Ford is ramping-up interest in its upcoming electric Explorer by putting one in the hands of an Instagram-famous, globe-trotting adventurer.
Back in 2021, Lexie Alford became the youngest person to travel to every country on Earth, visiting all 196 by the age of 21.
The Californian’s exploits have seen her rack-up almost 700,000 followers on Instagram, where she goes by the name @LexieLimitless.
And now Lexie will take on a new challenge - to become the first person to circumnavigate the globe in an electric vehicle, visiting 30 countries and travelling 17,400 miles in under 100 days.
She’ll be doing it in a Ford Explorer - an electric SUV that shares the same platform as the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 and which will be available to lease in the summer of next year.
Ford tells us that Lexie’s journey is inspired by a Canadian explorer called Aloha Wanderwell who, in the 1920s using Ford vehicles including a Model T, became the first female to drive around the world.
Lexie will also leave the same Le Hotel Royal in Nice, France, that Aloha vacated as she began her epic trip, too.
The attempt has been conceived to “motivate others to unleash their ‘can do’ spirit while challenging perceptions of what is possible in an electric vehicle”, says Ford.
No modifications have been made the Ford Explorer Lexie will be piloting. While Ford hasn’t revealed precise figures, the Explorer is expected to have a range of around 328 miles between charges.
Martin Sander, general manager, Ford Model e Europe, said: “This is an epic journey to prove what’s possible in an electric vehicle, as we know range and charging are the two main concerns people have when thinking about making the switch to electric. Lexie will be putting charging infrastructure to the ultimate test; if she can get around the world in an EV, then anyone can use one in Europe, every day.”
Lexie set off earlier this week.
And she adds: “This is an epic adventure, but a tough one. It will be tough on the Explorer and with the amount of time on the road alone it will be tough on me and the support crew. Any adventure worth having should challenge you though, and I can’t wait to explore the new places and meet incredible people to find out how they’re trying to make their corners of the world better.”
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