Electric car Ford Explorer: Template from Wolfsburg
Ford is relying on Volkswagen's E-platform. The Explorer SUV will be the first, followed by a coupe variant next year.
The name Explorer is surprising. Ford has used it many times in Europe, most recently for a large SUV with plug-in hybrid.
(Bild: Dirk Kunde)
- Dirk Kunde
(Hier finden Sie die deutsche Version des Beitrags)
Ford has to do something: Although the brand was comparatively early with the Focus Electric, which has long since been discontinued, Ford currently has nothing mass-compatible in its range. That should and must change. The Explorer is the first step in this direction. It can be reserved now at prices starting at around 45,000 euros. The first models are to be delivered to customers before Christmas 2023. The US manufacturer is using its own portfolio for the name of the crossover SUV. So far, the Explorer is a classic SUV. The combustion engine version is being phased out, which should hardly be noticeable to anyone in Germany. Ford sold a total of 393 of them in Germany last year - with a downward trend.
Bonds from Wolfsburg
Ford is using a platform from Wolfsburg for the new Explorer. It is based on Volkswagen's Modular Electric Toolkit (MEB). So what is typically Ford about this electric car? The question is not easy to answer after a tour of a Düsseldorf photo studio. The car has not yet been driven. Visually, its high beltline and closed front, which rises almost vertically, give it a self-confident but not provocative look. With the MEB, Ford adopts a number of technical details that are unchangeable. These include the battery, the wheelbase of 2.77 m and the charging port at the rear right. Ford product manager Christoph Heusgen emphasizes during the tour: "We have tuned the chassis, dampers and steering according to our own wishes. We widened the track at the front a bit."
Videos by heise
Drives and batteries
Ford offers the Explorer in three engine variants and two equipment versions. The range should be just over 500 km with the large battery (approx. 77 kWh) and rear-wheel drive (210 kW). Another variant, also with a permanently excited synchronous motor on the rear axle, has significantly less power at 125 kW and a smaller battery with approx. 52 kWh. The all-wheel drive version with a large battery has 250 kW of engine power. Here, an asynchronous motor is added to the front axle. This Explorer accelerates to 100 km/h in under six seconds. The top speed is 180 km/h.
Ford Explorer 2023 (3 Bilder)
A heat pump is offered as an option to minimize the reduction in range during the cold season. The Explorer charges three-phase at 11 kW at the AC connection and up to 170 kW at the DC charger. Ideally, it should take 25 minutes to charge the battery from 10 to 80 percent. Users get access to the Blue Oval charging network with 400,000 charging points in Europe. These include 400 DC fast chargers from Ionity.
When it comes to the Explorer's equipment, customers can choose between basic and comfort. The driver's seat in the luxury version offers a massage function for the lumbar vertebrae. A sound bar on the dashboard is added to the music system. A panoramic glass roof and matrix LED headlights are also optional.
Locker behind the screen
A special feature is hidden behind the 14.6 inch screen in the center. The touch-sensitive display in portrait format can be tilted by up to 30 degrees. The screen can also be raised. Behind it, there is almost two liters of storage space plus a USB-C port. This is the so-called Private Locker, a locker. When the car is locked, the screen locks in its original position. Valuables in the locker cannot be seen from the outside.
Ford Explorer 2023 (5 Bilder)
The storage space in the center console is also generous (17 liters). The compartment is deep enough to accommodate a laptop. Alternatively, three 1.5 liter and a one-liter bottle can be stored upright. The dividers can be removed and used as an ice scraper in winter. Ford relies on its Sync Move system for infotainment. Alternatively, you can use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay wirelessly for media playback or navigation.
Similar in size to a Kuga
The Explorer is 4.50 m long, 1.60 m high and 2.06 m wide with mirrors. This means it roughly matches the dimensions of a Ford Kuga and is significantly smaller than the previous Explorer. The trunk has a volume of 450 liters. If the split rear seat is folded down, 1400 liters of storage space are available. There is no compartment under the front hood.
Level 2 assistants support the driver. Five cameras, three radar and 12 ultrasonic sensors are installed in the Explorer. Adaptive cruise control with distance control also helps with lane changes as soon as the turn signal is activated and the sensors do not register any other road users in the blind spot. There is also an acoustic and visual warning when parking at the edge of the lane if, for example, a cyclist is approaching.
Big plans for the Cologne plant
Ford is not a pioneer of electric mobility. The Ford Mustang Mach E did not come onto the German market until early 2021. To date, around 9,000 of these have been registered in Germany. In further development, Ford in the USA concentrated on the pick-up market, which is important there, with the F-150 Lightning. In Europe, it is relying on Volkswagen as a supplier for an E-platform. This contract was recently extended. Volkswagen announced that Ford is ordering 1.2 million units of the MEB platform over a six-year period. This exactly matches the annual production capacity of 200,000 vehicles at the new E plant in Cologne. Ford is investing two billion US dollars in converting its production facility on the Rhine into the so-called Electrification Center.
Goal: Sell 600,000 e-cars in Europe
The restructuring is accompanied by planned layoffs. Ford is cutting up to 2300 jobs at its Cologne and Aachen sites by 2030. Fewer employees will be needed in the development department. It only remains to hope that models will continue to be designed in Europe in the future. The modest sales success of the Mustang Mach E shows that US design does not go down well with everyone. Ford has ambitious plans for electromobility. By 2026, the manufacturer wants to sell more than 600,000 e-cars per year in Europe. The model range includes Ford Explorer, a coupe-like crossover, Mustang Mach E and Puma, as well as light commercial vehicles such as Transit and Tourneo.
(mfz)