Volvo Trucks has reinvented itself by becoming the first truck manufacturer in the world to introduce the use of fossil-free steel materials in the chassis of Volvo’s heavy-duty electric trucks.
Manufactured by the Swedish steel company SSAB, the fossil-free steel uses technology based on hydrogen. As a result, the use of such steel will have a much lower impact on the climate than conventional steel.
Jessica Sandström, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Volvo Trucks, said that the first fossil-free steel produced with hydrogen will be used in the chassis rails of the truck precisely in the backbone of the truck which is where all other major components are installed.
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Jessica also added that as the availability of fossil-free steel increases, it will soon be introduced and implemented in other truck parts.
“We will increase the use of fossil-free materials in all of our trucks to make the trucks not only environmentally friendly in operation but also in terms of the materials for which they are made,” he said in a statement, Wednesday (25/5/2022).
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Currently, Jessica continued, about 30% of the material in new Volvo trucks comes from recycled materials, which means that up to 90% of the Swedish manufacturer’s trucks can be recycled at the end of their life. “We are constantly working to minimize our climate footprint. We are also moving towards greater circularity in both our operations and our trucks.”
The Volvo Group has been collaborating with SSAB on fossil-free steel since 2021 to be exact, in October when Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) introduced heavy equipment vehicles made of fossil-free steel.
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On a small scale, the introduction of fossil-free steel in Volvo’s heavy-duty electric trucks will begin in the 2022 quarter. This is also Volvo Trucks’ commitment to achieving zero-greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 for its entire line-up.
