Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami inaugurated the Ford Technology and Innovation Centre at the Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Sholinganallur in Chennai. Spread across 1,50,000 square feet within Ford's Global Technology Business Centre (GTBC) complex, the centre brings multiple functions to innovate and create solutions.
It has simulation labs for virtual models and testing, extended/virtual reality (XR/VR) labs to help advanced manufacturing simulations, artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, component and vehicle lab for design and development and testing.
Ford India Head Michael Brielmaier said that this centre would cater to vehicles that will be designed and developed outside of India but will be produced in India. One of the major attractions of the newly inaugurated centre is the one-of-its-kind mobility experience lab.
The lab is designed to showcase the ways Ford is thinking about the future of transportation, putting people at the heart of this experience.
The lab includes simulations for Ford's office ride, an app-based shared mobility solution for corporate employees, which has achieved more than five million rides since its launch in mid-2018.
The GTBC campus encompassing 28-acres, with 2.5 million square feet of floor space houses over 10,000 employees.
