Ford's EV Sales Tumble 80% in Q3 as the Fathom Pickup Waits in the Wings

Ford’s electric lineup had a rough third quarter in the United States, with EV deliveries collapsing roughly 80% year over year to just 6,047 units. The decline lands as the automaker winds down the current F-150 Lightning and counts the months until its next-generation electric truck arrives.

Overall US sales slipped 6.6% to just under 510,000 vehicles, while combined electrified sales — EVs and hybrids together — fell 41.3% to 50,355. The Lightning was hit hardest: only 289 examples found homes in the quarter, a 97% drop from the same period a year earlier. The Mustang Mach-E moved 5,574 units, down 72.4% from more than 20,000 in Q3 of the prior year, and the E-Transit van slid 57% to 184 deliveries. Ford also points to the end of the federal $7,500 tax credit last September, which pulled buyers forward ahead of the deadline.

The Fathom can’t arrive soon enough. Set to launch in early 2027, it will be the first model built on Ford’s new Universal Electric Vehicle architecture, with a standard-range starting price of $28,350 — still below$30,000 once the $1,595 delivery fee is added. Prototypes are expected to come off the line at Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant in 2027, and CEO Jim Farley has acknowledged the pressure, calling an on-time, on-cost, at-scale launch a serious test.

A spokesperson confirmed to reporters this week that the 2027 launch timeline holds. A recent Wall Street Journal report suggests Ford is targeting 100,000 Fathom sales in the first year, which would put it among America’s best-selling EVs. In the meantime, Ford is extending its Power Promise offer for the Mustang Mach-E: buyers of a new 2026 model can choose a free home charger with standard installation or a $1,500 cash bonus.