Ford announced this Tuesday the start of production of the new 100% electric Explorer, at its first dedicated electric vehicle facilities in Europe, following a €2 billion investment in the production line in Cologne, Germany.
The new 100% electric Explorer is therefore the first model to be produced at the production unit, which according to the American brand “represents a significant step towards the production of a new generation of high-quality electric passenger vehicles for Europe”.
The brand has announced that the new electric vehicle center of Ford in Cologne is equipped with Artificial Intelligence technology, and with a high number of state-of-the-art robots, which will contribute to the production of a new generation of electric vehicles for the European market.
A new control center monitors the entire assembly process in real time, down to the individual quantities of each part at each workstation.
The factory’s “digital twin” is displayed through a giant touch screen that contains all workstations with information about tools, material delivery, workplace safety, and more. With small touch screens, line employees provide more information about the status of their workstation.
“Seeing the Cologne factory, founded by Ford in 1930, being transformed into a state-of-the-art electric vehicle production unit is nothing short of astonishing. The start of mass production of electric vehicles, with the new 100% electric Explorer, marks the beginning of a new era for Ford in Europe”, stated Kieran Cahill, Ford’s Vice President of Production in Europe.
It is already known that in Cologne, in addition to the 100% electric Explorer, Ford’s new factory will produce a second electric vehicle – a new sporty crossover – which will be unveiled soon and will begin production later this year.
