COLOGNE, Ford has commenced mass production of drive battery packs at its newly upgraded Cologne Electric Vehicle Center. The in-house facility, part of a broader $2 billion investment in the century-old plant, will assemble packs in three sizes exclusively for the next-generation Ford Explorer 1 and Ford Capri 2 electric vehicles, both of which will be built on-site.
The state-of-the-art, fully digitalized assembly line spans two kilometers and integrates 180 newly installed robots to weld, glue and screw together battery housings before installing up to 12 battery modules per pack. In total, roughly 2,775 individual components are combined into each final battery pack. By locating pack assembly adjacent to vehicle production, Ford expects to reduce transportation needs, streamline logistics and maintain tightly controlled quality standards. The project also emphasizes upskilling employees, positioning Ford’s Cologne workforce for the transition to a “Factory of the Future.”
This expansion builds on Ford’s ongoing push into electromobility in Europe. Electric vehicles are already rolling off the lines at Ford Otosan facilities in Craiova, Romania, and Kocaeli, Turkey, while electric drive units are produced in Halewood, U.K. The Cologne plant upgrade strengthens Ford’s regional battery value chain and bolsters its ability to deliver high-quality electric vehicles for European customers.
With the new assembly capability, Ford is preparing for extended-range models that are expected to achieve up to 602 km on a full charge in the Explorer RWD extended-range configuration and up to 627 km in the Capri RWD extended-range variant, based on WLTP testing procedures. These figures reflect European Regulations (EC) 715/2007 and (EU) 2017/1151, ensuring consistent comparison between vehicle types and manufacturers.
Source: Ford Media
