Norway’s aluminium titan Norsk Hydro ASA has been chosen by Mercedes-Benz to collaborate on a common low-carbon technology roadmap beginning next year and running through the end of this decade.
Hydro said the two firms will work on a joint-technology roadmap to develop aluminium solutions for the automotive sector that will have a CO2 footprint of 3.0 kg CO2 per kg of aluminium. The first step in that journey will be the delivery of Hydro’s REDUXA 3.0 aluminium to Mercedes-Benz next year. The REDUXA 3.0 aluminium will be included in several of Mercedes-Benz’s offerings, including the company’s EQ models.
Hilde Merete Aasheim, President and CEO in Hydro, said in a press release that the partnership between the firms was ideal.
“Mercedes-Benz is a forward leaning company and a perfect partner for Hydro. The ambition of making their entire fleet of new passenger cars CO2 neutral by 2039 matches Hydro’s ambition to deliver industrial scale zero-carbon aluminium by 2030. Partnerships and collaboration in the value chains can accelerate technology developments needed to reduce emissions, and we are excited to have Mercedes-Benz joining us on our path to zero-carbon aluminium.”
Markus Schäfer, member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG. Chief Technology Officer, Development & Procurement, noted the many positives of this new agreement.
“Aluminium is becoming increasingly important as a light weight material in electric vehicles. We are intensively working with our partners on finding levers to lower CO2 emissions in the aluminium supply chain. Therefore, I am very happy that we now join forces with Hydro as a long standing expert in producing renewable energies to tackle one of the biggest challenges in the automotive industry. This is an important signal to accelerate change in the aluminium industry and increase the availability of low-carbon aluminium.”
“In order to successfully deliver on our decarbonization strategies, we need to team up with frontrunners all along the value chain,” continued Aasheim. “Working in strategic partnerships with customers and other players in the value chain will be an important way for Hydro to achieve our ambitions of shaping the market for low and near-zero carbon aluminium.”
Norsk Hydro, which was founded in 1905, financed by the Swedish Wallenberg family and French banks, began its life named Norsk hydro-elektrisk Kvælstofaktieselskab (literally, “Norwegian hydro-electric nitrogen limited”) by Sam Eyde. The Norwegian government owns approximately 40% of the company at the present time. Norsk Hydro is one of the largest aluminium companies in the world, with plants in Rjukan, Raufoss, Vennesla, Karmøy, Høyanger, Årdal, Sunndalsøra, and Holmestrand. Norsk also has several plants abroad.
