The all-new Ford Explorer EV was revealed for the European market back in March 2023 as the first of two Blue Oval crossovers slated to ride on Volkswagen’s MEB platform. Production of the new Ford Explorer EV was originally scheduled to begin at the Cologne Electric Vehicle Center in Germany early this year, but a few months later, the automaker pushed its launch back by roughly six months. According to Ford CEO Jim Farley, this shift happened due to thermal propagation – the countermeasures around fire – related to the crossover’s battery, and shortly thereafter, we also learned that FoMoCo was waiting on the arrival of next-generation battery tech. Regardless, this decision to push back the launch of the Ford Explorer EV reportedly resulted in a better overall vehicle, it seems.
The Explorer “is a better vehicle now than we would have launched half a year ago,” Martin Sander, general manager, Ford Model e Europe, told Autocar. “We’ve used the additional time we had to get everything nailed down, to make sure that we’re delivering a perfect vehicle to our customers.” Sander added that the Explorer EV is “outstanding in this segment” and a testament to the fact that automaker used this extra six months of development time “very, very effectively to keep working on the vehicle and making the vehicle better.”
“We are known for sporty and dynamic driving performance and behavior,” he said. “Just a couple of weeks ago, my team and I had a comprehensive test of electric vehicles where we drove the Explorer along with all its competitors. And it’s really amazing to see that this vehicle has a very distinct character. It’s comfortable because it’s a vehicle for every day, but it’s got the driving dynamics you would expect from a Ford.”
As we await the arrival of the Ford Explorer EV, a prototype of the same model just wrapped up a worldwide tour with travel influencer Lexie Alford behind the wheel, becoming the very first electric vehicle to circumvent the globe in the process.
We’ll have more on the new European all-electric Ford Explorer soon, so be sure to subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Explorer news and continuous Ford news coverage.
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