The Ford F-150 Lightning might be a year off, but Ford isn’t slowing down its push into the EV market, as an all-electric Ford Explore is coming and the Bronco could also get the EV treatment.
This comes from Mike Levine, Ford’s North American Product communications manager, who tweeted that Ford has a new EV platform for its pickup trucks and rugged SUVs.
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While the all-electric Bronco was only hinted at, Levine confirmed the Explorer is definitely on the way.
There’s a new all-wheel drive / rear-wheel drive flexible EV architecture on the way for cargo vehicles, pickups and rugged SUVs! pic.twitter.com/P35Jy9hK4lMay 26, 2021
Yes, we will fully electrify Explorer as you might expect, given our plan to deliver 40% of our lineup as fully electric vehicles by 2030. We will continue playing to our strengths and electrify our icons in high-volume segments that we dominate today. We’ll share details later.May 26, 2021
Given Ford has promised 40% of its car sales will be electric by 2030, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Especially not since the company’s electrification philosophy seems to be ‘take the old car, replace the gas tank with a giant battery.' That’s what happened with the Mustang Mach-E and the upcoming Ford F-150 Lightning.
Of course, the electric Bronco hasn’t been explicitly confirmed in as many words, but it’s pretty obvious the car is coming at some point. Levine tweeted a picture of himself standing by the outline of a car that is unmistakably Bronco-shaped, and even includes the rear-mounted tire. It doesn’t take much to put two and two together.
The all-electric Explorer is a guarantee, with Levine talking about how it’s the best-selling SUV in America. That makes is an obvious addition to the company’s electric line-up, especially seeing as how the electric SUV market is going to get increasingly crowded over the next few years. Ford will have its work cut out for it, so let’s hope the electric Explorer can offer the same sort of experience as the gas-powered models.
Obviously all attention is on the F-150 Lightning right now, since that’s due to be released early on next year. It will offer a range of 230 miles, or 300 miles if you buy the extended range model , and can recharge from 15% to 80% in 44 minutes. Prices start at $39,974. But we'll be keeping an eye out for how Ford brings similar capabilities to the Explorer and the Bronco as 2022 develops.
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