WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th June, 2021) Steel made without coking coal and other fossil fuels will used in experimental auto designs, with plans to build a concept car should the experiments succeed and an eventual shift to carbon-free vehicle production, Volvo said on Wednesday.
"Volvo Cars is teaming up with Swedish steel maker SSAB to jointly explore the development of fossil-free, high quality steel for use in the automotive industry," the car maker said in a press release. "The collaboration makes Volvo Cars the first car maker to work with SSAB and its HYBRIT initiative, the steel industry's most ambitious and advanced projects in fossil-free steel development."
As part of the collaboration, Volvo Cars will be the first car maker to secure SSAB steel made at the HYBRIT pilot plant in Lulea, Sweden. Initially, the steel will be used for testing and possibly the creation of world's first carbon-free concept car, the release said.
In 2026, SSAB aims to supply the market with fossil-free steel at a commercial scale, with Volvo intending to become the first auto maker to use fossil-free steel for its cars, the release added.
The release noted that the global steel industry accounts for around 7 percent of global direct carbon emissions, due to the industry's reliance on iron ore-based technology that uses blast furnaces heated with coking coal.
Volvo plans to sell only electric cars by 2030 and to be a fully climate-neutral company by 2040, according to the release.
