Though the Ford Explorer EV is already on sale in Europe – underpinned by Volkswagen’s MEB platform – the automaker has also long planned to build a three-row version of its popular model for North America, too. The Ford Explorer EV and the more luxurious Lincoln Aviator EV were slated to be built at the Oakville Assembly plant in 2025 originally, though back in April, The Blue Oval delayed that production start date to 2027. Since then, plans have apparently changed in a big way.
Today, FoMoCo announced that the vehicles expected to launch as the Ford Explorer EV and the Lincoln Aviator EV for North America have been canceled altogether, and instead, the company plans to leverage hybrid technologies for its next three-row SUVs. This move will cost the automaker, however – to the tune of a special non-cash charge of about $400 million for the write-down of certain product-specific manufacturing assets for those models, and the decision may also result in additional expenses and cash expenditures of up to $1.5 billion. The automaker previously outlined its plans for fully electric three-row SUVs without naming them, although as of 2022 they were expected to wear Explorer and Aviator badges.
Regardless, this move isn’t terribly surprising given The Blue Oval’s recent decision to build the Ford Super Duty at Oakville – in addition to the Kentucky Truck plant and the Ohio Assembly plant – leaving the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator EVs without a home. Previously expected to offer 350 miles of range and loads of interior space at an affordable price, the future three-row EVs were ultimately the victim of high battery costs, it seems.
Now, Ford plans to focus on hybrids amid growing demand. The refreshed 2025 Explorer and Aviator debuted without a hybrid option, notably (save for the law enforcement-focused Police Interceptor Utility), but an electrified powertrain is expected to become available at some point in the future. In fact, Ford plans on offering a hybrid powertrain in all of its ICE models by 2030, as Ford Authority previously reported.
We’ll have more on the Explorer soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Explorer news and ongoing Ford news coverage.
This article has been updated to reflect the fact that Ford had not officially stated that the three-row vehicles would be branded Explorer or Aviator.
Comments
I’m shocked – SHOCKED! – I tell you.
Just because a alot of Baby Boomers are anti anything new, like Electric cars, don’t make the mistake and fall behind China which is going all in on battery tech and Electric cars, and produces a EV that has 200 mile range for less than 20k. The president had to put a 100 percent tarrif on Chinese cars to prevent it coming to the US. Don’t be short-sighted and get left behind like all the defunct US tech companies like Emerson, GE, IBM sold its computer division.. etc etc.
Hello?!? NO ONE is buying these things. Inadequate infrastructure, depletion of minerals, and too much cost have more to do with this than just practical boomers. If the Chinese can make it work, good for them. It’s called an open market. That said, they can’t just dump these vehicles here at sub-market, subsidized prices.
I owned a Ford Mustang Mach E Premium with the 4WD and SR battery. I *loved* that car. It was also impractical except for short trips in reasonably good weather. NO ONE wants to be stuck on a road trip looking for an EV charger that has not so much as an umbrella stand to keep the rain, snow, or beating sun off of you as you plug in your car while you pray that the charging station will work.
Like passenger rail, EVs work great (winter temps notwithstanding) in Europe and most of Asia. Distances between major population centers are much shorter there, justifying investment (i.e. tax dollars) in infrastructure. Moreover, most trips can be completed on a full battery, if not one recharge. That makes the 30-45 min wait for the SOC on the battery to go from 5-80+% reasonable. The same can’t be said even for a trip from Michigan to Florida, which would require a *minimum* of 6 charging sessions plus 19.5 hrs of driving for a total of at least 25 hrs total time on the road.
No one wants this crap. Get real. We’re not falling behind China. They are screwing themselves. We have abundant fossil fuels they dont
Ford is possibly finally listening to their customers and not the government!
After losing billions of dollars on the EV scam, they are realizing that most Americans do not want total EV’s.
They are learning where the money is to be made, as in scrapping the Oakville Plant EV plan, and now utilizing the plant to build Super Duty trucks, which they cannot make enough of to meet demand.
I commend Ford decision here; it is about time they smartened up!
Let China build EV’s and try to market them in this country against 100 % tariff’s ,as will be the case when President Trump takes office.
Their next smartest move would be to fire Farly for making statements like (” Americans need to realize that they have to start driving smaller vehicles “), when the most profit makers and vehicles that the American consumer wants are SUV’s and trucks, and for going full tilt into the EV scam, then losing billions .
Has he ever driven past a local soccer field and seen what the soccer Mom’s have parked there . He might think differently !