Even if electric cars themselves do not emit gases that are harmful to the climate, for example, a lot of CO2 is released during the production of their batteries. The Swedish car maker Volvo wants to steer against it.
The two Swedish companies Volvo and Northvolt are entering into a joint partnership to produce more sustainable batteries for electric cars. The joint research and development center will produce batteries for Volvo and its subsidiary Polestar. It is planned that the center will start working as early as next year.
From 2030, Volvo plans to exclusively produce electric cars
The European Gigafactory, which has been officially announced, is to go into operation from 2026. This should be operated 100 percent with green energy. In addition to modern battery cells, new technologies for vehicle integration are also to be developed here. Two years earlier, Volvo began to source 15 gigawatt hours of battery cells annually from Northvolt’s existing plant in Skellefteå.
Like most European car manufacturers, Volvo intends to concentrate mainly on the production of cars with fully electric drives in the future. The company plans for electric cars to account for half of sales by 2025. From 2030, the Swedish car manufacturer will then only rely on electric cars.
Batteries are the biggest polluter in production
By working with Northvolt, Volvo also hopes to further reduce its ecological footprint. So far, the production of electric batteries has made up a large part of the CO2 emissions that occur in the production process of an electric vehicle. The geographical proximity of the two partners should also contribute to more climate-friendly production.
In a press release, Volvo’s President Håkan Samuelsson stated that the carmaker promised itself a “supply of high-quality, more sustainable battery cells for pure electric cars” through the cooperation. In addition, the collaboration helps to strengthen the company’s internal development capacities. The new Gigafactory is expected to employ 3,000 people.
A location has not yet been determined, but in which vehicles the new batteries are to be installed. They are used for the first time in the new generation of the Volvo XC60. The SUV is considered the best-selling Volvo model in the world.
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