An all-electric Ford Explorer will soon make its European debut, with up to 374 miles of range.
It's the first Ford EV built on Volkswagen's modular electric drive matrix platform, and the company says the vehicle combines German engineering with American style, according to Elektrek.
This mid-size SUV can charge from 10% to 80% in about 25 minutes. Ford announced that the Explorer and Explorer Premium were set to be released in Europe by the end of 2023, with expected starting prices under $50,000.
The debut was postponed because of complications regarding battery requirements, but Martin Sander, head of Ford Europe's Model E EV unit, told Autocar that the delay was worth the wait and that it's "a better vehicle now than we would have launched half a year ago."
Although EVs often have higher price tags, they can save consumers money in the long run. According to the Department of Energy, it can cost about half as much to drive an EV compared to an equivalent gasoline vehicle because of fuel savings. Plus, American citizens can benefit from a number of federal and state incentives, like the Inflation Reduction Act, to make an EV purchase more affordable.
EVs are also much better for the environment, as they don't produce planet-warming pollution like their gasoline-powered counterparts.
Transportation-related pollution contributes to a variety of ailments like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and respiratory illnesses. According to the American Lung Association, switching to zero-emission vehicles would help prevent 2.79 million pediatric asthma attacks and save more than 500 infant lives by 2050.
Thinking about making your next car an EV? Check out this handy guide.
As for the new Ford EV, "Explorer is a trailblazer for a new breed of exciting Ford electric vehicles," Sander said in a release. "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."
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