Mercedes-Benz Shows Factory 56 in Virtual Tour

Reminding everyone that it has already laid the foundation stone to the new facility, the German carmaker also released a one-minute video showing a virtual tour of the facility.

The new hall in the complex would occupy an area roughly the size of 30 football pitches and will be equipped with an entire array of smart technologies.

The plant would be powered, in terms of personnel, by both humans and robots, working in man-machine-cooperations with digitally supported processes. In terms of electricity, power would come from a photovoltaic system powerful enough to fully charge the EQC 72,000 times a year.

Parts would be moved across the plant with the help of driverless transport systems (DTS), while digital tracking of components and vehicles would ensure the right part goes in the right car.

The brain of the location would be an artificial intelligence, whose scope has not been detailed by the carmaker.

“The Factory 56 combines three trend-setting features: It is consistently digital and flexible - and it brings the term green production to life,” said Markus Schäfer, the man in charge with production at Mercedes.

“Digitized processes in the sense of Industry 4.0 are essential elements of the production concept.”

The new assembly plant should be ready to begin operation sometime in 2020. It would mostly be the point of origin for electric vehicles from the EQ brand.

The rise of this new brand would be supported by an additional facility, that in Hambach, France, where the current smart models are being built.

By 2022, ten electric cars are expected to be launched by the Germans, ranging in size from the tiny smart to large SUVs.

In total, including plug-in hybrids and the introduction of 48-volt systems, the carmaker will have around 130 electrified vehicles in its portfolio.