Swedish specialty steel producer SSAB has announced that Volvo Cars will be the first carmaker to use fossil-free steel produced at the HYBRIT pilot plant in Luleå, Sweden. This steel will be used for testing purposes and may be used in a concept car.
According to the company’s statement, SSAB aims to supply the market with fossil-free steel at a commercial scale in 2026.
For Volvo Cars, the carbon emissions related to steel and iron production for its cars amount to around 35 percent in a traditionally-powered car and 20 percent in a fully electric car of the total carbon emissions from the material and production of the components going into the car.
The HYBRIT initiative was started by SSAB, iron ore producer LKAB and energy firm Vattenfall. The initiative aims to replace coking coal with fossil-free electricity and hydrogen, as SteelOrbis previously reported. SSAB aims to reduce Sweden’s carbon emissions by 10 percent and those in Finland by seven percent, through HYBRIT technology.
