Ford Explorer EV - Top 5 Things to Know

Ford Motor Company recently unveiled the New Explorer EV SUV. Unlike the Explorer sold mainly in North America, the pure-electric SUV has been designed and built by keeping the European market in mind. Except for the nameplate, the new model has nothing in common with its American counterpart. We take a closer look.

Ford Explorer EV:  Exterior Design

The Ford Explorer EV features a squared off front-end with a larger new logo, angular inverted-L shaped headlights and DRLS alongside a massive front bumper. The side profile offers a strong belt line that wraps around the entire SUV, there are flared wheel arches, and contrasting black window pillars. Towards the rear, the four-wheeler provides inverted-L theme LED tail lights, a shark fin antenna, and a boot lid spoiler.

Ford Explorer EV: Interior Features

On the inside, the electric vehicle features a 15-inch portrait oriented touchscreen that runs on the latest Ford Sync infotainment system. The screen can also be reclined up to 30 degrees or fixed flat upright. The former allows the screen to be used in a comfortable manner with an elbow resting on the center console. The latter, according to Ford, helps for “more active” driving, and also frees up a 1.7 litre storage bin. The electric SUV also gets physical and haptic buttons that includes an illuminated and vibrating volume touch slider.

Ford Explorer EV: Platform

The Explorer is the first of two confirmed Ford EVs that will be underpinned by VW’s MEB electric vehicle platform. This is part of a partnership where Ford in return will build VW-badged commercial vehicles in Turkey and South Africa. While it was not a condition for Ford to use the platform, the brand chose the Explorer EV’s dimensions to sit between the ID3 and ID4 so it avoids being a direct rival to the two cars. 

Ford Explorer EV: Powertrain Details

While the American automaker did not reveal the battery pack details, the Explorer EV is expected to be offered with a 52 KWh or 77 kWh unit. The SUV will be available in two RWD single electric motor variants, making 170 bhp and 286 bhp respectively. The top-end variant will offer a dual-motor AWD setup which will deliver a power output of 340 bhp with 545 Nm of peak torque. The automaker also stated that the Explorer EV ‘Max’ variant will have a targeted range of around 422 kms on a single charge. 

Ford Explorer EV: Production, Launch Date, and Rivals

Production of the Explorer EV will take place at Ford’s updated factory in Cologne, Germany from mid-2023. While the brand did not announce a launch date, the electric SUV is expected to go on sale in Europe by early-2024.

The EV will compete with the likes of the Škoda Enyaq iV, Jeep Avenger, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Mini Aceman.