As the transport sector scrambles to cut emissions in any it can, Swedish steelmaker SSAB has revealed it will be supplying its green steel to Volvo Trucks for the creation of a new line of hydrogen vehicles - and they could be on the roads by the end of this year!
A concept for the green steel frame used in a Volvo truck; as demand increases, the amount of green steel used will also increase. Credit: Volvo Trucks via SSAB
Small-scale production is expected to commence by around the third quarter of 2022, the firm claims, as the Swedish firms continue their collaboration into its second year.
Read more: Epiroc to use SSAB green steel in mining equipment
Due to the trucks running on hydrogen, of which the only by-product is water vapour, and the use of green steel, the climate impact of the trucks will be significantly reduced.
The partnership represents the true potential for decarbonisation of the transport sector by tackling scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions directly during production. Should the time come when the entire truck is made from green steel, they will be almost eliminated entirely.
SSAB is part of the HYBRIT green steel consortium alongside Vattenfall and LKAB, whose goal was to create the world's first emissions-free steel, which it did in 2021.
Steel accounts for around 8% of global emissions and roughly 10% of Sweden's alone. Perhaps more alarmingly, transport is the single largest emitter in the world, due to it forming the backbone for a number of industrial sectors, from travel to freight, and forming an essential part of global supply chains.
The IEA claims transport accounts for as much as 37% of emissions. It is considered to be a difficult-to-abate sector and is in immediate need of emissions reductions if global climate targets are to be met.
Vehicles made from green steel kill two birds with one stone: working towards the decarbonisation of two hard-to-abate sectors.
“The green transition of heavy transport is key for the world to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, not only by lowering tail-pipe emissions but also by including fossil-free steel as a material in the vehicles", said Olavi Huhtala, the head of SSAB Europe.
"We are proud to work together with a forerunner like Volvo Trucks and will gradually continue to build complete fossil-free value chains with our customers".
Integration of the steel in the truck's design is set to be slow. At first, it will be used in the frame rails of the truck, the backbone of the vehicle on which all other main components are mounted.
As the supply of green steel and demand for these trucks increases, more and more of the traditional steel will be replaced with its low-carbon counterpart.
Traditional steel is also an important sector marked for decarbonisation. It is typically made in coal-fired plants which leads to significant carbon emissions.
Green steel, on the other hand, is typically made by replacing the coal-fired plans and coke, using green hydrogen as a combustor. The result is a far lower climate impact, although emissions are not eliminated entirely under current technologies.
As of writing, around 30% of the metal used in new Volvo trucks is made from recycled material. In addition, Volvo claims that around 90% of each truck could be eligible for recycling by the end of its life.
"We are continuously striving to further minimize our climate footprint. We are also moving towards greater circularity in both our operations and our trucks”, says Jessica Sandström, the truckmaker's senior vice president for sustainability.
Volvo and SSAB have been working together since at least 2021, when the automaker looked to use the HYBRIT scheme's green steel in the creation of new vehicles.
The first machine, a load carrier made of fossil-free steel, was showcased in October 2021. Fossil-free steel will be an important complement to the traditional and recycled steel used in Volvo’s trucks.
Automakers can cut emissions from the use of cars, but will also need to bring in emissions reductions across the value chains, meaning parts suppliers must take precautions to lower the climate impact of their products as well if the sector hopes to become net-zero.
To this end, Volvo Group has pledged to become net-zero along its value chain by 2040. Its CEO Hakan Samuelsson previously came out in favour of petrol bans back in 2020, spurred by the news the UK was implementing one earlier that year.
SSAB wants to offer green steel on a commercial scale by 2026, as per its goals laid out in the lead up to the COP26 summit last year.
Read more: COP26: SSAB pledges fossil-free steel products by 2026
It claims its steel sees a "100% reduction" in emissions compared to its coal-fired cousin.
HYBRIT recently received €143 million in extra funding from the European Commission through the EU Innovation Fund to meet the goals laid out by the EU Green Deal and the Fit for 55 package.
A week after this funding was confirmed, it also revealed it would be helping Swedish miner Epiroc by supplying a limited supply of green steel for use in the creation of low-emissions mining equipment.
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