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00:04Sometimes, size really does matter when lives are on the line, people have places to go,
00:12and the speed 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
00:48weight. A 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, thanks to its iconic
01:09twin rotors. It's one of the few aircraft from the 1960s still in production, and it's flown in over
01:1620 countries. The reason the Chinook is so important is that it's versatile. It can move cars, it can
01:22move artillery, it can move people. Whatever you have, we can move it. If we can fit it inside,
01:28great. If not, we'll sling it. This chopper is a 24-ton flying fortress that tears across the sky at
01:37the parking lot with Ferrari-like speeds of 315 km per hour.
01:44Making it the fastest military helicopter
01:47in the world.
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 US, Canada, Australia, Japan and Germany, all trust their missions to
02:15this legendary machine.
02:19The Chinook's story began in the late 1950s.
02:23The US Army needed a stronger, faster and more reliable helicopter, so Boeing answered
02:30the call, building the Chinook CH-47, which 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 US 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.
03:00The Chinook was vital in relief efforts during Hurricane Katrina and, in 2020, performed a
03:06daring rescue of over 200 people trapped by the blazing California Creek fire.
03:11Over the last six decades, the Chinook has been battle and field tested and it continues to be
03:18upgraded and refined as a result.
03:20But the one thing that has never changed is 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.
03:40Missions 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.
04:00This job takes a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication.
04:04It is definitely not for everybody.
04:08Technicians probe and examine the Chinooks daily
04:11for damaging parts that may have come loose during missions.
04:15But after every 200 hours of flight, the Chinooks are thoroughly inspected and overhauled.
04:23Not all parts experience wear and tear at the same rate.
04:27Components critical to flight safety with shorter lifespans or faster degradation rates require more
04:33frequent, in-depth inspections. Less critical components or those with longer expected service
04:40lives 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.
04:55We're checking pretty much everything through here.
04:58Checking for cracking any of the tubing for the heating system that's running through the floor,
05:03because when you're up in the air, it tends to get pretty cold, especially in the winter.
05:07I 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.
05:17Every part of this machine is a critical part. The landing gear will pull it apart,
05:22look at the bearings, the bushings, everything to make sure that even the tiniest part down to the
05:26tiniest screw is still serviceable. I served with the Canadian Forces for 12 years, and every time I
05:34see one of these aircraft go out, it shows this great sense of pride for me, and I'm glad that
05:38even as a civilian, I can still support our forces.
05:42Today, at the garrison Petawawa in Ontario, Canada, 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron is
05:49preparing for a critical mission, relocating sections of a bridge system.
05:54Welcome everyone. For today's mission, 450 Squadron is tasked to move that bridging equipment from the
05:59pickup point through the drop-off point. We're expecting three loads. The sling loads are between
06:0314,000 to 15,000 pounds each, so it'll be a single point center hook hookup.
06:11With huge loads waiting, every part must be checked, tested, and fixed if there's a problem.
06:19I'm going to start by checking our forward rotor head.
06:23These sink shafts, they connect our after rotor head to our forward rotor head, making sure they
06:27stay in time. If this goes, then it's a really bad day for us. We're going to be checking these
06:33lock
06:33wires, making sure that they're all connected, and our fluid levels are within limits.
06:44With the Chinook cleared for the mission,
07:05flying any helicopter is generally considered to be a lot more difficult than flying a plane.
07:10Flying one of the longest, heaviest choppers on the planet, that makes things even more complicated.
07:16It's nearly impossible for a single pilot to have full situational awareness of the
07:19Chinook in flight. That makes a second pilot essential for spotting obstacles, managing the
07:24workload, and that includes navigation and 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
07:49piloting the Chinook is its dual rotor design. Unlike helicopters with a single main rotor and tail
07:56rotor, the Chinook has two large overhead rotors. A revelation in aeronautical design for lift and
08:04stability. But if one rotor fails, the helicopter can become very unstable and uncontrollable and even
08:11disastrous.
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, the key
08:30function of any helicopter, more efficient. While the rotors are identical, they spin in opposite
08:37directions. As the rear rotor rotates clockwise, the front rotor rotates counterclockwise. The act
08:47of each rotor moving in these ways counteracts the force that would spin the body of the helicopter
08:52uncontrollably if both rotors spun in the same direction. This rotor configuration allows the
09:13potential speeds ensuring that the blades don't collide. Contact with each other or the body of the
09:19aircraft could be tragic. Our rotor blades can actually, in mid-air, if we don't set them correctly,
09:25we'll make contact with each other. So we have to set this, it's called phasing of the blades, so our
09:30blades will be able to mesh with each other and not actually touch each other. Out in the field, the
09:36rotors
09:36are working perfectly. And 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
10:00on its belly. The forward and aft hooks can hold up to nine tons. That's more than five cars each.
10:11Together, they provide dual-point suspension for long or bulky loads, improving stability and
10:19preventing loads from spinning or swaying under the aircraft. However, the super-tough middle hook
10:26can carry the most weight at nearly 13 tons. The equivalent of eight cars.
10:35With its powerful three-hook system, external loads are rigged using specialized cables, slings,
10:42and or chains appropriate for the cargo's dimensions, weight, and center of gravity.
10:49As the Chinook hovers above its cargo,
10:52the ground crew hook onto their target and secure the load.
11:00Within 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
11:10hook up some load, which minimizes our time spent in a vulnerable position and allows us to maximize
11:16the use of the Chinook to execute the mission. The Chinook's mighty strength is due to its legendary twin engines.
11:26Together, they produce a total of nearly 10,000 horsepower.
11:32That's enough raw strength to carry the weight of a small house into the clouds.
11:39The Chinook's engines are extremely powerful. These are T-55 Honeywell engines. They've been powering
11:46Chinooks around the globe since 1961. The T-55 engine family has logged over 12 million hours of operation
11:54across various models, demonstrating incredibly high reliability. Keeping the engines in top shape
12:00is a priority, as the success of the mission depends on it.
12:06The biggest part for the engines for our inspection is checking the conditions of the hydraulic oil
12:10and fuel lines, and 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
12:22creates significant vibration. Vibration 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. If we were not to catch
12:39this
12:39and we were to let it go, we'll have material failure, which could eventually lead to this
12:44engine mount breaking off. Well-maintained engines lead to smoother flights, regardless of the load
12:51being lifted. But it's the twin rotor design that allows the Chinook to have a large and versatile back
12:58gate. It's very important that we're able to open up this ramp in flight to get a better look at
13:04things.
13:05When we're doing terra, it gives it more room to jump out of the aircraft.
13:10When we're doing helocasting, that's when we're flying at five feet over the water,
13:13with 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
13:23like a pinnacle landing, where its giant body balances on its rear wheels. It can do this on the
13:29knife edge of a cliff, rooftops, or narrow ledges. The rear ramp can then be lowered so people can
13:34rapidly enter or exit the helicopter before it flies off. The ramp is used frequently through flights,
13:40especially on missions. So you have to make sure that the ramp system works properly and safely
13:47for not only the flight members themselves, but also all of your military troops coming in and out
13:53of the aircraft. In flight, crew might be positioned at the end of the open ramp, serving as an extra
13:59set of
13:59supplies, operating 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.
14:10All while listening and paying attention to the crew. We can do a sudden turn at any moment, and I
14:15have to be ready while I'm walking around back here.
14:21Bridge has dropped off. Another beautiful day in the Chinook.
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 we've enjoyed another beautiful day in Petruawa.
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, it's hope with
14:57rotors.
14:58The Chinook has been doing the impossible for over 60 years.
15:03And will continue to do so for decades to come.
15:10Every day, thousands of people and vehicles line up
15:18for the more than 400 trips aboard. The iconic white and green ships of the Washington State Ferries.
15:28Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries. Thank you for your attention.
15:32And we hope you enjoy your journey.
15:34Ferries are the single largest tourist attraction in the state.
15:38But more importantly, they'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
16:02hours. And breakdowns can strand island communities affecting thousands of people's lives.
16:09With 21 vessels in the fleet, the Washington State Ferries serve 19 terminals connected by 10 routes
16:20across 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 US, moving over 19 million riders and 9 million vehicles a year.
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, and that takes a lot of
17:55energy.
17:55The vessel has four engines, 16,000 horsepower. We usually cruise about 17 and a half knots, but we can
18:03get 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.
18:16Though 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
19:00during World War II. Over time, these multi-use engines became more compact
19:05and powerful enough for the demanding continual use of marine systems like 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. During the 35-minute trip from Bainbridge Island to Seattle,
19:29these engines will consume almost 950 liters of fuel. That'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. It's the internal part of the ship's hull,
20:01where the bottom curves to meet the vertical sides. And it's where the water and other fluids collect,
20:07because over time, all vessels take on some water at some point.
20:11It's dark. It's cold. Everything echoes. It's not fun coming down here. As you can see, it's wet and dirty,
20:18oily.
20:19Modern ships like the Jumbo Mark II class are designed with multiple watertight bulkheads
20:25to compartmentalize flooding. The ability to seal off damaged sections is crucial to survival.
20:33These 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.
21:25All right, well, the bilges look good. And 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
21:44this drive 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,
22:16the way they have. Ferries 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.
22:32In 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. Ferries could go further and carry more
22:51weight more reliably with the arrival of power systems like steam and diesel engines.
22:57In the early 20th century, ferries became more specialized. Like Canada's Motor Princess, the first
23:04ferry ship designed and built specifically to carry cars.
23:09Around the world, ferries carry over 4 billion passengers a year with a global fleet of some
23:1515,400 individual ferry boats. Getting 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 requires the largest ferry maintenance facility too.
23:43We'll see all of the vessels roll through this facility in the calendar year for usually a four week
23:50maintenance repair period.
23:52So there's about 60 engines, three per boat. Some of them have four, depending on what they're
23:59running for their emergency generator. Typically, we have one in the shop being overhauled at a given time.
24:06Having this facility at the center of the entire operation means they can offer routine maintenance
24:11checks and emergency repairs with 24-7 access to skilled marine technicians and engineers.
24:18There's a lot of attention to 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 preventive maintenance includes the scheduled taking of deflection readings.
24:48Deflection is simply the bending or flexing of the shaft under the load. The shaft is channeling
24:54so much power from the motors, over time it can wear unevenly. So the mechanics need to make sure
25:01that any bending is tracked and addressed. You could wind up with the aft end of the crankshaft breaking
25:07off and the crankshaft would no longer transmit power so you would wind up with this engine being
25:12effectively unusable. And on the open water, that can't happen.
25:23Okay, the final reading, almost zero. Yeah, I'm happy with it. We'll record it for the machinery history
25:29and it's all within spec. It's good to go. Safety on the water is priority one. That's why the crew
25:37is
25:37always 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. We've also got another vessel over here,
25:58two points to port. They clearly want to pass in front of us, but I'd like for them to do
26:03it 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
26:19an hour, which sounds slow until you realize how many thousands of tons the vessel weighs.
26:26Seattle, a Tacoma approaching slip three, yellow ops. No 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. So unless the force
26:47of 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
27:04the ferry is traveling, fighting against 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 mighty 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
28:12are designing, molding, cutting and assembling vehicles for people all over 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. A 6,500,000 square meter facility.
28:39Nearly 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. It'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. It'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. That means everything exists individually. But this complex level of integration,
29:29that's quite unique in the world, yes.
29:33Here at the press shop, raw steel rolls into the factory each day, to be molded with nearly 8,000
29:43tons of force.
29:47We are now in the world's largest press shop. The press shop has a total area of almost 80,000
29:52square meters,
29:53roughly 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. And 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. Punching, pressing and cutting their way through steel
30:35at an unbelievably fast rate. Each press has 15 to 16 total sets, meaning different parts. In total,
30:44we 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. It ensures a smooth
31:00flow 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 and
31:09robotic labor that can lift and maneuver heavy steel parts into and out of the mouths of presses
31:15without any risk of injury. There's 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.
31:33For maximum efficiency, Volkswagen developed a revolutionary panel pressing system called
31:40a press street that links six presses together. One of the largest in the entire Volkswagen Group
31:48is Press Street 500. It'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 vacuum. They spot well, bolt, clip and glue parts with exceptional accuracy.
32:32Robots perform approximately 97% of this assembly process that creates the structural foundation
32:39of each vehicle. When it comes to peak productivity for repetitive jobs like this,
32:47on such a large scale, robots are the only way to go. These orange arms are giants. They're twice as
32:54tall as a refrigerator, and they can lift around half a ton. Each car is made up of around 10
33:02,000 components
33:04that must be carefully connected. This incredibly efficient process is made possible by the intricacies
33:11of the design, which painstakingly planned each part. So first impression you have is the design.
33:20Yeah, that's the heart of the product. So, and I think that is mega important.
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
33:38drivable prototypes. It's a multi-year creative and scientific development process that, if successful,
33:44ends up in the assembly line. Everything 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. From sketches, to computer-aided designs,
34:15to fully fleshed out, finely milled clay models, the design team bring their creations to life.
34:23And you see the data, in reality, it's not just like a picture on the wall, it's the truth.
34:31You know, this is why we are milling the clay in full scale.
34:35While you can work this clay by hand,
34:38milling machines are used to make the process a lot smoother and faster.
34:44This is a special milling machine for design. It's a closet system. It's a small,
34:51a little bit elegant, like a sculpture, like an industrial sculpture.
34:57These machines have a dynamic range of movement for perfect edging and control.
35:03While milling at a rate of nearly two and a half kilometers an hour.
35:09A speed that sends clay shavings flying.
35:14We can get a whole car in 24 hours. A whole new car. Yeah, it's really.
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.
35:37Inside the tunnels, prototypes face the invisible forces of the road.
35:42Aerodynamics 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.
35:53So you get 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
36:08less enjoyable. And different weather patterns from high heat to snowstorms.
36:15Tests vehicle safety and reliability under the harshest conditions.
36:24Tests vehicle safety and wind speed.
36:25Here we are at our van. Eight meter of diameter. So really big.
36:30It's got 3.1 megawatts of power. If we let it turn one hour at full speed, twice the energy.
36:38I use it in a year.
36:43We generate 250 kilometers per hour on wind speed. So if you can imagine,
36:49a hurricane has 118 kilometers per hour. 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
37:02kilometers an hour. Mimicking the conditions of highway driving.
37:09They use smoke to visualize airflow patterns. Smoke particles follow the motion of the air,
37:15showing the team how air moves around a model. So they can identify issues like the smoke detaching
37:21from the surface, causing drag. Great results in the tunnels translate to well-designed cars coming
37:29together at final assembly. Around 15,000 people work alongside robots to complete each vehicle.
37:42Cooperation between people and machines is becoming more and more important. Increasingly,
37:47work on a vehicle or component is carried out by people and robots, not separately or in sequence,
37:53but simultaneously and together. The employees are supported by our robots side by side without
37:59any protective barriers. This principle is known as human-robot collaboration. Robots function in
38:06adaptive flexible ways, from bolting to handing heavy parts or tools over to people, either independently
38:13or on command. I'm currently putting the cockpit into the car. The whole cockpit weighs about 150 up
38:23to 200 kilos. So for that whole point, the machine helps me a lot. You might think working alongside
38:32robots would be frightening, like the robot losing control or taking over. But here, both the human
38:37workers and the robots can now make full use of their respective strengths.
38:43We insert, press our button, and that's it. And 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. To pick up a cockpit, to bring it into the car,
39:01and to pick up the next one. The machines are really helping me. The line which I'm currently on moves
39:07with
39:07the speed of eight meters per minute. So that's quite fast. We are able to build 420 cars on each
39:17stiff.
39:18That's extremely impressive, yeah. Robots and people working together make for life work.
39:25My whole family is in this big car manufacturer, and I'm really proud to work here.
39:33That pride has been hard earned. Founded in 1937, the Wolfsburg plant was built to create the people's car.
39:41But the truth was much darker. The Volkswagen factory was built for the Volkswagen project,
39:49for the German mass motorization. Everything was just a big project of Nazi propaganda. Because
39:55Volkswagen 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 45. All kind of weapons,
40:08of military vehicles were built here. More than 20,000 people worked for Volkswagen
40:14against their will. And among them were 5,000 concentration camp prisoners. During the war,
40:21the factory was bombed, causing tremendous damage. By 1944, it was almost completely destroyed.
40:30But that wasn't the end. After the war, the British took over and returned the factory to automotive
40:36production of the Beetle. From 1945, it was the beginning of the Volkswagen brand. They changed
40:44the image of the Beetle from a Nazi propaganda project to a cult car, almost to a pop-cultural icon.
40:52The Beetle changed things from Volkswagen. Its unconventional design, rear engine, limited storage,
40:58and two doors rather than four, didn't stop it from becoming a global sensation. It was affordable,
41:04practical, reliable. And it offered a very attractive alternative to the big American cars of the
41:09post-World War II era. From a sinister past, an iconic automobile brand arose.
41:16Everyone who works for Volkswagen, which are more than 700,000 people all over the world,
41:21should know this history because it brings a special responsibility. And at the end,
41:25the 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. Once those vehicles
41:45are completed, they leave the factory floor on a nearly one-kilometer underground artery, linking production
41:53to the Autostadt, a state-of-the-art 20-storey 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 away 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
42:38place in about 45 seconds. I've been working here for 25 years now, which I think speaks for itself.
42:47I'm very proud to be a part of this. From the press shop through the kilometers of assembly and final
42:54delivery,
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.
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