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Lexie Alford Begins Global Road Trip In New Ford Explorer EV

The Ford Explorer EV debuted back in March for the European market, one of two brand new crossovers set to be underpinned by Volkswagen’s MEB platform. The new all-electric Explorer is set to be produced at the Cologne Electrification Center in Germany, but its launch was recently pushed back six months. The reasoning for this was originally blamed on the vehicle’s powertrain, with CEO Jim Farley pointing to thermal propagation – the countermeasures around fire – as the culprit. Then, as Ford Authority reported last week, news surfaced that The Blue Oval was merely waiting on the arrival of a next-generation VW battery pack. Whatever the reason, FoMoCo previously tabbed travel adventure influencer Lexie Alford – otherwise known as Lexie Limitless – to drive the new EV across the globe on a historic trip, and now, that journey has officially begun.

Lexie Alford Ford Explorer EV Trip Across Europe

The reason for this trip centers around the roughly 100 year anniversary of Aloha Wanderwell’s epic and historic journey that saw her become the first woman to drive around the world, crossing through 43 countries across a five-year period in a Model T. This tribute of sorts began in Nice, France, after which Alford will travel across six continents and over 30 countries, proving that such a journey is possible in an EV while also making her the first person to circumnavigate the globe in an electric vehicle, too.

The Ford Explorer that Alford is driving is a pre-production prototype, but The Blue Oval notes that it’s very close to the actual production model that’s now set to debut in the summer of 2024, with no special modifications present to aid Alford on her journey.

Lexie Alford Ford Explorer EV Trip Across Europe

“This is an epic journey to prove what’s possible in an electric vehicle, as we know range and charging are the two main concerns people have when thinking about making the switch to electric,” said Martin Sander, general manager, Ford Model e Europe. “Lexie will be putting charging infrastructure to the ultimate test; if she can get around the world in an EV, then anyone can use one in Europe, every day.”

We’ll have much more on the new electric Ford Explorer soon, so be sure to subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Explorer news and around-the-clock Ford news coverage.

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

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Comments

  1. Pretty damned small for an “Explorer.”

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  2. Every time I hear “influencer” I throw up a bit…..

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    1. I through to a lot.

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    2. Me too!

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  3. The only thing Ford actually engineered in this product is the Explorer brand.

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  4. We had 149 years to perfect electric cars if we wanted. We didnt. The first cars WERE electric. They’re not better, pollute far more, cant take extreme temperatures which are now the norm, and are inefficient outside of city life in general. Most adopters rely on confirmation bias to somehow justify limited real world perspective also. They’re a fad and a wasteful one at that.

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  5. Good luck. We love our EV but charging away from home is problematic and this trip is likely to prove that.
    However truthdunker is misinformed and apparently uneducated when it comes to evs. The best selling car ICE or EV this year is the Tesla Model Y. Apparently folks dont agree with you

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  6. I surely hope Lexie Alford is able to complete her roead trip visiting so many continents in a new Explorer. Is there a caravan following her with mechanics and another car or two to deal with the inevitable malfunctions, breakdowns and the usual things that Explorer owners have to deal with. How many recalls will await her in the event that she happens to make it. All this from a former F-L dealer.

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  7. Keep it over in Europe. That is NOT an Explorer. I miss the days when the Explorer was an actual body on frame SUV. The newer ones, although faster and loaded with newer technology…well I wouldn’t take them too far off road due to their skinny tires and low ground clearance.

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  8. It’s seems distracting and a lot more work to write “The Blue Oval” instead of “Ford”.

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  9. Following in the footsteps or rather tire tracks of Hugh Downs.

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  10. Great… Another trust fund “influencer” as a spokesperson. Absolutely gonna be the worst content. Ford UK really made a bad move with this! The Ev explorer is cool though.

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