Mercedes & Hydro take aim for sustainable aluminium
Mercedes-Benz is cooperating with the Norwegian aluminium manufacturer Hydro to significantly reduce the CO2 footprint of aluminium in the automotive supply chain. As early as 2023, aluminium with a CO2 footprint reduced by almost 70 per cent is to be used in Mercedes EQ models, among others.
The partnership also aims to achieve virtually emission-free aluminium by 2030, according to the German carmaker. This is intended to expand the existing partnership: Hydro already supplies Mercedes-Benz with CO2-reduced aluminium for its foundry in Stuttgart Mettingen.
Next year, Mercedes will then receive the first test material from Norway and install it in EQ vehicles, whose CO2 footprint is to be almost 70 per cent below the European average. How quickly the complete supply of Mercedes’ aluminium needs can be met with this new material is not clear from the announcement. In addition to emissions, the partners also want to reduce the use of primary resources through the increased use of secondary materials from post-consumer scrap.
Together with steel, aluminium is proportionally the most widely used material in many vehicles. As aluminium components are generally lighter, the material is becoming increasingly important in e-cars, as Mercedes CTO Markus Schäfer indicates. “We are intensively working with our partners on finding levers to lower CO₂ emissions in the aluminium supply chain,” says the manager, who is also responsible for purchasing. “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.”
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