The Electric Explorer’s Nightmare Launch Shows Everything Ford Gets Right and Wrong About EVs

I asked Amko Leenart, Ford’s European design chief, why Ford used VW’s poor controls in the Explorer and Capri, and he told me Ford worked with partners to improve the slider’s response (but didn’t tell I) how) and then admits “We tried to make some improvements to it – and I think we did – but at the same time, it is what it is. VW was our supplier of some parts and at the time we had to make choose.

It’s such a shame because these decisions made on the balance sheet and in the boardroom can ruin a perfectly good car. For the Explorer, it’s more complicated, since it’s an excellent electric vehicle that’s quiet on the road and has good range and unique, eye-catching looks.

I know delays in the project meant the Explorer and Capri missed a window of opportunity, and that potentially better rival options just came along at the wrong time for Ford – but by focusing on range above all else , and tried to cut corners on development time, a gamble that didn’t exactly pay off. Then, things get a little more difficult when trying to get away from the top model’s nearly £54,000 (about $68,500) charge.

Jim Farley is a smart guy and I’m sure he’s looked at the Explorer and Capri before going back to his Xiaomi and realized that Ford has a better way to tackle electric cars than dressing up rival platforms. But the UK’s zero-emission vehicle directive requires that by at least 2025 1 in 4 new cars UK manufacturers sell products that are emission-free. Ford needs to sell more electric vehicles quickly. This is a circle that is difficult to square.

I know Ford’s focus right now is on hybrids, but looking at the success of the F-150 Lightning and Mach-E, and all the elements worth celebrating in the EU-only Explorer, I’m hopeful we’ll see the company take action by 2025 More all-electric action. As long as it’s made by Ford and accessible to everyone – then it certainly can’t lose.