Polestar, partners to develop carbon-neutral car
The Swedish car manufacturer Polestar’s initiative aims to present a completely climate-neutral vehicle in 2030. The main aim is to avoid emissions over the entire vehicle life cycle – not to compensate for them by planting trees or buying certificates, for example.
The development of a production-ready, completely climate-neutral passenger car by 2030 is to start after a pre-development phase of almost three years. Polestar, a joint venture of the car manufacturers Volvo and Geely, is relying on fundamental, cross-industry cooperation to meet the challenge of net-zero emissions. Currently, the e-vehicle manufacturer is forming an alliance of automotive industry suppliers, research institutions, start-ups and investors, as well as governmental and non-governmental organisations.
The Tier One supplier ZF has now decided to participate as one of the first and largest technology groups in the automotive industry. The company is to contribute its expertise in the field of electric powertrains and overall system competence in order to reduce CO2 emissions and save resources. “The ‘Polestar 0 Project’ complements our own holistic climate protection programme, which aims to make ZF completely climate-neutral by 2040 – in all aspects, from material sourcing to production to the complete life cycle of all our products,” says Stephan von Schuckmann, ZF Board of Management member responsible for e-mobility. Over the next six months, ZF and Polestar will identify concrete initiatives that will advance the joint strategy and that will be contractually fixed.
ZF is using its entry into the “Polestar 0 Project” to expand its own ecosystem of partnerships around the topic of sustainability. Together with universities, suppliers and start-ups, the Group will create standards that make a measurable contribution to reducing emissions and conserving resources. As a concrete contribution to the “Polestar 0 Project”, ZF is initially focusing on developing, sourcing and producing electric drives with a view to maximum sustainability targets. As a further contribution, the Group is offering its systems expertise and its comprehensive product range, which in addition to driveline technology also extends to chassis technology and active and passive safety technology.
Autoliv intends to collaborate with Polestar on zero-emission safety equipment such as airbags and seat belts, and automotive lighting manufacturer ZKW also plans to work with Polestar on climate-neutral electrical control systems and wiring.
Solutions developed as part of the Polestar 0 Project could have an impact beyond the automotive sector, according to those involved. New, lower-emission manufacturing processes for materials such as glass, steel and aluminium, for example, could contribute to the decarbonisation of further industries and bring correspondingly high benefits for society as a whole. Nordic steel and metal manufacturer SSAB, for example, intends to collaborate with Polestar on the development of fossil-free steel, which could potentially replace not only conventional steel in a car, but also other materials with significant carbon footprints.
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