Charge Around The Globe – The great journey east across the USA

After Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia and South America, Lexie is finally back on her home soil of the United States of America. From the familiarity of Los Angeles, where Lexie worked as an airport chauffeur when she was still a teenager, she points the Explorer towards the glitz of Las Vegas, passing iconic scenery along the way.

While the comfort of familiarity and excitement of exploring more of her home country are setting up the US leg to be a memorable one, there are also the challenges of ice-cold conditions and huge climbs into mountains ahead to contend with.  There’s also an unexpected challenge. The unmodified pre-production Ford Explorer is unable to DC fast charge properly on the whole of the US network, meaning charges that should have taken around 30 minutes end up being several hours on AC charging.

The delays caused by longer charging slow her journey down and add another element of concern as she travels onwards, following the Colorado river and into the Rocky Mountains where the cold weather and icy road conditions need careful navigation. Fortunately, the Explorer’s range remains good and with the availability of hot coffee along the way a sense of optimism returns.

From Colorado Springs, the journey heads north-east towards Ogallala and Lexie has the opportunity to meet the Roberts sisters, Savannah and Aleeyah, who are renowned for their achievements in rodeo. Swapping car seat for saddle, Lexie learns about the extraordinary dedication, the role of family and the values of respect, accountability and community that are core to the sisters’ love of the sport. Although it becomes clear that for the pair of them, it’s more than a sport, it’s a lifestyle.

With the charging issue fixed thanks to Ford experts, DC charging is now possible and gets the journey back up to speed again as the Explorer heads onto flatter ground, crossing state boarders on a nearly daily basis. Past swathes of cattle farms, Lexie reaches Iowa City giving her a taste of city life which only serves to ramp up the excitement about the next stop, Chicago.

Despite growing up in the countryside, Lexie is always excited about the vibrancy and diversity of cities and Chicago is one city she has never visited before. But there are mixed feelings as Chicago also signifies that the end of the USA leg is near, and soon she’ll return to Europe for the final stretch of her epic journey around the world.

You can follow Lexie and the Ford Explorer’s Charge Around the Globe at Ford News Europe’s X, Instagram and YouTube as well as at Lexie’s Instagram and YouTube. Or simply follow the #ChargeAroundTheGlobe hashtag.  

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