Porsche and Norsk Hydro plan to work together to build efficient closed loop solutions for batteries from electric vehicles. The German automaker and the Norwegian aluminium concern announced the signing of an agreement last week, which they say will strengthen the sustainability strategies of both companies. As part of their cooperation, the companies plan to study the feasibility of building a sustainable batter value chain for batteries in Europe, they said at the signing.
“Access to sustainably sourced raw materials is a key challenge for the automotive industry. Hydro has extensive experience in the recycling of battery raw materials. At Porsche we have a clear commitment to increase the usage of recycled materials in our vehicles. The principle of a circular economy is something we share with Hydro. We aim to secure our supply chain in the long run and therefore expect valuable input from our recycling project with Hydro,” explained Porsche Barbara Frenkel, executive board member for procurement at Porsche.
Porsche und Hydro expect that recycling will play a crucial part in meeting the rising demand for automotive batteries in the future. To be successful, collaborations across traditional industries would be required, they said. Porsche and Hydro expressed their commitment to exploring opportunities for joint contributions in this field and said they expected the first feasibility results on joint battery recycling in 2025.
Cooperation to include use of low-CO2 aluminium
Another aspect of the collaboration between Porsche and Hydro is to involve low-carbon CO2, which would be delivered by Hydro to Porsche and several of its component suppliers. Through the switch to the lower-emission material, Porsche is aiming to cut the carbon footprint of the aluminium in future vehicles projects to around 3.5 kg CO2e per kilogramme. That would be around 60 per cent lower than the average for primary aluminium consumed in Europe today, the project partners said.
“To reduce global warming, we need to decarbonize energy systems, produce for circularity and recycle resources already in use. Aluminium is a key enabler in the green transition, but supply chains must become emission free. The industry needs to partner up to make this happen and we are pleased to be able to work with a pioneer like Porsche in our common task to create a nearly carbon-free car,” said Hydro CEO, Hilde Merete Aasheim.
Hydro aims to deliver CO2-neutral aluminium to Porsche's component suppliers by 2030. In order to further improve the circular economy and the CO2 footprint of the aluminium produced, the Norwegian industrial company wants to increase the use of renewable energy in aluminium production and boost the recycling of post-consumer scrap.
