Ford Brings “No Compromise” Hybrid Tech to 2020 Explorer

A first since it’s 1991 debut, America’s best-selling SUV will get an electrified version.

March 12, 2019

Kami Buchholz

Ford debuted three versions of the all-new 2020 Explorer during NAIAS, including it’s first-ever hybrid version. The Explorer Hybrid will use a 3.3-L V6, an e-motor and a 1.5 kW battery pack to produce projected combined-power ratings of 312 hp (233 kW) and 336 lb·ft (456 k·W). “We call it a no-compromise hybrid,” explained Bill Gubing, Explorer’s chief engineer. “We’re not giving up floor space, and we’re not giving up cargo space.”

The 2020 Ford Explorer Hybrid is capable of towing up to 5,000 lbs. (Ford)

The battery pack on the Ford Explorer Hybrid is shown inside a cut-away of the 2020 SUV. (Buchholz)

The 10-speed modular hybrid automatic transmission is shown on a cut-away of the 2020 Explorer Hybrid. (Buchholz)

Ford’s Bill Gubing said the next-generation 2020 Ford Explorer was “meticulously re-crafted.” (Buchholz)

Explorer Hybrid’s liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery will be positioned below the second-row seats, underneath the floor pan. “By designing the architecture up front with electrification in-mind, we tucked the battery away,” Gubing said, with the chief engineer pointing out the battery’s packaging doesn’t significantly alter ground clearance, expected to spec out at 7.9 in. “It’s a really eloquent, compact package,” said Gubing.

Unlike the electrified 2020 Lincoln Aviator that’s designed as an AWD-only plug-in hybrid, the Explorer is a traditional hybrid. “Our e-motor is stacked right next to the torque converter, right in the middle of the transmission,” Gubing noted. “And we use that e-motor to provide a torque boost through the whole drive system.”

According to Ford, the targeted driving range on a single fill-up for the Explorer Hybrid RWD variant will exceed 500 miles, and it will be rated to tow 5,000-lbs when properly equipped. The 2020 Ford Explorer Hybrid will be built at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant and begin reaching dealerships in the summer of 2019.