According to Electrive, Ford's first volume battery electric vehicle will roll out of this very factory sometime in 2023.

The EV will be based on Volkswagen's modular electric drive system (MEB) and another model, based on the same platform, will be made at the Cologne facility as well in 2024.

Workers are currently digging a 100 meters long channel, which will allow for the installation of the complex manufacturing system.

This is required due to the fact that robots will have to install more screws on the bottom of the vehicle, due to the battery system, compared to the Fiesta.

Ford head of planning Darko Drazic said that "one of the biggest challenges in the transformation to the Electrification Centre is that we will initially produce the new E-model and the Ford Fiesta in parallel."

The overhead system will also be reinforced, since the battery-powered crossover will be heavier than the Fiesta, which is assembled at the exact production line.

The final inspection line, where workers are doing quality control, will also be renewed.

The structure of the two new buildings is almost completed, and now the focus is going on outfitting the interior with the necessary equipment.

“We are absolutely on schedule with the construction work on both halls,” Drazic added.