Volvo unveils world’s first vehicle made of fossil-free steel

The Volvo Group, with help from Swedish steel titan, SSAB, has successfully produced what it claims to be the world’s first vehicle made of fossil-free steel, foreshadowing what is to come in the company’s future product range.

The groundbreaking vehicle, a load carrier for use in mining and quarrying, was manufactured in Volvo Construction Equipment’s facility in Braås, Sweden, and was officially unveiled to the public at a Volvo Group green steel collaboration event held on October 13 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

“This initiative with SSAB sets the benchmark for a fossil-free future,” said Volvo Group CEO and President, Martin Lundstedt.

“Just as the nations of the world come together at COP26 to address climate change, so too must organisations and industries work in collaboration to develop innovative new solutions for a greenhouse gas emission free future.

“Volvo Group is committed to pioneering partnerships such as this with SSAB to develop attractive, safe and efficient new vehicles and machines that pave the way for a more sustainable transport and infrastructure system adopted for the future.”

Volvo Construction Equipment President, Melker Jernberg, said the fossil-free steel load carrier is just a preview of what the company hopes to be able to offer in the near future.

“Our ambition is to have fossil-free steel used across all our products, with a step-by-step approach,” he said.

“This machine is proof that we really can make fast progress, when we work together in strong partnerships, when we are determined to act and we enable our skilled people to contribute to building the world we want to live in. Not only for our generation, but for generations to come.

“Our team in Braås is understandably proud to help make this innovation happen.”

From here, Volvo Group hopes to produce a small series of concept vehicles and components using SSAB’s fossil-free steel in 2022, before moving on to commercial production at some point in the near future.

Volvo Construction Equipment is one such company blazing the way with its sustainability commitments, having beat most to the post in trialling and producing emissions free machines such as its prototype EX2 electric mini excavator and LX2 electric wheel loader over four years ago.

Today, Volvo’s range of electric machines including the ECR25 excavator and L25 wheel loader, which are evolutions of their prototype models, are available on the market.

Volvo Group made a commitment to be climate-neutral and achieve net zero value chain greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, with machine electrification and fossil-free steel utilisation both massive parts of the strategy.

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