Polestar: Collaborations for Climate Neutrality

Polestar follows suit: Together with some of the world's leading automotive suppliers – SSAB, Hydro, ZF, ZKW, and Autoliv – the company aims to build a truly climate-neutral car. Companies from various sectors along the supply chain are joining forces to collectively advance climate protection through more sustainable mobility.

Every lifecycle of the car is considered

 Polestar has signed memoranda of understanding for cooperation with strategic partners from the metal, safety, driving systems, and electronics sectors – essentially covering every main area of Polestar’s life cycle analysis (LCA) concerning the carbon footprint of current models. These analyses have so far contributed to identifying the components and processes in car manufacturing that need to be rethought or modified to reduce and ultimately eliminate CO2 emissions.

 The Nordic steel and metal manufacturer SSAB intends to work with Polestar on fossil-free steel, which could potentially replace not only conventional steel in a car but also other materials with significant carbon footprints.

 The Norwegian aluminum producer Hydro intends to develop carbon-free aluminum with Polestar experts, while the automotive systems supplier ZF aims to find ways, together with Polestar, to eliminate carbon emissions and save resources through its innovations in electric drives and overall system competence.

 The automotive supplier Autoliv intends to collaborate with Polestar on emissions-free safety equipment such as airbags and seat belts. Meanwhile, the specialist in vehicle lighting systems and automotive electronics ZKW is working with Polestar on climate-neutral electrical control systems and wiring. Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar, explains:

“It was clear from the start that this is not a solo mission, and we are thrilled to present such a strong lineup of interested partners, all of whom are leaders in their respective fields. We leverage innovation and collaboration to tackle the climate crisis.”

Additional cooperation partners – including those from research and academia – are welcome

 Polestar simultaneously invites other suppliers, researchers, universities, entrepreneurs, investors, as well as government and non-governmental organizations to participate in the project. In addition to the open call, Polestar will address researchers worldwide who are committed to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement through SDSN, the world's largest academic network. Hans Pehrson, head of the Polestar 0 Project and former head of research and development at Polestar, says:

“We believe in the exponential development of climate solution technologies. For this project, we need to unlock solutions that are still in the innovation stage. Even more exciting is that the solutions we develop will not only benefit the automotive industry but also significantly reduce CO2 emissions in industry and society. Wherever we look, we see steel, aluminum, and electronics. Imagine if we can produce these materials in a climate-neutral way! Together, we can make the seemingly impossible possible.”

 Polestar and its partners will focus their attention on the Polestar 0 project. Announced in 2021, this industry-leading initiative by Polestar aims to develop a truly climate-neutral car by 2030. Instead of simply planting trees to offset CO2 emissions, emissions from the supply chain will be eliminated, and the way cars are manufactured will be changed. Environmental experts have warned that offsetting through tree planting is not sustainable in the long run. Questions remain regarding the long-term carbon storage capacity of forests and soils, as forests can be deforested, destroyed by fire, or altered by climate change.
https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2019/11/SRCCL-Full-Report-Compiled-191128.pdf
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00662-3#ref-CR6

And: According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the transport sector is the fastest-growing sector emitting greenhouse gases (GHGs) and is expected to account for more than 30 percent of total GHG emissions in the future.

Interested parties are requested to contact Polestar by March 23, 2022. All details can be found below.

 Participation in the project is applied for through an online recruitment process. The applicant fills in the required information, such as the affected area, the possible solution, whom they represent, and whether prior research is required. A designated Polestar team evaluates the ideas and undertakes the next steps towards a potential partnership. The procedure runs between February 23 and March 23, 2022.

The invitation calls on suppliers, researchers, universities, entrepreneurs, investors, governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as innovators to come together to develop the technologies of the future.

What does this mean?

Polestar and partners have a strong approach: the common conviction that zero really means zero—no low-carbon solutions and no misleading compensation systems. A strong goal that will hopefully set a precedent.