While the Ford Explorer EV has already debuted in European form – riding on Volkswagen’s MEB platform – the North American version is expected to represent something totally different, a second-generation all-electric version of the long-running nameplate that may not even appeal to traditional Explorer customers. However, CEO Jim Farley recently provided some hints as to what we can expect from the American Ford Explorer EV while speaking during the automaker’s Q1 2023 earnings call, giving us a small glimpse into the future at the same time.
“You know, it’s not lost on us that when we launched Lightning, almost all the full-size pickup truck EV customers were new to Ford and new to the segment,” Farley said. “So what we learned in Lightning’s case, a segment traditionally that’s been 13 percent of the industry for pretty much my whole career, can be much, much bigger when you add new product features like a frunk, lockable storage for a full-size truck, zero emissions, and the ability to power your house for three days. A lot of new customers bought a Lightning that never owned a pickup truck before. And we intend to do that with three-row crossover, and with a bunch of EV Pro vehicles which we think will be huge growth for us.”
While Farley didn’t mention the Ford Explorer EV specifically with these comments, he’s most certainly referring to the future three-row EV crossover, which is expected to launch in 2025. As Ford Authority previously reported, both the Explorer EV and Lincoln Aviator EV are slated to be produced at the Oakville Assembly plant in Canada following a retooling, as that facility currently builds the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus for North America.
To complete this process, Ford will invest $1.8 billion ($1.3 billion USD) in the Canadian plant, with the retooling currently scheduled to begin in Q2 of 2024. That transformation will include the addition of a new 407,000 square-foot on-site battery plant that will utilize cells and arrays from BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky, which workers will utilize to assemble battery packs that will then be installed in vehicles produced at the facility, which will be soon be known as the Oakville Electric Vehicle Complex.
We’ll have more on the Explorer EV soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Explorer news and ongoing Ford news coverage.
No Comments yet