Ford Fathom Features: What the $30K Truck May HaveAndrei Avarvarii - MotorTrendEveryone wants to know about the Ford Fathom. What does it look like? What standard features will it have? What will be optional, and how much will the extras cost? Ford is dribbling out details ahead of the launch next year, so we went digging for clues in the ads and press releases the company has already dropped, and we've found a few new details.Ford Fathom artist's rendering.Andrei Avarvarii - MotorTrendDigital ForensicsFirst, we took another look at the animated video Ford produced to announce the name "Fathom." Then, we compared that to ads and social media posts from official Ford accounts to see what words, phrases, images, and logos were repeated, because repetition suggests an intentional message.We'll start with words. Ford has announced several key facts outright, so let's run through those:AdvertisementAdvertisementPrice: The Fathom starts at $29,945 including the destination charge. That gets you a rear-wheel-drive electric truck with an LFP battery.Powertrain: All-wheel drive will be optional via a second motor in the front of the truck, and it's implied a larger battery, possibly with a different chemistry like NMC, will be available to offer more range.Navigation: Apple Maps, not Google Maps, will power the built-in navigation system and EV route and charging planner.Hands-Free Driving: Ford BlueCruise hands-free, eyes-on-the-road driving semi-autonomous driving will be available.Digital Key: You will be able to use your phone as your key and will not have to carry a key fob if you don't want to.Ford App: You will be able to use the Ford app on your phone as a "remote control," which likely means you'll be able to control features like the climate, door locks, charging, and more from your phone anywhere in the world.Five-Seater: The truck will have seating for five, and according to Ford, more passenger space than a Toyota RAV4 SUV.Frunk: With no engine under the hood, there will be lockable cargo space in the front trunk, or frunk.Bi-Directional Power Capability: This is a broad term that could mean anything from the ability to send power back to your house through the charger, the ability to charge another vehicle from your truck, the ability to plug household appliances into outlets in the truck, or all of the above.Pre-Orders: You can place your order starting in early 2027, which is about the same time the first production prototypes will start rolling off the line. Final production will start sometime later in the year.Ford Fathom ad.ManufacturerInterpreting ThemesWatching all the videos, long and short, we noticed a few themes we think hint at other features and capabilities that haven't been announced yet. Some seem obvious, while others require us to interpret a string of five symbols that keeps popping up.Pet Mode: A paw-print logo appears often in Fathom ads and videos, suggesting to us a Pet Mode that keeps the climate control running even when the truck is turned off and locked. Several EVs have this capability under different names, as it's very handy when you need to run into the store without taking your pet (or older child) with you. Ford recently patented its own version.Camp Mode: A campfire symbol and camping scenes imply a preparedness for camping trips, at minimum. We think it could also include a camp mode, an idea pioneered by Rivian that keeps the electrical outlets powered up while the truck is off, blocks the exterior lights from illuminating when a door is open (so you don't blind neighboring campsites), turns off exterior noises like the lock or unlock beep, and enables certain low-intensity exterior lights that can be used to illuminate a campsite. Ford already offers at least one of these features and has shown interest in others.Bed Outlets: Scenes included in animated videos clearly show people with household appliances plugged into wall outlets in the bed of the truck. Every other EV truck on the market (and many gas-powered trucks) have outlets in the bed, so it's no surprise the Fathom will have them, too. How many, how much power they'll output, where else they may be located (in the cabin, in the frunk), and whether they'll be standard or optional remain to be seen.Ford Fathom feature symbols.ManufacturerDeciphering SymbolsOther symbols are vague and open to interpretation. They could represent features we've already listed or others Ford hasn't confirmed yet. The following are our best guesses and our reasoning.AdvertisementAdvertisementHands: We think this refers to sharing, and that can go a couple different ways. It could be related to the digital key feature, which in other vehicles allows you to send a family member or friend electronic permission to open and drive your vehicle without a physical key. It could also have something to do with the bi-directional charging system.Music: The two quarter-notes with the tail wrapping around them clearly have something to do with music. It could be something to do with streaming audio, or perhaps the tail points to tailgating, suggesting an exterior audio system. The Honda Ridgeline uses hidden speakers to project music in the bed of the truck, and some Toyota and Rivian products have portable Bluetooth speakers mounted in the vehicle which can be taken outside. As an EV, the truck will have at least one legally mandated exterior speaker to play a low-speed pedestrian warning noise, and it could be repurposed to play music as well.Gear or Tire: We see both, and each has its own interpretations. A gear could be literal and symbolize a special drive mode, anything from low-range for off-roading to aggressive programming for performance on-road driving. Or, it could mean a manual shifting mode with simulated gears, which we've seen in sporty EVs but not in electric trucks, yet.It could also be an analogy, meaning the truck can haul a lot of gear. Ads show a lot of outdoor activities that require special equipment, including rock climbing, mountain biking, camping, and surfing.A tire could also indicate a drive mode, and Ford has used a similar symbol in the Maverick to denote the traction control, which can have off-road or performance modes. 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.