Ford’s $2 billion investment is coming to fruition, with the Ford Cologne Electric Vehicle Centre officially opening its doors as it eyes off production numbers of 250,000 EVs per year.
Located in Cologne, Germany, Ford’s 125-hectare site has been in operation since 1930, and has seen more than 18 million vehicles leave its production line since.
The $2 billion investment has brought the facility into the 21st century, with new production and battery assembly lines, new automation systems and updated tooling.
The company hopes that its investments in the centre will translate to annual production capacities of 250,000 EVs per year.
Ford says everything from the Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit, F-150 Lightning and the recently-unveiled battery-electric Explorer will be produced in Germany, along with a soon-to-be revealed crossover SUV.
By 2023, Ford is hoping the Cologne EV centre will become the company’s first carbon neutral assembly plant. Executive chair, Bill Ford, said:
“Opening the Cologne EV Centre is the start of a new generation of clean manufacturing and electric vehicles in Europe. This facility will now be one of the most efficient and environmentally responsible plants in the entire industry.”
