- 3 minutes ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:04Sometimes, size really does matter when lives are on the line, people have places to go,
00:12and the speed of production is ramping up. These epic machines throw every part of their systems
00:21into action, proving that the greatness of some of the biggest machines out there know no bounds.
00:34A big. Badass. Double-rotored barbarian of the sky. Known for its ability to carry staggering weight.
00:50A veteran of military missions and disaster relief, the Chinook is revered worldwide.
01:04The Chinook is one of the most recognizable helicopters on the planet,
01:08thanks to its iconic twin rotors. It's one of the few aircraft from the 1960s still in production,
01:14and it's flown in over 20 countries. The reason the Chinook is so important is that it's versatile.
01:20It can move cars. It can move artillery. It can move people. Whatever you have, we can move it.
01:27If we can fit it inside, great. If not, we'll sling it.
01:30This chopper is a 24-ton flying fortress that tears across the sky at Ferrari-like speeds of
01:40315 kilometers per hour, making it the fastest military helicopter in the world.
01:49The Chinook is the most amazing helicopter and aircraft with ever-flow.
01:54This Chinook is built exceptionally tough, incorporating several unique modifications
02:00specific to demanding terrain from the sea and the desert to the ice cold of the Arctic.
02:06This helicopter is so reliable in extreme climates and terrain that over 20 countries,
02:11including the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, and Germany, all trust their missions to this legendary machine.
02:19The Chinook's story began in the late 1950s. The U.S. Army needed a stronger, faster,
02:26and more reliable helicopter. So Boeing answered the call, building the Chinook CH-47,
02:35which took its maiden flight in September 1961.
02:41Chinooks were deployed to Vietnam in 1965, quickly becoming a symbol of military might.
02:46They became the workhorse of the U.S. Army due to their ability to ferry both troops and cargo.
02:52Decades later, the Chinook saw heavy action during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
02:56The helicopter has proved essential in humanitarian operations. The Chinook was vital in relief efforts
03:02during Hurricane Katrina, and in 2020, and performed a daring rescue of over 200 people trapped by the
03:09blazing California Creek fire. Over the last six decades, the Chinook has been battle and field tested,
03:16and it continues to be upgraded and refined as a result. But the one thing that has never changed
03:22is its twin rotor design.
03:27The CH-147F was designed for the Royal Canadian Air Force, widely considered the most advanced
03:35and modified version of the Chinook. Missions may be high-octane, but so is Chinook maintenance.
03:44It's a high-pressure process with serious consequences if things aren't done right.
03:51There's a lot of stuff on this aircraft that we have to inspect, clean, uninstall, reinstall,
03:58and it's what keeps this aircraft flying. This job takes a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication.
04:03It is definitely not for everybody.
04:08Technicians probe and examine the Chinooks daily for damaging parts that may have come loose during
04:14missions. But after every 200 hours of flight, the Chinooks are thoroughly inspected and overhauled.
04:24Not all parts experience wear and tear at the same rate. Components critical to flight safety with
04:29shorter lifespans or faster degradation rates require more frequent in-depth inspections. Less
04:36critical components are those with longer expected service lives can be inspected at longer intervals.
04:44But where you start to get in your really heavy phase where we start pulling out floorboards,
04:48we pull the blankets down, we'll take the rotor blades off, pull the landing gear apart,
04:52we'll remove engines, we'll pull the rotor heads apart. We're checking pretty much everything
04:57through here. Checking for cracking any of the tubing for the heating system that's running through
05:03the floor because when you're up in the air, it tends to get pretty cold, especially in the winter.
05:08I used to be one of the guys that flew on these aircrafts and you want to make sure that
05:14everything
05:14is ready to go whenever you're out there flying. Every part of this machine is a critical part.
05:20The landing gear will pull it apart, look at the bearings, the bushings, everything to make sure
05:24that even the tiniest part down to the tiniest screw is still serviceable. I served with the Canadian
05:31Forces for 12 years and every time I see one of these aircraft go out, it shows this great sense
05:36of pride for me and I'm glad that even as a civilian I can still support our forces.
05:42Today at the Garrison Petawawa in Ontario, Canada, 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron is preparing for a
05:49critical mission, relocating sections of the bridge system. Welcome everyone. For today's mission,
05:56450 Squadron is tasked to move that bridging equipment from the pickup point to the drop-off point. We're
06:00expecting three loads. The sling loads are between 14,000 to 15,000 pounds each, so it'll be a single
06:07point center hook hook up. With huge loads waiting, every part must be checked, tested and fixed if
06:17there's a problem. I'm going to start by checking our forward rotor head. These sink shafts, they connect
06:24our after rotor head to our forward rotor head, making sure they stay in time. If this goes, then
06:30it's a really bad day for us. We're going to be checking these lock wires, making sure that they're all
06:34connected and our fluid levels are within limits.
06:44With the Chinook cleared for the mission, the flight crew board and strap in for take-off.
07:05Flying any helicopter is generally considered to be a lot more difficult than flying a plane. Flying
07:11one of the longest, heaviest choppers on the planet, that makes things even more complicated. It's nearly
07:16impossible for a single pilot to have full situational awareness of the Chinook in flight. That makes a
07:21second pilot essential for spotting obstacles, managing the workload, and that includes navigation
07:26and communication.
07:40Even one of the largest heavy lift choppers in the world is an albatross in the sky
07:45without a well-trained crew aboard. Something that adds to the complexity of piloting the Chinook
07:50is this dual rotor design. Unlike helicopters with a single main rotor and tail rotor, the Chinook has
07:58two large overhead rotors, a revelation in aeronautical design for lift and stability. But if one rotor fails,
08:06the helicopter can become very unstable and uncontrollable and even disastrous.
08:12It is definitely a seat of your pants flying. It's all about being in tune with the machine as you
08:18maneuver it.
08:19The Chinook's distinctive rotors are the reason it can accomplish many challenging and important
08:24missions. They give it a high degree of control and maneuverability and makes hovering, a key function of any
08:31helicopter more efficient. While the rotors are identical, they spin in opposite directions.
08:39As the rear rotor rotates clockwise, the front rotor rotates counterclockwise.
08:46The act of each rotor moving in these ways counteracts the force that would spin the body of the
08:51helicopter uncontrollably if both rotors spun in the same direction. This rotor configuration allows the
08:59Chinook to channel all of its power into lift and forward motion. Though spinning in different directions,
09:07the rotors are linked by transmission to keep them perfectly timed, moving at identical speeds, ensuring
09:14that the blades don't collide. Contact with each other or the body of the aircraft could be tragic.
09:21Our rotor blades can actually, in mid-air, if we don't set them correctly, we'll make contact with each
09:26other. So we have to set this. It's called phasing of the blades. So our mid-blades will be able
09:31to mesh
09:31with each other and not actually touch each other. Out in the field, the rotors are working perfectly.
09:46And the squadron rendezvous to pick up their heavy cargo.
09:52To lift such incredibly heavy payloads, the Chinook is equipped with three cargo hooks that are located on
10:01its belly. The forward and aft hooks can hold up to nine tons. That's more than five cars each. Together,
10:12they provide dual point suspension for long or bulky loads, improving stability and preventing loads from
10:20spinning or swaying under the aircraft. However, the super tough middle hook can carry the most weight at
10:28nearly 13 tons, the equivalent of eight cars. With its powerful three-hook system, external loads are rigged
10:39using specialized cables, slings, and or chains appropriate for the cargo's dimensions, weight,
10:47and center of gravity. As the Chinook hovers above its cargo, the ground crew hook onto their target and
10:55secure the load. Within minutes, they fly away with the bridge in tow.
11:05Being able to coordinate your hand signals to the ground users allows us to efficiently hook up some
11:10load, which minimizes our time spent in a vulnerable position and allows us to maximize the use of the
11:19The Chinook's mighty strength is due to its legendary twin engines.
11:26Together, they produce a total of nearly 10,000 horsepower.
11:31That's enough raw strength to carry the weight of a small house into the clouds.
11:39The Chinook's engines are extremely powerful.
11:42These are T-55 Honeywell engines. They've been powering Chinooks around the globe since 1961.
11:49The T-55 engine family has logged over 12 million hours of operation across various models,
11:55demonstrating incredibly high reliability. Keeping the engines in top shape is a priority,
12:03as the success of the mission depends on it.
12:06Biggest part for the engines for inspections is checking the conditions of the hydraulic oil and fuel lines,
12:12and the overall conditioning and security of the engine.
12:16Chinooks are designed to be as balanced as possible, but the constant force of the spinning blades creates significant vibration.
12:25Vibration that could shake the engines loose.
12:29Surprisingly, this big engine is only held in at three places. It's held in right here,
12:34right here, and there's another one on the inside that looks just like this.
12:38If we were not to catch this, and we were to let it go, we'll have material failure,
12:42which could eventually lead to this engine mount breaking off.
12:47Well-maintained engines lead to smoother flights, regardless of the load being lifted.
12:53But it's the twin rotor design that allows the Chinook to have a large and versatile back gate.
13:00It's very important that we're able to open up this ramp in flight to get a better look of things.
13:05When we're doing Terra, it gives them more room to jump on the aircraft.
13:09When we're doing helocasting, that's when we're flying at five feet over the water,
13:14with the ramp down, allowing our troops to jump out into the water.
13:18The ramp is an extraordinary helicopter innovation. It allows the Chinook to perform special maneuvers like a pinnacle landing,
13:24where its giant body balances on its rear wheels. It can do this on the knife edge of a cliff,
13:30rooftops, or narrow ledges.
13:32The rear ramp can then be lowered so people can rapidly enter or exit the helicopter before it flies off.
13:37The ramp is used frequently through flights, especially on missions, so you have to make sure that
13:43the ramp system works properly and safely for not only the flight members themselves,
13:49but also all of your military troops coming in and out of the aircraft.
13:54In flight, crew might be positioned at the end of the open ramp, serving as an extra set of eyes,
14:00operating weapons, or performing mid-flight maintenance.
14:04It takes a lot to get used to working back here. You have to get used to turbulence, you have
14:09to get used to moving,
14:11all while lifting and saying that to the crew. We can do a sudden turn at any moment,
14:15and I have to be ready while I'm walking around back here.
14:21Bridge has dropped off. Another beautiful day in the charge.
14:25With the bridge lift and relocation complete, the Chinook helicopters and their teams are ready to head back to base.
14:36So we're able to accomplish today's mission. Aircraft performed beautifully as we would normally expect,
14:41and it was enjoyed another beautiful day in Petawawa.
14:43This chopper has proven itself in every conflict, every disaster, every impossible mission.
14:49The Chinook has saved lives in places where nothing else could fly. It's not just a helicopter,
14:55it's hope with rotors. The Chinook has been doing the impossible for over 60 years.
15:03It will continue to do so for decades to come.
15:10Every day, thousands of people and vehicles line up for the more than 400 trips aboard the iconic white
15:23and green ships of the Washington State Ferries.
15:28Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries. Thank you for your attention and we hope you enjoy your trip.
15:34Ferries are the single largest tourist attraction in the state, but more importantly,
15:39they're a lifeline to many coastal communities across the region.
15:42It takes the combined efforts of 2,000 people to make these trips happen,
15:48carrying commuters and travelers, cars and cargo over this busy marine highway.
15:55The community relies on these ferries. Even a short delay on a single vessel can disrupt schedules for hours,
16:03and breakdowns can strand island communities affecting thousands of people's lives.
16:09With 21 vessels in the fleet,
16:13the Washington State Ferries serve 19 terminals connected by 10 routes across nearly 300 kilometers of waterways.
16:24We are all over Puget Sound, all the way up through the San Juan Islands.
16:29This is the largest ferry system in the U.S., moving over 19 million riders and 9 million vehicles a
16:36year.
16:37And this legion of aquatic transporters is led by one of the biggest ferry boats in North America,
16:44the Tacoma, a ship responsible for hauling 5,000 passengers and about 1,000 cars a day.
16:52The Tacoma is one of three jumbo Mark II class vessels in the fleet.
17:02It's longer than an American football field.
17:08And at nearly 6,200 tons, it's about 40 times heavier than a house.
17:14This is a ton of responsibility to get these people across safely, so we all take it very seriously.
17:21The Tacoma is a monstrous workhorse, built like a floating tank, to get people where they need to go,
17:27safely, rain or shine.
17:30While ferries can often sail in all types of weather, crews have to make real-time decisions,
17:38causing delays and cancellations when extreme high winds, fog and rough seas hit.
17:44But ferries this big were built to take on Mother Nature and Poseidon simultaneously.
17:52And that takes a lot of energy.
17:56The vessel has four engines, 16,000 horsepower.
18:00We usually cruise about 17 and a half knots, but we can get it up to about 21 knots.
18:07A knot, or nautical mile per hour, is a unit of maritime speed equal to almost two kilometers an hour.
18:15Though she may not be very fast, she's got more engine power than the fastest vehicle on land,
18:21a top-fueled dragster. But rather than one passenger, she's responsible for nearly 1,800 people on a single trip.
18:31Below the crowds of passengers, and the cars, encased in steel, is the source of her power.
18:39This is where the ferry is controlled, where we start it up, shut it down, we can take control at
18:46any time.
18:48So what we have are four marine-type locomotive diesel engines.
18:54Originally built for trains, Electromotive Division, or EMD, began making engines for ships and submarines during World War II.
19:01Over time, these multi-use engines became more compact and powerful enough for the demanding continual use of marine systems
19:10like ferries.
19:11These engines are running from 5 a.m. until 1 or 2 in the morning almost every day of the
19:17year,
19:17while battling relentless waves and currents that want to push these ferries off course.
19:23They can really take a beating.
19:25During the 35-minute trip from Bainbridge Island to Seattle,
19:29these engines will consume almost 950 liters of fuel.
19:34That's nearly 19,000 liters over the course of a day.
19:41While the engines chug along, deep in the ship's guts,
19:45a hunt is on for issues that could endanger the Tacoma.
19:49Can't be claustrophobic to work down here in the bilge.
19:57The bilge is the lowest part of the boat.
20:00It's the internal part of the ship's hull where the bottom curves to meet the vertical sides.
20:04And it's where the water and other fluids collect, because over time, all vessels take on some water at some
20:10point.
20:11It's dark. It's cold. Everything echoes.
20:14It's not fun coming down here. As you can see, it's wet and dirty, oily.
20:19Modern ships like the Jumbo Mark II class are designed with multiple watertight bulkheads to compartmentalize flooding.
20:27The ability to seal off damaged sections is crucial to survival.
20:32These bilge pockets really don't look like there's much to them. It's pretty much just the bones of the ship.
20:38But they can tell us a lot about the health of everything that's running above it.
20:43A small hole in a sealed compartment might never be a problem due to its effective bilge pumps and
20:49the vessel's inherently stable design. It has this amazing ability to return to an upright position
20:55after being tilted by external forces like wind or waves. In contrast, a massive breach or damage
21:03that compromises multiple compartments can lead to rapid sinking in minutes.
21:08It's really important to check out our bilges every once in a while. We have fuel leaks, jacket
21:14water leaks, oil leaks. Regular inspections ensure that the health of the vessel is maintained
21:20and the risk to the public is greatly reduced. Cool. All right, well, the bilges look good.
21:29And that commitment never stops for the crew of the engine room.
21:34What we're looking at here are the drive motors. These are the motors that turn the propeller.
21:38We're taking those diesel engines, producing electricity, manipulating it, introducing it into this
21:44drive motor, turning these propellers. That's what's pushing the boat through the water.
21:49The Tacoma has a fixed-pitch propeller system with one propeller on each end of the vessel.
21:56The power from the drive motors goes to both propellers at roughly a 90 to 10 ratio,
22:01meaning that 90 percent of the power goes to the stern or the pushing propeller,
22:05while the remaining propulsive power is applied to that forward propeller. The forward propeller is
22:11pulling very slightly. Regardless of the number of engines or propellers they have,
22:18ferries are an indispensable mode of transit in every corner of the world.
22:24Ferry boats can trace their routes from ancient times, small basic craft propelled by oars and sticks.
22:31In Europe, one of the first recorded ferry services appears to date back to 1150 in England,
22:38when monks began charging a fee for regular trips across the Mercy River.
22:45Over the centuries, mechanization and boat size went hand in hand.
22:49Ferries could go further and carry more weight more reliably with the arrival of power systems like steam and diesel
22:55engines.
22:57In the early 20th century, ferries became more specialized. Like Canada's Motor Princess, the first ferry ship designed and built
23:06specifically to carry cars.
23:09Around the world, ferries carry over 4 billion passengers a year with a global fleet of some 15,400 individual
23:18ferry boats.
23:19Getting across the water has come a long way.
23:24And the ships of the Washington state ferries are a prime example of that evolution.
23:31But operating the largest fleet in the US
23:36requires the largest ferry maintenance facility too.
23:42We'll see all of the vessels roll through this facility in the calendar year for usually a four-week
23:51maintenance repair period.
23:53So there's about 60 engines, three per boat. Some of them have four,
23:58depending on what they're running for their emergency generator.
24:01Typically, we have one in the shop being overhauled at a given time.
24:06Having this facility at the center of the entire operation
24:09means they can offer routine maintenance checks and emergency repairs with 24-7 access to skilled marine technicians and engineers.
24:18There's a lot of attention of detail that needs to happen, so I take pride in rebuilding the engine.
24:27And the most used engines in the fleet belong to the Tacoma and her sister ships, the Puyallup and the
24:34Wenatchee.
24:35The Jumbo Mark IIs are the nation's largest auto passenger ferries, and they come here for maintenance.
24:41Part of our prevented maintenance includes the scheduled taking of deflection readings.
24:48Deflection is simply the bending or flexing of the shaft under the load.
24:52The shaft is channeling so much power from the motors, over time it can wear unevenly.
24:58So the mechanics need to make sure that any bending is tracked and addressed.
25:04You could wind up with the aft end of the crankshaft breaking off,
25:07and the crankshaft would no longer transmit power,
25:10so you would wind up with this engine being effectively unusable.
25:14And on the open water, that can't happen.
25:23Okay, the final reading, almost zero.
25:26Yeah, I'm happy with it.
25:27We'll record it for the machinery history, and it's all within spec.
25:31It's good to go.
25:32Safety on the water is priority one.
25:35That's why the crew is always vigilant, approaching one of Seattle's busiest ports.
25:45With one of the highest boats per capita figures in the country,
25:49Seattle's pleasure boat fleet presents a constant challenge to the ferries.
25:54Looks like they want to cross ahead of us.
25:56We've also got another vessel over here, two points to port.
26:00They clearly want to pass in front of us, but I'd like for them to do it quickly.
26:05With a relentless beast like the Tacoma on the water, boats need to be wary and get out of the
26:11way.
26:12So this is a 460-foot ship, and we're traveling at about 18 knots right now, which is about 21
26:19miles an hour, which sounds slow until you realize how many thousands of tons the vessel weighs.
26:26Seattle, a Tacoma approaching slip three, yellow ops.
26:30No matter their size, ships don't come with brakes.
26:35So this is sort of like a slow motion of a jetliner landing.
26:39It's Newton's first law of motion. An object in motion tends to stay in motion.
26:45So unless the force of that momentum is counteracted, it will smash violently into the dock.
26:54To dock, the Tacoma's momentum must be harnessed with precision.
26:59Under the ship, the propellers start moving in reverse, pushing water in the opposite direction the ferry is traveling, fighting
27:06against the momentum and reducing the Tacoma's speed.
27:08All this results in the ship stopping so gently, you don't even feel it bump when it meets the dock.
27:16We're coming into Seattle, maintaining safe speed and making sure the apron is up, passengers are off the bow.
27:27It's a process that repeats dozens of times a day.
27:30Thousands of tons of floating steel, engines, and skilled crews that work tirelessly to move more than 50,000 daily
27:38passengers.
27:39But for these ferries, it's all in a day's work.
27:43The muddy Tacoma heads into the waves once again.
27:48A gentle giant among ferries, connecting people and places with power and grace.
28:01In Wolfsburg, Germany, an army of human and robot workers are designing, molding, cutting, and assembling vehicles for people all
28:21over the world.
28:23And producing 3,000 passenger cars every day.
28:28That is really unbelievable to me, you know, it's like a miracle.
28:32This is the epicenter of automotive creation.
28:35A 6,500,000 square meter facility, nearly twice the size of New York's Central Park.
28:43At the end, Volkswagen is absolutely unique in the world.
28:46This production facility can produce 800,000 cars a year.
28:50It's like a new car completed every 16 seconds within the factory walls.
28:55It's mind-boggling.
28:56We have 60,000 people in Wolfsburg working in this place.
29:01Its workforce is comparable to the population of a small city.
29:05It's like a city within a city.
29:08Under its many roofs are 20 kilometers of automated assembly lines,
29:14with more than 100 workshops, where they do everything from painting and construction,
29:20to design and testing.
29:24That means everything exists individually.
29:27But this complex level of integration, that's quite unique in the world, yes.
29:33Here at the press shop, raw steel rolls into the factory each day,
29:40to be molded with nearly 8,000 tons of force.
29:46We are now in the world's largest press shop.
29:49The press shop has a total area of almost 80,000 square meters, roughly the equivalent of 11 football fields.
29:57We manufacture a wide variety of fender parts, hoods, doors, side panels and roofs.
30:04We can produce the outer shell of virtually any vehicle.
30:08The press shop is responsible for 100% of the parts that make up the structure of every vehicle made
30:16at Wolfsburg.
30:17And they're produced at a rate of 60 parts per minute.
30:22The press shop has some of the largest metal bending machines in action.
30:28Many as tall as a four-story apartment block.
30:32Punching, pressing and cutting their way through steel at an unbelievably fast rate.
30:39Each press has 15 to 16 total sets, meaning different parts.
30:43In total, we produce 350,000 parts per day across the entire press shop.
30:54The press shop's output is a crucial cog in the overall manufacturing sequence.
30:59It ensures a smooth flow of parts to the body shop, paint shop and final assembly.
31:04This level of speed and efficiency is only possible because of the down-to-the-second automation
31:09and robotic labor that can lift and maneuver heavy steel parts into and out of the mouths of presses
31:15without any risk of injury.
31:17There is no way that hand-fed presses can make parts that quickly.
31:21Our employees are primarily responsible for operating and monitoring the equipment,
31:26intervening in case of malfunctions and, of course, also participating in quality control.
31:34For maximum efficiency, Volkswagen developed a revolutionary panel pressing system
31:40called a Press Street that links six presses together.
31:45One of the largest in the entire Volkswagen Group is Press Street 500.
31:51It's so powerful that it had to be built on its own separate foundation.
31:57Otherwise, buildings on the other side of the complex would shake when it's working.
32:06Parts fly off the presses, feeding an unstoppable assembly process that begins in the body shop.
32:14Here, the work of transforming steel parts into framed-out cars is done by 3,500 of the 6,000
32:21high-tech robots employed by the factory. They spot weld, bolt, clip, and glue parts with exceptional accuracy.
32:32Robots perform approximately 97% of this assembly process that creates the structural foundation of each vehicle.
32:43When it comes to peak productivity for repetitive jobs like this, on such a large scale, robots are the only
32:50way to go.
32:50These orange arms are giants. They're twice as tall as a refrigerator, and they can lift around half a ton.
33:00Each car is made up of around 10,000 components that must be carefully connected.
33:06This incredibly efficient process is made possible by the intricacies of the design, which painstakingly planned each part.
33:17So first impression you have is the design. That's the heart of the product. So I think that is mega
33:25important.
33:26Welcome to Valhalla, Volkswagen's inner sanctum of research and development.
33:32This is a secretive design sanctuary where the VW Wolfsburg development team turn ideas into drivable prototypes.
33:39It's a multi-year creative and scientific development process that, if successful, ends up in the assembly line.
33:46Everything we do here is super confidential.
33:49Because we are like the first in the process of developing a new car.
33:53And if anything of what we plan comes to the public, the others will do the same.
34:02We analyze how is the customer looking like, what do they expect from us, and when we have all this
34:08knowledge, it all comes together, then we start sketching.
34:12From sketches, to computer-aided designs, to fully fleshed out, finely milled clay models.
34:19The design team bring their creations to life.
34:24When you see the data, in reality, it's not just like a picture on the wall, it's the truth, you
34:31know.
34:31And this is why we are milling the clay in full scale.
34:35While you can work this clay by hand, milling machines are used to make the process a lot smoother and
34:42faster.
34:44This is a special milling machine for design.
34:49It's a closet system.
34:50It's a small, a little bit elegant, like a sculpture, like an industrial sculpture.
34:57These machines have a dynamic range of movement for perfect edging and control.
35:04While milling at a rate of nearly two and a half kilometers an hour.
35:09A speed that sends clay shavings flying.
35:21And when the production models are complete, they're sent to the tunnel for testing.
35:30Wolfsburg has its own dedicated 17,000 square meter wind tunnel efficiency center.
35:36Inside the tunnels, prototypes face the invisible forces of the road.
35:41Aerodynamics is actually a very important topic for our cars.
35:46Because the better the aerodynamics of the car is, the lower is the air drag of the car, so you
35:53get more mileage.
35:56Wind flow shows where air resistance or drag is affecting the efficiency and range of the car.
36:02Air that swirls and bounces off the vehicle reveals the sources of excess noise that can make driving less enjoyable.
36:10And different weather patterns, from high heat to snow storms, tests vehicle safety and reliability under the harshest conditions.
36:24So, here we are at our van, eight meter of diameter, so really big.
36:30I've got 3.1 megawatts of power.
36:34If we let it turn one hour at full speed, twice the energy I use it in a year.
36:43We generate 250 kilometers per hour on wind speed, so if you can imagine, a hurricane has 118 kilometers per
36:51hour, so it's way faster than a hurricane.
36:55While hurricane force winds are possible, most tests are happening at wind speeds of around 140 kilometers an hour, mimicking
37:04the conditions of highway driving.
37:09They use smoke to visualize airflow patterns.
37:12Smoke particles follow the motion of the air, showing the team how air moves around a model, so they can
37:19identify issues like the smoke detaching from the surface, causing drag.
37:24Great results in the tunnels translate to well-designed cars coming together at final assembly.
37:36Around 15,000 people work alongside robots to complete each vehicle.
37:42Cooperation between people and machines is becoming more and more important.
37:47Increasingly, work on a vehicle or component is carried out by people and robots, not separately or in sequence, but
37:53simultaneously and together.
37:55The employees are supported by our robots side by side without any protective barriers.
38:00This principle is known as human-robot collaboration.
38:04Robots function in adaptive, flexible ways, from bolting to handing heavy parts or tools over to people, either independently or
38:14on command.
38:15I'm currently putting the cockpit into the car.
38:19The whole cockpit weighs about 150 up to 200 kilos.
38:27So for that whole point, the machine helps me a lot.
38:30You might think working alongside robots would be frightening, like the robot losing control or taking over.
38:36But here, both the human workers and the robots can now make full use of their respective strengths.
38:42We insert, press our button, and that's it.
38:46And then the robot takes care of the rest.
38:48With these nimble assistants, work happens on time, every time.
38:53I need around 60 seconds to finish my job.
38:57To pick up a cockpit, to bring it into the car, and to pick up the next one.
39:03The machines are really helping me.
39:05The line which I'm currently on moves with a speed of 8 meters per minute.
39:11So that's quite fast.
39:20Robots and people working together make for light work.
39:25My whole family is in this big car manufacturer, and I'm really proud to work here.
39:32That pride has been hard earned.
39:36Founded in 1937, the Wolfsburg plant was built to create the people's car.
39:42But the truth was much darker.
39:44The Volkswagen factory was built for the Volkswagen project, for the German mass motorization.
39:51Everything was just a big project of Nazi propaganda.
39:55Because Volkswagen was founded as a subsidiary of the biggest Nazi organization, the German labor front.
40:01Volkswagen became part of the armament industry between 1940 and 1945.
40:06All kinds of weapons, of military vehicles were built here.
40:10More than 20,000 people worked for Volkswagen against their will.
40:16And among them were 5,000 concentration camp prisoners.
40:20During the war, the factory was bombed, causing tremendous damage.
40:24By 1944, it was almost completely destroyed.
40:30But that wasn't the end.
40:32After the war, the British took over and returned the factory to automotive production of the Beetle.
40:39From 1945 was the beginning of the Volkswagen brand.
40:43They changed the image of the Beetle from a Nazi propaganda project to a cult car, almost to a pop
40:51-cultural icon.
40:52The Beetle changed things for Volkswagen.
40:54Its unconventional design – rear engine, limited storage, and two doors rather than four – didn't stop it from becoming
41:01a global sensation.
41:03It was affordable, practical, reliable, and it offered a very attractive alternative to the big American cars of the post
41:09-World War II era.
41:10From a sinister past, an iconic automobile brand arose.
41:15Everyone who works for Volkswagen, which are more than 700,000 people all over the world, should know this history
41:22because it brings a special responsibility.
41:24And at the end, the Volkswagen factory turned out to be one of the biggest car factories in the world.
41:32Volkswagen has worked very hard to acknowledge and overcome their past.
41:38An effort resulting in nearly 50 million cars produced at Wolfsburg alone.
41:44Once those vehicles are completed, they leave the factory floor on a nearly one kilometer underground artery,
41:51linking production to the Autostadt, a state-of-the-art 20-story vehicle display and dispensing system.
42:01Since 2000, the Autostadt has been the world's largest delivery center.
42:06It takes less than two minutes for new cars to be whisked the way through this autonomously operated tunnel.
42:12The tires of the car never even touch the ground.
42:16We have two car towers. Together, they can hold around 800 vehicles, so 400 vehicles per tower.
42:23They are 48 meters high and 23 meters in diameter. The vehicles are stored on 20 levels.
42:30Two massive hydraulic cars ride up and down its length, lifting, spinning and slotting each car into place
42:38in about 45 seconds.
42:42I've been working here for 25 years now, which I think speaks for itself. I'm very proud to be a
42:48part of this.
42:50From the press shop through the kilometers of assembly and final delivery,
42:56Volkswagen Wolfsburg has proven to be a well-oiled machine.
43:01It's fantastic. We always look into the future, you know, and this is what I love, you know.
43:06What is the next step? The next project, the white sheet of paper, you know, it's empty.
43:11What is the next step? It's always super interesting for me.
43:15Wolfsburg is far more than one of the largest automotive factories on earth.
43:20It's the place where history and technology converge to shape the future of the cars we drive.
43:29What is the next step?
43:31The next step is to the next step.
43:31Let's take our step back.
43:31For the next step ...
Comments