Swedish electric car manufacturer Polestar has announced several agreements with global suppliers in its efforts to produce the “first truly climate-neutral car”.
New partnerships include German car parts maker ZF Friedrichshafen and Swedish steel company SSAB. Polestar has also signed letters of intent with Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company Norsk Hydro, automotive safety supplier Swedish Autoliv, electronics and telecoms maker LG Corp and lighting systems and electronics company ZKW Group.
Polestar is emphasising the importance of collaboration for reaching zero-emission goals and the need for the global automotive industry to speed up the efforts for electrification.
“It was clear from the start that this is not a solo mission, and we are very excited to present such a strong line-up of interested partners,” commented Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath.
The global automotive industry is challenged by the increasing evidence that manufacturing long-range battery EVs produces high volumes of green-house-gas emissions. Polestar’s carbon foot printing analysis prompted it to draw the conclusion that its current models are still part of the problem, not the solution.
Ingenlath has previously said that “going electric is not enough, making cars electric is the starting point.”
Polestar’s ambition is to create a “truly neutral” car by 2030 in which carbon emissions are removed from the supply chain by changing the way the cars are built rather than planting trees.
The new agreements include:
- SSAB will supply fossil-free steel, assisting Polestar to replace not only the conventional steel but also other materials in the car,
- Norsk Hydro, the world’s largest aluminium provider and renewable energy company, will assist Polestar to switch to zero-carbon aluminium,
- ZF will boost innovation in Polestar EVs by increasing overall systems competence to reduce carbon emissions and lower resource usage,
- Autoliv will provide zero-emission seatbelts and airbags for Polestar cars, improving safety through eliminating CO2 emissions,
- ZKW, an automotive lighting supplier, will equip Polestar EVs with climate-neutral electrical control systems and wiring.
