Ford and its consortium partners have received UK government backing for the introduction of 5G connectivity to speed up electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing.
A 5G mobile private network delivered by Vodafone Business will be installed this year in the new E:PriME (Electrified Powertrain in Manufacturing Engineering) facility on Ford’s Dunton campus in Basildon. The Vodafone Business 5G solution is set to overcome many of the issues surrounding wireless connectivity in the industrial setting. It promises reduced delays, wider bandwidth, improved security and reliability, and faster deployment time.
By the time installation is complete in the autumn, E:PriME Dunton will reportedly have the fastest possible connectivity alongside the consortium’s second network at welding research specialists TWI, based in Cambridge.
Both sites’ connected equipment will offer real-time control, analysis and remote expert support, ensuring new manufacturing processes are shop floor-ready.
Ford will focus on the connectivity of the welding machines in the manufacture of EVs. The batteries and electric motors within an EV require around 1,000 welds. For a single EV product, this could generate more than a half a million pieces of data every minute. According to Ford, fast, reliable, high-capacity data capture and analysis will be a significant requirement of these processes. Connecting the data with TWI and manufacturers is regarded as critical if processes are to develop at the same rate as these innovative products demand.
Chris White, Ford’s 5GEM project lead, said: “Connecting today’s shop floor requires significant time and investment. Present technology can be the limiting factor in reconfiguring and deploying next-gen manufacturing systems. 5G presents the opportunity to transform the speed of launch and flexibility of present manufacturing facilities, moving us towards tomorrow’s plants connected to remote expert support and artificial intelligence.”
Public grant funding is subject to the conclusion of agreements between all parties.
