It requires the Home Power Station.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging)

If you only want backup during an outage, the utility working group aims to spare you the approval process that applies to sending electricity to the grid.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging) [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/)

## Timeline and risk

The Fathom is due to go into production in early 2027.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging) Ford CEO Jim Farley recently said launching it at scale, at cost, and on time will be a challenge.  [[1]](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging)

## Sources

1. [Ford Says Its New $30K Fathom EV Truck Will Make Bidirectional Backup Power Cheaper](https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-fathom-backup-generator-bidirectional-charging) — MotorTrend
2. [Ford’s new sub-$30K electric truck can power your home for a lot less](https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/) — Electrek

Image: Photo (illustrative): General Electric Company / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Woman_with_rectifier_and_electric_car.jpg)

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Written from the sources above and checked twice (rules and an independent model) before publishing. How we work: https://skoop.news/how-we-work/ · Corrections: https://skoop.news/corrections/