Charging around the globe with Ford and Lexie Limitless
James Foxall reports on how one intrepid adventurer broke a world record with the help of the New All-Electric Ford Explorer
Proving just how practical, usable and versatile it is, the New All-Electric Ford Explorer has become the first of its kind to circumnavigate the globe. Driven by adventurer Lexie Alford, this pioneering road trip – Charge Around The Globe – began on 8 September 2023 and took on six continents, 27 countries and covered more than 30,000km. Known to millions as @LexieLimitless for becoming the first person to visit all 196 sovereign nations in the world before turning 21, Lexie was following in the wheel tracks of trailblazing adventurer Aloha Wanderwell a century ago. Just as Aloha had to face all sorts of tests at the wheel of a Ford Model T, so Lexie’s Charge Around The Globe represented a significant challenge for an electric vehicle, even one with a driving range of 530km like the New All-Electric Ford Explorer.
6
CONTINENTS
COUNTRIES
27
KILOMETRES
30,206.6
I had the goal of pushing the limits of what’s possible to do in an EV and I’m proud to say I have.” Lexie said after crossing the finish line in Nice, France. “On this epic adventure I met incredible people from many corners of the world and experienced 27 beautiful countries while behind the wheel. Spending 200 days on the road was challenging both physically and mentally on both myself and my support crew. But any adventure worth having should challenge you.
Lexie covered six continents experiencing rugged terrain, steep mountain passes and freezing conditions on the way, following in the path of Wanderwell who became the first woman to circle the globe at the wheel of a car. Like Lexie, a seasoned explorer, author and filmmaker, Canadian Wanderwell drove her 1918 Ford Model T over a five-year period, crossing six continents and 75 countries on her five-year adventure.
And while Aloha’s Ford had a canvas roof and rifle in a holster on the passenger’s side, Lexie was considerably more comfortable in the New All-Electric Ford Explorer’s high-tech cockpit.
Her car featured a voice-activated SYNC Move infotainment system with an adjustable touchscreen, heated and massaging driver’s seat and MegaConsole cabin storage that takes three 1.5-litre drinks bottles.
On the way she nearly died of thirst in the Sudanese desert, had to use elephant fat for engine oil in India and spent time with actor Douglas Fairbanks in Hollywood.
How it started
As with Aloha’s adventure, Lexie’s Charge Around The Globe began in Nice. To ensure it was a bona fide world record, Lexie’s expedition was closely monitored by organisation RecordSetter which uses a car-mounted GPS unit that communicated Lexie’s position via satellite to its HQ in New York.
To qualify for the record, she had to touch at least five continents and drive at least 28,900km in a single direction. While she didn’t have to cross all the continents, she did have to hit some predefined “antipodean points”, locations that are diametrically opposite each other so a straight line joining them would pass through the Earth’s centre.
LEG 1
Europe
From her starting point in France, Lexie and her support crew headed east, through Italy and on to Slovenia and Serbia, then down through Bulgaria to Greece. They crossed the Aegean by ferry to Turkey before finishing up in Georgia. “What really caught me by surprise were the underrated landscapes of Turkey’s north-eastern mountain ranges. Vast plains and ever-changing jagged peaks left my jaw dropped around every corner,” Lexie said.
Borders were always a challenge and crossing from Turkey to Tbilisi, Georgia, their last stop in Europe, resulted in a delay of more than seven hours. “We were crossing the border into Georgia with a caravan of different vehicles, lots of camera gear, many spare tyres and a thick binder full of paperwork to show for it all. There are also about 12 of us travelling together and holding different passports which always manages to raise questions. Add in the factor of language barriers and it was a long night,” Lexie revealed.
On this leg of the trip, charging was straightforward. Having to replenish her Explorer Extended Range AWD’s batteries at a relatively slow 9.7kW lamppost charger in Serbia was one hiccough though. Later in the journey, that charging speed would be considered a luxury…
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LEG 2
Africa
Lexie added: “My goal travelling from Cape Town to Harare in an EV was simple: to see what is possible to do in an EV. I’m happy to report that EV travel is very possible there, albeit quite slow in countries such as Zimbabwe where you have to rely solely on domestic charging. While this brought my progress in terms of mileage down to a snail’s pace, it did give me time to explore some more off-the-beaten-track areas of the country.” And that meant spending time with elephant and cheetah, as well as with the female rangers who patrol 20,000 acres of the Balule Nature Reserve, part of South Africa’s vast Greater Kruger National Park.
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LEG 3
Australia
The Charge Around The Globe team then flew to Australia. Lexie said: “After relying solely on household outlets for charging in Zimbabwe, driving my EV in Australia was a much-needed respite from slow charging speeds.
Both were rears and we were lucky to have enough spares with us. The car has 20-inch wheels with low profile tyres so it’s quite impressive how well it handled the off-road driving during the safari.
Australia is a massive continent which meant I had a lot of ground to cover. Once in Queensland, I found myself driving the world’s longest electric vehicle super highway in a single state or region. This made charging a breeze and gave me so much extra time to explore the coastline.
The drive took them from Adelaide to Melbourne, then Sydney and Brisbane, all without incident. It was only when they neared their final Aussie destination in Cairns that they faced an unexpected problem: the mobile phone network went down. As charging is started via a mobile app, it meant the team couldn’t replenish the New All-Electric Explorer’s battery. “We headed into a small neighbouring town where we told the café owner about our problem. Without hesitation she gave us her mobile phone to start the charging process at the station,” Ford engineer Dirk Vornweg explained.
LEG 4
Asia
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The Asian leg started in New Delhi but progress was slow. Throughout much of India, the Explorer could be charged only from points in hotels. With a charging speed of just 2.2kW it meant long ‘refuelling’ stops. Lexie said: “There is a solid infrastructure for EV chargers in bigger cities across Northern India however the network was not compatible with my car, solely due to the fact that it is a pre-production vehicle. This meant that my EV wasn’t able to communicate with most of the charging stations in India.
“Between these unexpected charging issues, falling extremely ill from food poisoning and the stress of driving through the most hectic traffic I’ve ever seen in my life, I was completely drained of energy.” Then after visiting Bhutan, Lexie fell ill in Cambodia and couldn’t drive. The Asian leg meant another lengthy wait at the border as the expedition crossed from Thailand into Malaysia.
Even so, Lexie met many incredible and inspirational women. From the Gurudwara Sri Bangla Sahib Modern Kitchen in New Delhi which gives free meals to up to 35,000 people a day, to the oldest nunnery in Bhutan, and meeting Ann Osman, the first female Muslim MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter in Malaysia.
LEG 5
South America
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The South American stretch went up Chile’s coast to Antofagasta and then into the Atacama Desert. It was here on a 312-mile drive that Lexie suffered the most range anxiety of the whole trip.
In an effort to eke some more miles out of the Explorer’s battery, she even tried her fold-out solar panel which charged the car via a separate battery. When that added only about a mile to the car’s range over 40 minutes, she thought she might be in trouble. Fortunately, there were plenty of downhill stretches for the Explorer’s regenerative braking to pump energy into the batteries. One benefit was having the chance to go sandboarding with national champion Constanza Albayay on the dunes in Chile. But the lack of charging was still an eye opener. Lexie added: “As with most metropolitan areas, there is plenty of charging infrastructure but it’s when you get far away from major cities that charging requires more creativity.
Crossing the border from Chile into Argentina turned out to be a highlight of the entire trip. The northern roads of Argentina were some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Once I started arriving in major cities such as Salta and Cordoba, charging became much quicker and I was finally able to relax and enjoy the countryside rather than stressing over the range.
LEG 6
North America
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The sixth continent, Lexie and Ford’s home country of the US, began in Los Angeles. And here they encountered an unexpected problem. The unmodified European specification pre-production New Ford Explorer wouldn’t rapid-DC charge on the US network. And that meant a charge that should have taken about 30 minutes took a couple of hours.
Throw in freezing conditions and huge climbs in the mountains of Colorado and the team faced some real challenges in the US. Thankfully, the all-wheel drive Explorer coped well with the slippery conditions and Ford’s experts managed to get the DC rapid-charging working. No journey east in a Ford would be complete without taking in the company’s home town of Detroit and from there it was on to the finishing point in New York City. It made for a fascinating adventure for Lexie: “This was my first time driving across the US and I quickly saw so many parts of the country I’d never been to before. There were so many highlights along the way, from exploring Arches National Park in Utah to staying in quintessential college towns such as Lincoln, Nebraska and Iowa City. The US is home to so much diversity and many curious people who had so many questions about my car and our journey.”
LEG 7
Back to Europe
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The final leg was in Europe again, driving from Norway, down through Sweden, Denmark and Belgium back into France with a triumphant finish in Nice in front of Ford’s executives and even Lexie’s parents, as well as many of the Ford team who had worked in the background to make the journey possible, from securing visas and insurance to providing spare parts and technical support. As she neared the finish line on the French Riviera, flanked by some of the most iconic cars from Ford’s history such as the classic GT40, a 1972 Capri and its inspiration, the Mustang, an emotional Lexie said: “Throughout the journey, the New Ford Explorer was my rock. “There were many challenges along the way, especially when we got stuck in places that didn’t have an existing charging network – places such as Chile. But that wasn’t going to stop us. I feel as if I’m going to have some separation anxiety leaving this car. I’ve been living with it day in, day out for so long.
There were so many highs and so many lows to get to this moment. I couldn’t think of a more epic way to be crossing this finish line.
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Why the new Ford All-Electric Explorer was the perfect companion
The New All-Electric Ford Explorer has been designed to help everyone channel their inner adventurer. Well equipped, comfortable and with a long range, as Lexie discovered it’s ideal for covering big distances. Inside, the Explorer features a vertical 14.6-inch touch screen. In addition to infotainment, this has controls for the ventilation at the bottom which helps to give the cockpit its spacious and airy ambience. The electric motor powers either the rear or all wheels. And with the batteries located beneath the floor, the Explorer has the agile and secure handling for which Ford is famed, while also being quiet and comfortable.
The Explorer Extended Range AWD has a 185kWh onboard charger which enables its battery to charge from 10 to 80 per cent in just 26 minutes at a DC fast charger – handy when you don’t want to disrupt your journey. The interior has been cleverly conceived, too, with plenty of storage, notably inside the centre console which is deep enough for three 1.5-litre bottles of water or a 15-inch laptop. And there’s another closed storage area behind the tilting touchscreen. The 450-litre boot has a special compartment beneath the floor for stowing charging cables and is accessed through a power tailgate, simply by waving your foot beneath the back bumper if your hands are full.
New Ford All-Electric Explorer
IN NUMBERS
Extended Range AWD
Usable battery capacity (kWh)
DC max. Charging Power (kW)
AC max. Charging Power (kW)
Power (kW)
DC charging time 10-80% (approx. mins)
DC charging time 10-80% (approx. mins)
26
DC max. Charging Power (kW)
185
AC max. Charging Power (kW)
11
Power (kW)
250
0-62 (mph)
Max. speed (mph)
Range WLTP (miles)
Torque rear (Nm)
Power (PS)
0-62 (mph)
5.3
Max. speed (mph)
111
Range WLTP (miles)
329
Torque rear (Nm)
545
Power (PS)
340
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Produced by: Telegraph Media Group Project Manager: Fanni Szentivanyi, Writer: James Foxall, Commissioning editor: Jim Bruce-Ball, Sub editor: Tim Cumming, Picture editor: Shin Miura, Designer: Victoria Griffiths, Web editor: Ross Thomas Image credit: Getty
79
Usable battery
France
8th Sep 2023
Monaco
9th Sep 2023
Italy
9th Sep - 15th Sep 2023
Croatia
15th Sep - 16th Sep 2023
Serbia
16th Sep - 18th Sep 2023
Bulgaria
18th Sep - 21st Sep 2023
Greece
21st Sep - 28th Sep 2023
Turkey
28th Sep - 2nd Oct 2023
Georgia
2nd Oct - 3rd Oct 2023
Hover to learn more about Lexie's adventure
Hover and click to explore Lexie’s journey
Leg 1: Europe
Leg 2: Africa
Leg 3: Australia
Leg 4: Asia
Leg 5: South America
Leg 6: North America
Leg 7: Back to Europe
Hover to learn more about Lexie's adventure
Hover to learn more about Lexie's adventure
Hover to learn more about Lexie's adventure
Hover to learn more about Lexie's adventure
Hover to learn more about Lexie's adventure
Hover to learn more about Lexie's adventure
South Africa
6th Oct - 17th Oct 2023
Zimbabwe
17th Oct - 24th Oct 2023
Australia
25th Oct - 12th Nov 2023
India
24th Nov - 13th Dec 2023
Thailand
7th Jan - 13th Jan 2024
Cambodia
4th Jan - 7th Jan 2024
Vietnam
14th Dec - 19th Dec 2023
Malaysia
13th Jan - 19th Jan 2024
Singapore
19th Jan - 21st Jan 2024
Chile
22nd Jan - 31st Jan 2024
Argentina
31st Jan - 8th Feb 2024
United States of America
13th Feb - 11th March 24
Norway
13th Mar - 15th Mar 2024
Sweden
15th Mar - 16th Mar 2024
Germany
17th Marc - 19th Mar 2024
Netherlands
19th Mar - 20th Mar 2024
Belgium
20th March 2024
France
20th Mar - 27th Mar 2024
Denmark
16th Mar - 17th Mar 2024
Left: Aloha Wanderwell became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in a car in 1927 Centre: Aloha returned to Egypt in 1936, one of her favourite places she visited on her world trip
Right: The Ford Model T was the iconic car Aloha drove throughout her five year journey
Lexie is greeted in Nice by a RecordSetter Yellow Jacket Official
The African leg kicked off in Cape Town, where Lexie stopped to take in the views at Table Mountain
In Sydney Lexie met marine biologist Dr Vanessa Pirotta who studies whales along the coast
A trip to the oldest nunnery in Bhutan, Kila Goenpa, allowed Lexie time to contemplate how far she’d travelled.
Gurudwara Sri Bangla Sahib Modern Kitchen was Lexie’s first stop in India, where anyone is welcome to sit and enjoy a free meal.
Lexies’ fold-out solar panels failed to give her a much needed extra boost in The Atacama Desert
The North American leg saw Lexie drive across her home country for the first time, from Los Angeles to New York City
Finishing full circle in Nice, Lexie became the first person to circumnavigate the globe in an electric vehicle and received her award from RecordSetter
The African leg started in Cape Town, South Africa and culminated in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare. “Crossing the border into Zimbabwe was a huge moment for this expedition since there is nearly zero infrastructure for EV charging throughout the country,” Lexie said. Both countries practise load shedding when parts of the electricity grid are deactivated. Ford engineer Daniel Kottner explained: “During one charging stop in Beaufort West, the power was cut. After it came back on, the charging station was not operating, most likely due to the sudden loss of power. “We had to charge at the hotel using our mobile wall box connected to a household outlet. Charging could only be done at 1.5-2.5kW depending on the fuse for the outlet, which worked OK but took a lot of time.” But it meant Lexie could only do about 400km a day before spending 24 to 30 hours charging. She said: “Without being able to anticipate when the next power outage would take place, that meant that most nights the EV would randomly stop charging since the power wouldn’t automatically re-start the vehicle’s charge after it was turned off.” Despite Lexie’s Explorer having all-wheel drive, road quality was a concern too. South African roads are unmetalled in places and featured some truly wheel-wrecking potholes which damaged two tyres. Daniel Kottner explained:
Aloha Wanderwell became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in a car in 1927
Aloha returned to Egypt in 1936, one of her favourite places she visited on her world trip
The Ford Model T was the iconic car Aloha drove throughout her five year journey
Leg 1: Europe
Leg 2: Africa
Leg 3: Australia
Leg 4: Asia
Leg 5: South America
Leg 6: North America
Leg 7: Back to Europe
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