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Ford introducing new 7 seat EV CUV in 2025 with 350 miles of range


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We'll have to see what the final product looks like before passing judgement.  And as somebody mentioned, the 1985 Taurus was a highly polarizing vehicle, but was a best seller, and made Ford the design leader in the U.S. for several years.

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2 hours ago, Chrisgb said:

Well, 350 mi range is nice, but at 349 mi you need to find a place to charge, and spend 30-50 minutes or more for a full charge, to go another 350 mi, etc. Should work ok for suburban duty, but with compact and midsize BEVs with entry level prices $40,000 and up, what will be the median MSRP for a long range C/D class BEV? 

 

Not a fan of such steeply raked windshields. Increased glare and dashboard reflection, and the inside panels very awkward to clean. We have real-time video camera rearview mirrors, why not realtime forward vision video screens? The outside could be raked any degree, while the inside screen could be at a comfortable viewing angle, maybe adjustable. No glare or reflection, and it could be made to support multiple windows, so the passenger can watch a movie.play games, etc.

 

In addition to the tradition BEV issues and the ones you noted, the low height is an issue for us older folk.

 

At our age, we only purchase vehicles we can step right, or have an easy step up. If the new BEV's are all low and aero designed, yet another reason we won't be purchasing. They might get a few more miles of range, but the low design removes some of the older potential purchasers, which often have more disposable income than those with young kids.

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4 hours ago, ExplorerDude said:

The interesting thing about this vehicle is that it changed once already. When it was supposed to be built in Mexico alongside the Mach-E it looked far more like a traditional Explorer, a nice evolution of the Explorer’s design. But the program was canceled / drastically changed and even the development code changed. They basically started over because it didn’t go far enough. Feels like they went too far. Not sure whether it will carry the Explorer name or not.

 

That made sense why the 'Explorer' name was going to be attached to the EV. It originally had the traditional Explorer design before they changed it. As I said in my previous post ('They can still do a true upright, boxy midsized TE1 EV with 'Explorer' and build that at BOC. Or as a GE2 at OAC if there's room for three EVs.'), they can still do the proper Explorer EV. There is a next gen ICE Explorer coming soon, IIRC, so there's time for a true Explorer EV to be sold alongside it. I'm guessing the 'Explorer' EV may have undergone similar route as the C-Max EV replacement where it was started over into what was eventually the Mustang Mach-E.

I just thought of something. When Farley spoke at the Capital Markets event, and discussed the upcoming the 3-row EV, he didn't actually call it Explorer. It was referred to having the interior room of ICE Expedition while being the size of ICE Explorer. No name of this EV was ever spoken at all. So could it be possible that Ford has changed the name to it? It's already been known and reported numerous times that the Explorer/Aviator EVs were going to OAC. Now all of a sudden, he didn't even mention any names to this new EV at all during the event presentation.

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2 hours ago, DeluxeStang said:

Here's the thing, areo doesn't always make a car look worse. Arguably, the best looking car Ford has ever made was the last gen Ford gt, and that car is extremely areo driven in it's design. But when a team doesn't care about appearance, and just starts chasing a low drag coefficient, things get ugly fast.


Agree aerodynamic efficiency doesn’t have to look bad.  Besides, much depends on what we get used to seeing.  The Prius in picture is reported to have a Cd of 0.27 which is relatively poor compared to some BEVs manufactured by Mercedes, Lucid, and Tesla in range of 0.20 to 0.22.

 

Many BEVs already have plenty of driving range for city driving, so it’s long highway road trips that remain a challenge.  And this issue isn’t made easier by EPA highway rating having an average speed of around 50 MPG, where BEVs often do much better than at steady 75 MPH on an Interstate.  And those who drive faster or face a headwind will experience much shorter driving range than that.  We also can’t ignore range reductions due to cold and heat.

 

If target is 350 miles of range with 100 kWh battery (3.5 miles/kWh), it shouldn’t be that difficult to achieve along with acceptable aesthetics given that some competitors are doing just over 4 miles/kWh.

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On 6/4/2023 at 2:47 PM, Harley Lover said:

What was shown here:  bullet-train.jpg

Is said to be the same vehicle as this:  Ford-Lincoln-Mystery-Concept-Scoop.webp

It was posted by Borg over on GMI that he has confirmed that the spy photo above is the new Ford 3 row EV, "Targeting 350 miles of range with 100kwh battery, efficiency is paramount in design. The back-end is going to be very controversial, it’s recessed with a razor edge wrapping around the body. Very futuristic looking vehicle with the same sort of wraparound HUD dashboard first seen in the new Nautilus.

Ford may not be branding this Explorer afterall. Thunderbird is now being considered. The design is weird, not loved by many who see it."

 

Would love to get some feedback from ExplorerDude as to whether or not this has any accuracy or not.

 

I remember seeing this a while back and we were trying to figure out what it was.   

 

I can see some potential good things about it, but it should NOT wear the Explorer badge, IMO.

 

At least Mustang Mach E tries to mirror the shape/silhouette of the Mustang proper.  Explorer has always been a more upright SUV/crossover, even if the current model has skewed more toward sleek.

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7 hours ago, akirby said:


And what happens when the computer glitches while you’re doing 70 mph and you’re completely blind?

There is that. I guess we'll have to get along with C-store polarized sunglasses for a while longer.

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9 hours ago, Chrisgb said:

Well, 350 mi range is nice, but at 349 mi you need to find a place to charge, and spend 30-50 minutes or more for a full charge, to go another 350 mi, etc. Should work ok for suburban duty, but with compact and midsize BEVs with entry level prices $40,000 and up, what will be the median MSRP for a long range C/D class BEV? .

 

One, we don't know how fast this vehicle will charge. Since it will be able to charge using Tesla Superchargers, it will probably charge faster than you state.

Two, why would you drive 5 hours and run the battery all the way down? Most people have to use the facilities every few hours anyway, just plug in for 5-10 minutes when you stop for a restroom break. (once the charging infrastructure gets fully built out) Charge it a bit longer when you stop for meals. People haven't really thought this road-trip-in-an-EV thing all the way through.

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15 hours ago, AGR said:

 

One, we don't know how fast this vehicle will charge. Since it will be able to charge using Tesla Superchargers, it will probably charge faster than you state.

Two, why would you drive 5 hours and run the battery all the way down? Most people have to use the facilities every few hours anyway, just plug in for 5-10 minutes when you stop for a restroom break. (once the charging infrastructure gets fully built out) Charge it a bit longer when you stop for meals. People haven't really thought this road-trip-in-an-EV thing all the way through.

 

I went to Ohio a few years back-just over 500 miles and about 8 hours driving timing

 

If I had this vehicle at the time, I could do the same trip with almost no additional time-I can stop at a Tesla Supercharger and recharge while I'm eating lunch and make it to my destination with roughly 50 miles of range left.  Infrastructure might be an issue, but that is getting built out.

 

If it got 350 miles range, I'd have to charge it about twice a month with my current drive into work work 2x a week. 

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16 hours ago, AGR said:

People haven't really thought this road-trip-in-an-EV thing all the way through.


Some have.  As Farley said, BEVs are a good fit for families with multiple cars.  I only know two families with BEVs very well, one with two vehicles and the other four vehicles, and as far as I can tell they routinely make most all road trips in large ICE vehicles.

 

Sadly, the amount of gas being saved in their case is not proportional to the number of BEVs because while they make up many short local trips, the number of total miles driven is probably not great; plus their BEVs replaced ICE vehicles that were already more fuel efficient than the ones they now use for road trips.  If or when I replace one of my main two vehicles with a BEV, it will be under similar use.  I do all road trips in a large van, and do not anticipate a viable BEV option for road trips for a very long time.

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10 minutes ago, Rick73 said:

Sadly, the amount of gas being saved in their case is not proportional to the number of BEVs because while they make up many short local trips, the number of total miles driven is probably not great; plus their BEVs replaced ICE vehicles that were already more fuel efficient than the ones they now use for road trips.  If or when I replace one of my main two vehicles with a BEV, it will be under similar use.  I do all road trips in a large van, and do not anticipate a viable BEV option for road trips for a very long time.

 

If your using a BEV for everyday driving (i.e. commuting to work and errands) your going to use more fuel over the course of a year vs driving a vehicle on a single or a couple long distance road trips a year?

 

In my use case, I drive over 200 miles in a single day maybe 2-3 times or less a year. 

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On 6/4/2023 at 8:50 PM, Gurgeh said:

I understand "Aztek" is available...


That and the Prius were my first thought when I saw this profile.  That is a hard pass for me.  I would hate to be a passenger in the third row of this abomination.  

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I don't have a problem with them trying/offering this form factor as an additional body style option. I have a problem with 1) potentially using a name like Explorer, that has nothing to do with this form factor, and 2) potentially offering this INSTEAD of a proper more upright Explorer. This swoopy vehicle should/could be offered IN ADDITION to a more traditionally styled "EVxplorer".

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24 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

I don't have a problem with them trying/offering this form factor as an additional body style option. I have a problem with 1) potentially using a name like Explorer, that has nothing to do with this form factor, and 2) potentially offering this INSTEAD of a proper more upright Explorer. This swoopy vehicle should/could be offered IN ADDITION to a more traditionally styled "EVxplorer".

I have to agree with you here. A more upright shape would appeal to people who want something more practical and traditional looking. The decision to give what should be one of your best selling EVs a polarizing and decisive design is a head scratching choice.

 

Generally, if you're trying to maximize sales volume, you don't want some radical shape that rocks the boat. A lot of Ford's decisions these last few years confuse the hell out of me. The decision to be make a more traditional looking explorer ev, but making it super compact and for Europe only. Then making the American explorer ev look nothing like an explorer, and potentially giving it the thunderbird name. Deciding to expand the mustang sub-brand, but only doing it with a suv that pisses off a lot of loyal mustang buyers then killing the idea before designers could do anything really cool with it. 

 

Just a ton of choices that make zero sense to me, but maybe make a lot of sense to people working behind the curtain. 

Edited by DeluxeStang
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3 hours ago, silvrsvt said:

If I had this vehicle at the time, I could do the same trip with almost no additional time-I can stop at a Tesla Supercharger and recharge while I'm eating lunch


Show me a specific restaurant where you want to eat lunch that’s within walking distance of a Tesla supercharger.

 

It sounds great but I’ve never found one in GA that would work for me.

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14 minutes ago, akirby said:


Show me a specific restaurant where you want to eat lunch that’s within walking distance of a Tesla supercharger.

 

It sounds great but I’ve never found one in GA that would work for me.


Fast food is available at gas stations like Buc-ee’s and Florida Turnpike Plaza where Tesla superchargers can be found.  Surprised Georgia doesn’t have similar stations.  I don’t know if nice sit-down restaurants would work well when cars charge in less than 30 minutes.  I suppose driver could move car if others waiting to charge.

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47 minutes ago, akirby said:


Show me a specific restaurant where you want to eat lunch that’s within walking distance of a Tesla supercharger.

 

It sounds great but I’ve never found one in GA that would work for me.

 

I'm also guessing that you guys don't have many BEVS around you either...my state is an early adaptor, so we have quite a few.

 

I know in the Northeast they are at rest stops on major highways or local convenience stores. Like stated before, a sit down style restaurant that takes about an hour to get served and eat isn't exactly the best place for them. Fast food/Coffee Shops would be better. 

 

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1 hour ago, akirby said:


Show me a specific restaurant where you want to eat lunch that’s within walking distance of a Tesla supercharger.

 

It sounds great but I’ve never found one in GA that would work for me.


The one by me is walking distance to a PF Chang’s, a local pub, and a Chuck Lagers.  The one next to the EA I use in south bend is at a mall so there is a food court and some other outlot restaurants. I usually hit five guys when I’m there.  The one by our cottage is at a Panera. 

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1 hour ago, akirby said:


Show me a specific restaurant where you want to eat lunch that’s within walking distance of a Tesla supercharger.

 

It sounds great but I’ve never found one in GA that would work for me.

 

Several malls around here have Supercharger stations and have a variety of dining options either on the same site, or several more across the street.

 

That wouldn't be the case everywhere, though, obviously.

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They should call it the Ford Evolve - so yes, it plays into the "EV" EVolve naming scheme, but it also fits with Ford's "E" SUV naming scheme.

 

Make the V's connected to a lightning bolt sort of thing......I quickly drew up a crude mock up....forgive the terrible scan:

 

image.png.730835a608a063573098f2285c66133c.png

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1 hour ago, rmc523 said:

They should call it the Ford Evolve - so yes, it plays into the "EV" EVolve naming scheme, but it also fits with Ford's "E" SUV naming scheme.

 

Make the V's connected to a lightning bolt sort of thing......I quickly drew up a crude mock up....forgive the terrible scan:

 

image.png.730835a608a063573098f2285c66133c.png

 

That's a good idea and I like your logo proposal. Didn't Ford actually trademark 'Evolve'? Seems like I seen something like it.

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On 6/5/2023 at 9:44 AM, fuzzymoomoo said:


I know someone who’s seen it. His quote was: “It was ok. It didn't take my breath away.  The exterior was much sleeker than the current explorer.  Similar to an oversized Edge.”

 

Now that I think about it that sounds exactly like the kind of design the mainstream media is going to fawn over. 

Hope so cause it looks ugly as hell under that tarp if that’s truly the vehicle. Last thing we need at OAC is an ugly piece of shit FLOP. We’ve been off enough since 2020 lol. Too early for me to say anything anyways just talking shit.

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15 hours ago, Oacjay98 said:

Hope so cause it looks ugly as hell under that tarp if that’s truly the vehicle. Last thing we need at OAC is an ugly piece of shit FLOP. We’ve been off enough since 2020 lol. Too early for me to say anything anyways just talking shit.

It galls me to think that Ford had a boxy BEV Explorer but then reworked into this sleeker looking crossover. Clearly, they got cold feet over possibly taking production and sales away from CAP CD6 Explorer/Aviator. Perhaps Ford is not yet sold on the idea of mass migration of ICE buyers to BEVs so doesn’t want to kill Ford Blue production until later in the decade…..

 

Part of the problem is that Ford keeps changing its mind and second guessing original plans. They’re kinda hunting for the groove but honestly, it smacks of not really knowing what customers want or, maybe favouring new customers in BEVs over simply migrating existing ones.

 

What should be a no brainer product decision has turned into something that meets more obscure objectives, like maybe they want this to be more of a Tesla competitor?

Edited by jpd80
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12 minutes ago, jpd80 said:

It galls me to think that Ford had a boxy BEV Explorer but then reworked into this sleeker looking crossover. Clearly, they got cold feet over possibly taking production and sales away from CAP CD6 Explorer/Aviator. Perhaps Ford is not yet sold on the idea of mass migration of ICE buyers to BEVs so doesn’t want to kill Ford Blue production until later in the decade…..

 

Part of the problem is that Ford keeps changing its mind and second guessing original plans. They’re kinda hunting for the groove but honestly, it smacks of not really knowing what customers want or, maybe favouring new customers in BEVs over simply migrating existing ones.

 

What should be a no brainer product decision has turned into something that meets more obscure objectives, like maybe they want this to be more of a Tesla competitor?

 

I think that is the smarter bet..why offer two products that can directly compete with one another when you can bring in a new product and possibly new customers to the brand then wind down the current ICE products as time goes down with a new product that will be even more improved?

 

I'd venture to guess this will be something like the Flex-a polarizing product that will have a small and dedicated following.

 

I'm curious as to how well the Blazer and Equinox EVs do when competing against the gas powered versions of the same nameplate..will they grow sales or just divide them up even more with just small gains?

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