Ford Motor Company announced earlier this week that buyers of its upcoming Fathom electric pickup truck will receive a built-in inverter for bidirectional charging, eliminating the need for a separate external device. The company is also reducing prices on its home EV charging and power management equipment. Bidirectional charging technology allows electric vehicles to feed electricity back into household wiring, functioning as backup power sources and enabling vehicle owners to manage their utility costs more effectively.
With bidirectional charging capabilities, EV owners can recharge during off-peak hours when rates are lower and use that stored energy during peak pricing periods. The technology also allows for charging at external stations with discounted rates and transporting that power back home. To make the technology economically viable, a converter is typically required to transform a vehicle’s direct current power into the alternating current used by buildings. Ford’s integrated inverter approach aims to reduce overall costs and improve affordability, with the Fathom priced below $30,000.
Ford is undertaking a broader initiative to convince utilities across the United States and Canada to support bidirectional charging infrastructure. The primary challenge involves establishing standardized interconnection processes across the more than 3,000 utilities in these regions. Current processes were designed primarily for rooftop solar and stationary battery systems, whereas bidirectional EVs present distinct considerations as mobile assets rather than fixed installations.
To address these obstacles, Ford began collaborating last summer with major utilities including American Electric Power, BC Hydro, Consumers Energy, Exelon, and Pacific Gas and Electric to develop scalable interconnection procedures. The working group determined that interconnection should be required only for drivers planning to use bidirectional charging with grid integration, while those only charging or using backup power would be exempt. The goal is to establish a functional process before Fathom production begins next year.
Ford’s competitive advantage in bidirectional charging stems partly from its November 2023 acquisition of Auto Motive Power, a California-based power management specialist. The acquisition included AMP’s technology, approximately 150 employees, and its Santa Fe Springs facility. AMP had developed multiple systems including a Tesla NACS-compliant onboard charger, a vehicle-to-everything power management system, and ampEMU, an integrated energy management platform supporting charging up to 500 amps.
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