Volvo Trucks Innovating The Future, First In The World To Incorporate Fossil-Free Steel

Innovating the automotive industry further, Volvo Trucks, the global truck brand from Gothenburg, Sweden, has fused fossil-free steel in its trucks. 

Produced by the Swedish steel company SSAB, Volvo’s heavy-duty electric trucks will be the first to include said steel architecture.

According to Volvo, small scale introduction of the steel in its heavy-duty electric trucks will begin in the third quarter (Q3) of 2022.

“We will increase the use of fossil-free materials in all our trucks to make them net-zero not only in operation, but also when it comes to the materials they are built of,” expressed Volvo Trucks senior vice president, Jessica Sandström.

A completely new technology, the steel from SSAB is based on hydrogen and it has a significantly much lower climate impact than other conventionally produced steel.

The first hydrogen steel produced will be used in the truck’s frame rails, the backbone of the truck, where all other main components are mounted. 

Moving forward, as the availability of fossil-free steel increases, it will also be introduced in other parts of the vehicle.

Elsewhere, Volvo Group has been in collaboration with SSAB on fossil-free steel since 2021, and their first example was a load carrier presented in October 2021. 

Said fossil-free steel will be an important influence to the traditional and recycled steel used in Volvo’s trucks.

As of today, around 30 percent of the materials in a new Volvo truck come from recycled materials and up to 90 percent of the truck can be recycled at the end of its life.

Sandström concluded, “We are continuously striving to further minimize our climate footprint. We are also moving towards greater circularity in both our operations and our trucks.”

That said, with this new development, the Swedish truck maker is committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the value chain by 2040.