Volvo has intended to establish a joint venture with Swedish battery company Northvolt to develop and produce sustainable batteries, which will power future pure electric Volvo and Polestar (Volvo's electric sub-brand) cars.
As a first step for the 50/50 joint venture, Volvo and Northvolt aim to set up a research and development center in Sweden that will begin operations in 2022.
In the R&D center, battery expertise within both companies are intended to be made, and where battery cells and vehicle integration technologies for Volvo and Polestar cars will be developed.
The planned partnership will also establish a new "gigafactory" in Europe with a potential capacity of up to 50 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year. Production is scheduled to start in 2026.
The first car to feature battery cells developed through the joint venture will be the electric successor to the XC60 SUV, Volvo said.
The partnership with Northvolt will secure the European battery cells needed for Volvo's electrification plans, Volvo said. Volvo aims to sell 50 percent pure electric cars by the middle of this decade, and by 2030, it aims to sell only fully electric cars.
Today, the production of batteries for Volvo Car Group’s fully electric cars represents a large part of the car’s carbon emissions for the rest of its life.
By working with Northvolt, "a leader in sustainable battery production," and producing batteries near its manufacturing facilities in Europe, Volvo wants to reduce the environmental impact of battery sourcing and production.
Photo from Volvo
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