Ford Europe has announced the production start of the Explorer EV at its industrial complex in Cologne, Germany. The company has also released a video providing a good look at the assembly lines that cost it $2,000,000,000 to upgrade.
Among other things, the investment went into a new welding and painting facility, which currently employs over 600 robots and self-driving transportation carts. A unified digital control interface powered by AI and machine learning is used for process management. The system is sophisticated enough to control the assembly processes at every step in real time, accounting for things such as the remaining parts stock in every facility. Human workers take advantage from personal tablets from which they can plug into the system to make corrections when needed.
Ford Europe says it plans to begin producing another all-electric SUV at its Cologne factory this year. Its name and technical specifications remain a mystery.