The FordHub is an interactive space designed to educate the public about Ford’s evolution as an auto and mobility company that is helping change transportation around the world. The overwhelming majority of the installation has no mention of Ford’s current vehicles, but is instead intended to encourage visitors to consider the future of transportation in an entirely new way.

The first ever FordHub is in one of New York’s busiest transportation centers: the new Oculus at the Westfield World Trade Center. One wall of the entry at the FordHub features a mobility map that tracks the transportation of New York City with a dashboard of real-time traffic information including cars, trains, subways and ferries. Most the entry is filled with the “Move Freely” exhibit, a huge, multi-layered interactive track system where marbles provide a metaphor for transportation and movement.

Our first FordHub is a place designed to spark questions and curiosity. This isn’t a store or a dealer – it’s a place for participation and creativity. We want people to have fun while engaging in conversation about the future of transportation.
— Elena Ford, Ford Vice-President, Global Dealer and Consumer Experience

Ford has also launched the “Mobilize New York Challenge” – an innovation challenge that hopes to stimulate new ideas about travel in NYC; offering more than $30,000 in cash prizes, individuals are invited to submit proposals to solve the city’s transportation challenges.

During our visit, we were walked through the different stations by one of the amazing FordGuides, she could answer every question that we launched at her about the Ford vehicles and innovations in the FordHub.

Perhaps our favorite exhibit is “Light Wheels”, which features over five-thousand Ford die-cast model cars (from a Gran Torino to a GT) backlit with LEDs that illuminate with movement patterns inspired by the journeys New Yorkers take every day. When you make a trip to the FordHub, we challenge you to stump one of the amazing FordGuides with these facts about “Light Wheels”.

• There are exactly 5, 412 cars in the “Light Wheels” exhibit.
• The die-cast model cars are at 1:64 scale.
• The “Light Wheels” exhibit includes over 500 Police vehicles.
• There are over 1000 Mustangs in the “Light Wheels” exhibit.
• The “Light Wheels” exhibit includes over 1000 GT models.
• There are over 1600 Ford Trucks in the “Light Wheels” exhibit.

[vrview img=”https://architechnologist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/FordHub_360-LightWheels1.jpg” ] FordHub 360º Image of the “Light Wheels” exhibit.
Click and swipe to move the image
Image Credit: 360by360/M.Kaufman

If you are in New York City, the FordHub is open Monday – Saturday from 10am to 9 pm and Sunday from 11am to 7pm at the Westfield World Trade Center (185 Greenwich St., New York, NY). More details and updates can be found on the FordHubs website (direct link).