# Ford's $28,350 Fathom can power a house with no wall inverter. A worked example shows where the home kit pays and where it does not

Ford says its 2027 electric pickup will supply a projected 10 kW to a home using cheaper hardware. On published tariffs, the same evening routine is worth about $670 a year to a PG&E customer and under $60 to a Consumers Energy customer, before installation.

- Type: Report
- Desk: Charging and infrastructure
- Published: 2026-11-01
- By: Charjin Editorial Desk
- URL: https://charjin.com/stories/ford-fathom-home-power-cost-time-of-use

## Is the Ford Fathom's home power worth paying for?

It depends on your tariff and on what the installation costs. Backup can make sense wherever outages are a real problem. Bill savings look strong only where the gap between peak and off-peak prices is wide, as it is on PG&E's EV2-A plan, and the truck has to be home during the peak.

## What to know before you count on it

1. Ford projects 10 kW of AC power to a home from an inverter inside the truck. No Fathom has yet been tested independently.
2. The $28,350 starting price excludes a $1,595 destination charge and applies to the standard-range battery.
3. Reported hardware prices are about $650 for bill-shifting, and either about $2,100 or about $2,735 for backup. Ford has given percentages only, and installation is extra.
4. Moving 10 kWh into the evening peak every day is worth about $670 a year on PG&E's EV2-A, and about $27 to $54 a year on Consumers Energy's Nighttime Savers on weekdays. These are Charjin's calculations, using an assumed 85% round-trip efficiency.
5. Battery capacity, EPA range, the price of Ford's required plan and installation costs are all still unpublished.

## What Ford announced

On 27 October Ford said the 2027 Fathom will send a projected 10 kW of AC power to a home without a separate wall-mounted inverter. The inverter sits in the truck's E-box module. Ford says that makes it the first EV under $30,000 from a US carmaker to do this. [1][2]

The $28,350 starting price excludes a $1,595 destination charge and buys the standard-range battery. Preorders open in early 2027. Ford has not published battery capacity or EPA range, and it has said the base truck is not expected to reach 300 miles. [3][11]

By comparison, Chevrolet's sub-$30,000 Bolt offers vehicle-to-home through GM Energy hardware. [9][10]

## What the hardware costs, and where reports differ

There are two setups. Home Power Management charges the truck when power is cheap and runs the house when it is dear. It needs the Ford Home Power Station, utility approval and an active Ford trial or plan. Home Backup Power also needs the Ford Home Backup Power Panel, and may need utility notice or approval. [1]

Ford's own pages give only percentages: about half the cost of its first-generation charger for the station, and at least 60% less than its first-generation backup hardware for the panel. Wards Auto applies those to the F-150 Lightning's $1,310 charger and $5,205 Home Integration System, which gives about $655 and about $2,080. [1][8]

TechCrunch reports about $650 for the station and about $2,100 for a backup bundle that includes it. If the Wards reading is right and the panel is priced on its own, backup hardware comes to about $2,735. Ford's published pages do not settle this, so budget for the higher figure until Ford lists prices. [7][8]

Installation is extra in every case. TechCrunch says existing vehicle-to-home installations can cost up to $10,000, and Ford has not given a Fathom figure. [7]

## A worked example at two utilities

Charjin's example moves 10 kWh into the house during the peak. We assume 85% round-trip efficiency, which is our figure and not Ford's, so each 10 kWh delivered takes about 11.8 kWh to charge. The sums ignore taxes, surcharges, battery wear and any Ford plan fee. Both utilities below are in Ford's working group. [2]

On PG&E's EV2-A, at March 2026 prices, off-peak power costs 23 cents per kWh. The 4pm to 9pm peak costs 54 cents from June to September and 41 cents the rest of the year. That saves about $2.69 a summer evening and $1.39 a winter one, or about $670 a year if the truck is plugged in every day. [4]

Consumers Energy's Nighttime Savers plan in Michigan has a far narrower gap, and its peak runs from 2pm to 7pm on weekdays only. Its page shows two sets of summer prices: 13.3 and 21.2 cents in a graphic, 18.7 and 24.5 cents in the text. In winter the graphic shows 14.1 and 16.9 cents, which saves about 3 cents a day after losses. Across a year of weekdays that comes to about $27 to $54. [5]

On hardware alone, the $650 station would pay back in about a year on EV2-A and in 12 to 24 years on Nighttime Savers. Add the $10,000 upper figure for installation and EV2-A takes about 16 years. The example also needs a home that really uses 10 kWh in those hours, and a truck parked there. A commuter who returns at 6pm misses most of a 2pm to 7pm peak. [4][5][7]

## What it can run in an outage

The average US home bought about 10,791 kWh in 2022, or roughly 30 kWh a day. With 50 kWh available, a round number for arithmetic and not a Fathom figure, that average load would last about 40 hours. A steady 10 kW would drain the same energy in five hours. [6]

TechCrunch reports that the Fathom would not power everything in most US homes, and that startup surges from air conditioners and refrigerators can limit what runs. [7]

## What is still unknown

Utility approval may be the slowest part. Ford counts more than 3,000 utilities across the US and Canada with largely unique connection processes. In July it formed a group with American Electric Power, BC Hydro, Consumers Energy, Exelon and PG&E, which agreed that connection rules should apply only when the vehicle runs in parallel with the grid, and not for charging or isolated backup. That is a shared position, and it does not change any utility's rules. [2][9]

TechCrunch reports virtual power plant payouts as high as $1,000 or more a year in existing programmes, but Ford has not said what Fathom owners would earn. Coverage also differs on the model year: Ford calls it the 2027 Fathom, while Carscoops headlines a 2028 model. [2][7][12]

If you are considering a Fathom for its home power, ask your utility now whether it permits bidirectional connection and what its peak and off-peak prices are. Get an electrician's quote before you count on any saving. The prices here are US figures, and this piece does not cover other markets.

## Common questions

**Do I need any home hardware at all?**

Yes, for either home use. The inverter is in the truck, but bill-shifting needs the Ford Home Power Station, and backup needs that station plus the Ford Home Backup Power Panel.

**How much will the Ford home power hardware cost?**

Ford has given only percentage reductions. Press reports put the station at about $650, and backup hardware at either about $2,100 or about $2,735 depending on whether the panel price includes the station. Installation is extra.

**Will it save me money on a flat electricity rate?**

Shifting power saves money only when evening power costs more than overnight power, by more than the energy lost along the way. On a flat rate with no gap, the example here would lose money, because about 15% of the energy is assumed lost.

## Evidence

[1] Ford Motor Company, "Your Truck Can Power Your Home. Ford Fathom Makes It More Affordable." (manufacturer, accessed 2026-11-01). Ford's description of the projected 10 kW output, the two home uses, required hardware, cost reductions and footnoted conditions including utility approval and an active plan. https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2026/fathom-ev-bidirectional-home-power
[2] Ford Motor Company, "Bidirectional EVs at a New Scale: Working With Utilities to Get Interconnection Ready" (manufacturer, accessed 2026-11-01). Ford's account of the E-box inverter, the first-under-$30,000 claim, the five-utility working group and its principles, and the count of more than 3,000 utilities. https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2026/bidirectional-evs-scale-utility-interconnection
[3] Ford Motor Company, "Ford Fathom" (manufacturer, accessed 2026-11-01). Ford's model page: $28,350 starting MSRP on the standard-range battery, $1,595 destination and delivery, preorders in early 2027, EPA range not yet available. https://www.ford.com/electric/fathom/
[4] Pacific Gas and Electric Company, "Residential rate plan pricing" (data, accessed 2026-11-01). PG&E's EV2-A prices effective 1 March 2026, rounded to the nearest cent, with seasons and time windows. https://www.pge.com/assets/pge/docs/account/rate-plans/residential-electric-rate-plan-pricing.pdf.coredownload.pdf
[5] Consumers Energy, "Nighttime Savers Rate" (data, accessed 2026-11-01). Consumers Energy's rate windows and prices; the page shows two sets of summer prices and excludes surcharges and taxes. https://www.consumersenergy.com/residential/rates/electric-rates-and-programs/rate-plan-options/nighttime-savers
[6] US Energy Information Administration, "How much electricity does an American home use?" (data, accessed 2026-11-01). Average US residential customer purchases of 10,791 kWh in 2022. https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=97&t=3
[7] TechCrunch, "Ford Fathom will be the cheapest American EV capable of powering a house" (reference, accessed 2026-11-01). Reported hardware prices of about $650 and $2,100, installation costs, load limits and virtual power plant payouts. https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/27/ford-fathom-will-be-the-cheapest-american-ev-capable-of-powering-a-house/
[8] Wards Auto, "Ford's $30,000 Fathom EV aims to simplify bidirectional charging" (reference, accessed 2026-11-01). Wards Auto report, syndicated by Yahoo, giving first-generation prices of $1,310 and $5,205 and its reading of Ford's percentages. https://autos.yahoo.com/ev-and-future-tech/articles/ford-30-000-fathom-ev-175700634.html
[9] Heatmap, "The Ford Fathom Will Bring Bi-Directional Charging to the Masses" (reference, accessed 2026-11-01). Independent confirmation of the built-in inverter, the utility partners and the contrast with other US EVs under $30,000. https://heatmap.news/electric-vehicles/ford-fathom-bidirectional-charging
[10] Electrek, "Ford's new sub-$30K electric truck can power your home for a lot less" (reference, accessed 2026-11-01). Independent report of Ford's claims, and the comparison with the Chevrolet Bolt's use of GM Energy equipment. https://electrek.co/2026/10/27/fords-new-sub-30k-electric-truck-can-power-your-home-for-a-lot-less/
[11] The Autopian, "The Ford Fathom electric pickup will cost $28,350, but don't expect 300 miles of range at that price" (reference, accessed 2026-11-01). Ford's statement that the base truck is not expected to reach an EPA-estimated 300 miles. https://www.theautopian.com/the-ford-fathom-electric-pickup-will-cost-28350-but-dont-expect-300-miles-of-range-at-that-price/
[12] Carscoops, "2028 Ford Fathom Is The Cheapest Home Generator You Can Drive" (reference, accessed 2026-11-01). Coverage that labels the truck a 2028 model, where Ford's own article calls it the 2027 Fathom. https://carscoops.com/2298519/2028-ford-fathom-ev-truck-bidirectional-charging

Cite as: Charjin, "Ford's $28,350 Fathom can power a house with no wall inverter. A worked example shows where the home kit pays and where it does not", 1 November 2026, https://charjin.com/stories/ford-fathom-home-power-cost-time-of-use