Took a little longer than planned, but Ford says its new EU-market Explorer EV is better for the delay. Ford of Europe borrowed Volkswagen's MEB platform to create a battery-electric SUV by Europeans, for Europeans. Planned to hit the market there in later 2023, the holdup was either caused by changes to the U.N.'s battery certification regulations, as stated by Ford of Europe at the time, or"insufficient countermeasures around fire," in the words of Ford CEO Jim Farley.
Before the battery swap, Ford had predicted a maximum 311-mile range for the entire Explorer EV lineup. The longer legs help add substance to the"Adventurous Spirit" marketing tagline in Europe, a step above the"Urban Escape" tagline applied to the Puma compact four-door hatchback. These single-motor variant comes in Select or Premium trim. The AWD variant is called Premium no matter the battery size.