Ford’s third all-electric vehicle is a Europe-only crossover SUV with one of the automaker’s most popular nameplates. The Explorer EV will also be the first of a wave of new plug-in vehicles for the automaker’s overseas lineup as it works towards an electric-only portfolio in Europe by 2030.
The Explorer EV may have a familiar nameplate, but it will be built on an unfamiliar platform, at least for Ford. The automaker is using Volkswagen’s flexible MEB architecture for the new EV, which will be built at Ford’s factory in Cologne, Germany. The Explorer EV will be the first of two Ford vehicles to use VW’s electric platform as part of an agreement that was established when the two companies formed a global alliance in 2019.
The Explorer EV may carry a familiar nameplate, but it will be built on an unknown platform.
Ford said it won’t reveal the vehicle’s lineup until closer to production, but revealed details about its price. The Explorer EV will be available in two trims, Explorer and Explorer Premium, with a starting price of “less than €45,000” (or around $48,250). Reservations are now open via Ford’s European website.
The most notable feature of the new electric Explorer is a 15-inch movable center touchscreen that the company says should be better at dealing with outside glare. The screen, which can be moved up and down, also hides a built-in lockable storage space for valuables. Here’s a GIF of the mobile screen:
The Ford Explorer EV is significant because it is only the third all-electric vehicle announced by the iconic American automaker. (I’m not counting the Ford Focus Electric and some of the company’s compliance vehicles, for what it’s worth.) The company’s current lineup of EVs includes the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, both of which have propelled Ford to its status as the No. 2-selling EV in America. Still, the company has a lot to offer. way to go if you want to catch up with the number 1 seller, Tesla, and the European market will play a big part in that.
It also needs to better handle a number of quality issues that have plagued its EV drive. Ford recently recalled more than a dozen F-150 Lightnings over concerns about a battery issue. In 2022, Ford issued more recalls in the United States than any other automaker.
Ford’s plans for Europe are ambitious. The company is spending $1 billion to convert its German factory into an EV-only assembly line, with the goal of producing 1.2 million vehicles in six years.
Those products include three new passenger cars, including a sports crossover with a range of 500 km (311 miles) and an electric version of the company’s Ford Puma, a compact crossover that will go into production at the company’s Craiova plant, Romania, in 2024. .
Ford’s plans for Europe are ambitious
Ford will also put four commercial electric vehicles into production, including electric versions of its Transit Courier and Tourneo Courier multi-purpose vans. (The company’s first commercial electric vehicle, the E-Transit van, is now available to customers in Europe.)
An electric Explorer for the US market is still in the works. The company has said it plans to launch an Explorer EV for North America, to be built at Ford’s Oakville, Ontario, factory in late 2024 (following an earlier plan to produce it alongside the Mustang Mach-E in Cuautitlán, Mexico). , was discarded). The Oakville facility, where the gasoline-powered Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus are built, is in the process of becoming an EV-only plant.
Ford is also developing a new electric pickup truck for North America that will likely go on sale in 2025. Details are scant, but the new EV pickup will feature an “all-new” nameplate, not a redesigned F-150 Lightning. And help. reinforce Ford as a leader in electric trucks.
