Ford begins Explorer EV mass production

MANILA: Ford has commenced the mass production of the Explorer electric vehicle (EV) at its factory in Europe.

Based on the Blue Oval brand’s United Kingdom (UK) website, the all-electric Ford Explorer for the European region is currently listed with three variants: Select, Premium, and an all-wheel drive iteration of the Premium trim with a beefier battery.

The range-topping model uses dual electric motors (single electric motor on the rear axle for lower models) paired with a single-speed automatic transmission and makes as much as 335 horsepower with 679 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque. The said setup propels the abovementioned grade of the Ford Explorer EV from a standstill to 100 kilometers per hour (kph) in 5.3 seconds with peak speed of 180 kph.

It carries a 79-kilowatt-hour battery that can offer its would-be owners some 529 kilometers of emissions-free driving. Charging from 10-80 percent — according to the website — will take roughly 26 minutes.

Notable features of the Euro-spec Ford Explorer EV include a pair of Matrix LED headlamps, a set of 20-inch “Aero Alloy Wheels,” a hands-free power tailgate, a panoramic sunroof, a 10-speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system with a soundbar, as well as inductive wireless phone charging.

The Ford Explorer EV for the European market is priced from £45,875 (approximately P3.439 million) to £53,975 (around P4.047 million).

Straight outta Cologne

The Explorer EV is the first model to come out of the new Ford Cologne Electric Vehicle Center after the American carmaker threw some $2 billion to transform the old plant into a factory of the future.

Now the said location boasts cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology and a symphony of hundreds of carefully choreographed state-of-the-art robots that will deliver a new generation of high-quality EVs to Ford customers in Europe.

“To see the Cologne factory founded by Ford in 1930 being transformed into a state-of-the-art electric vehicle production facility is nothing short of amazing. The start of mass production of electric vehicles, with the new all-electric Explorer, marks the beginning of a new era for Ford in Europe,” Ford Europe Manufacturing Vice President Kieran Cahill stated.

After the Ford Explorer EV, the said factory will produce another electric car as well as a sports crossover, which will be revealed in due time.

Ford Explorer in PH

In the Philippines, Ford is selling the Explorer nameplate — but not in battery-electric vehicle form.

The locally-available Ford Explorer is fitted with 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. It dishes out 299 horses with 420 Nm of pulling power.

It is priced at P3.498 million.

Photos from Ford

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