COLOGNE: Adventure travel content creator Lexie Alford (@LexieLimitless), the youngest person to visit every country in the world, began her extraordinary Charge Around The Globe in the new electric Ford Explorer last Friday.
Leaving from Nice, France, the 25-year-old will take in six continents and over 30 countries on an adventure that will see her aim to prove what’s possible in an electric vehicle, whilst simultaneously hoping to become the first person to circumnavigate the globe in an electric vehicle.
Her journey encapsulates the "can do" spirit shown by fellow adventurer Aloha Wanderwell, who became the first female to drive around the world a century ago. Aloha used a petrol-powered Ford for her journey and encountered numerous obstacles that required unusual solutions, like having oxen pull the car across mud flats, sand and rivers in India, and having human-powered help in China to pull it for miles as civil warfare made buying fuel impossible.
Like Aloha, Lexie will also be using a Ford in her attempt.
The electric Explorer she left at Le Hotel Royal in Nice in – the same place Aloha started her journey from – is a pre-production prototype model that is as close as possible to the vehicle customers will experience when on sale in Europe next summer.
With no special modifications to tackle the challenges that await, it’s a vehicle tailor-made for adventure and will keep her connected, comfortable and ready for anything on the ultimate road-trip.
“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,” said Martin Sander, general manager, Ford Model e Europe. “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.”
To help further prepare for this epic roadtrip Lexie has been getting a behind-the-scenes look into Ford and the electric Explorer. She visited the design and product development teams in Cologne, experienced extremes of temperature at the Environmental Test Centre – or "weather factory" – and completed her advanced driver training certification at the Lommel Proving Ground.
Lexie will be backed by a crew that includes security, medics, and mechanical and software support.
