Image: Ford Europe
Ford has unveiled its first European-engineered and built EV in the form of an all-electric Ford Explorer, which will be the company’s first electric vehicle to be built at scale in the new Ford Cologne EV Centre in Germany.
The new electric Ford Explorer is a significant moment for the brand and its history in Europe and aims to form part of Ford’s “reinvention”.
“Explorer is a trailblazer for a new breed of exciting Ford electric vehicles,” said Martin Sander, the head of Ford Model e in Europe. “Steeped in our American roots but built in Cologne for our customers in Europe, it is road trip-ready for the big adventures and fully loaded with everything our customers will need for their daily drives.”
The five-seater SUV is aimed at future-focused European customers with the use of extensive technology that is unlike previous electric models from the brand.
First, there is some unique interior features that showcase Ford’s design team’s focus on driving experiences. This includes a 15-inch centre infotainment screen which is mounted in portrait orientation. This resembles the original Tesla Model S and Model X centre screens.
The same 15-inch screen can wirelessly connect to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to offer a more seamless mobile integration experience.
What is different about this screen though is that it can move which allows the driver to adjust it to suit them. The focus on occupant’s experience continues into some of the interior storage decisions that are not found in many vehicles on the market today.
To make the journeys easier in the upcoming SUV model, Ford will have technology that will help on longer road trips. Some of these features include assisted lane changes and driver massage seating.
There is a private locker with a 17 litre centre console capacity to store items that are best hidden when parked. This could be wallets, handbags or even laptops.
Speaking of space, the Ford Explorer will provide 470 litres of boot space with the five seats up.
Not a lot was revealed on the battery sizes or charging specifications and powertrain details are also quite limited at this stage with Ford only sharing the two drive variants that would be available with the Explorer:
Two upcoming versions of the new Explorer were also highlighted today which include:
According to Ford Europe, the pricing is anticipated to start from less than €45,000 which would equate to roughly $A72,600. This would make the Explorer a pricier proposition than the Tesla Model Y which starts at under $70,000.
Those interested customers in Europe can also experience “virtual” electric Explorer test drives through a range of driving conditions. This will be available on desktop or mobile devices.
Reservations for the all-electric Ford Explorer are now open at Ford’s official websites across Europe with orders officially opening later this year.
Here in Australia, it’s unlikely that we would be seeing this model land here before next year.
See Fully Charged Video Reveal of the Ford Explorer EV
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.
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