Lexie Alford (@LexieLimitless), the explorer and travel content creator who is currently the youngest person to visit every country in the world, begins her amazing ‘Charge Around The Globe’ journey on Friday, September 8 with the new, all-new electric Ford Explorer. Starting in Nice, France, he will travel across six continents and more than 30 countries in a venture that will prove what is possible with an electric car, while also hoping to become the first person to circumnavigate the world in an electric car. EV.1

Her journey embodies the can-do spirit displayed by Aloha Wanderwell, the first woman to travel around the world by car a century ago. Aloha used a gasoline-powered Ford for her journey, encountering many obstacles along the way, which required unusual solutions. Like enlisting oxen to pull the car out of mud, sand and rivers in India, while in China people had to drag it for many kilometers as the civil war at the time made it impossible to buy fuel.

Like Aloha, Lexie will use a Ford model for her own venture. The all-electric Ford Explorer in which she will depart from Le Hotel Royal in Nice (the same place where Aloha began her journey) is a pre-production prototype, but not far from that which customers will be able to purchase when it launches in Europe next summer. With no special modifications to meet the challenges ahead, it will provide Lexie with not only comfort and connectivity, but everything else she needs on the ultimate road trip that begins today.

“This is an epic journey that aims to prove what is possible with an electric vehicle, as we know that range and charging are the two main concerns of people thinking about making the transition to electric mobility,” said Martin Sander, general manager of Ford Model e Europe. “Lexie will put charging infrastructure to the ultimate test. If he can go around the world in an electric car, then everyone can use an EV in Europe, every day.”

In order to further prepare for this epic road trip, Lexie took a look behind the scenes at Ford and the electric Explorer. That’s why he visited the design and product development teams in Cologne, experienced extreme temperatures in the Environmental Test Center – also known as the ‘weather factory’ – while completing advanced driver training certification at the Lommel Proving Ground.

Charge Around The Globe: The Challenge

Aloha Wanderwell’s journey may have been the main inspiration for this epic road trip, but Lexie will follow her own path, dealing not only with adverse weather conditions and unpredictable terrain, but also with insufficient charging infrastructure. Her goal is one: to complete the circumnavigation of the globe for the first time behind the wheel of an electric vehicle. Lexie will be supported on her journey by a crew, who will provide protection, medical care and hardware and software support, while at the beginning of each day dynamic assessments of potential risks will be made.

“This is an epic but difficult undertaking. It’s going to be tough on the Explorer, and with the time we’re on the road alone it’s going to be tough on both me and the support crew,” said Lexie. “However, any worthwhile adventure must have challenges, and I look forward to exploring new places and meeting their incredible people to learn how they strive to make their place better.”

Lexie’s epic venture will air upon her departure on September 8, with regular updates provided throughout her journey. You can follow her journey by searching #ChargeAroundTheGlobe or following @lexielimitless @fordnewseurope on social channels.

Stay tuned: https://www.ford.gr/experience-ford/news/charge-around-the-globe