Joining forces: Porsche and Hydro drive decarbonisation of sports car supply chains

Hilde Merete Aasheim (Hydro), Barbara Frenkel (Porsche) © Marcus Valeur/Porsche

Porsche AG and Norsk Hydro are joining forces and working together in the future to significantly reduce the carbon footprint in the automotive supply chain of sports cars – according to the cooperation, the carbon footprint of Porsche models will be reduced through the use of low-carbon aluminium and extruded profiles from Hydro. By 2030, the aluminium supplied to Porsche and its suppliers will even be completely CO2-free. In addition, the two companies will jointly develop a new concept for the value chains of battery materials and battery recycling. The agreement between the German luxury sports car manufacturer and the Norwegian industrial company is also intended to strengthen the sustainability strategies of both companies.

Low-carbon aluminium for Porsche

Under the collaboration, Hydro will supply Porsche and some of Porsche's suppliers with its low-carbon aluminium, which currently has one of the lowest carbon footprints on the market – from mine to metal. The collaboration also aims to reduce the carbon footprint of aluminium in future Porsche vehicle projects to around 3.5 kilograms of CO2 per kilogram of aluminium by 2025. This is around 60 per cent less than the average primary aluminium currently consumed in Europe. For this purpose, Porsche is using "Hydro Reduxa 4.0" from the Norwegian aluminium manufacturer.

Porsche is pursuing a complex sustainability strategy and is aiming for a climate-neutral value chain for its vehicles by 2030. Aluminium and materials for battery production play a key role in the company's strategy. This strategy also coincides with Hydro's, the company will pursue the common goals through increased use of renewable energy in aluminium production and recycling of post-consumer scrap as part of the cooperation to increase the recyclability and reduce the footprint of the aluminium produced – an important point also for the green transition.

Even before the cooperation, the proportion of aluminium in Porsche vehicles was steadily increasing. After all, with its advantageous properties in terms of pliability, low weight and strength, aluminium is proving to be a key element in the transformation of an electric vehicle into a sports car. Today, aluminium already accounts for around 30 per cent of the total weight of the Porsche Taycan, the brand's first all-electric sports car.

Roadmap for the recycling of battery materials

Concept development for building a sustainable battery value chain in Europe is to be an equally important part of the agreement between the two companies: As part of the cooperation they will develop a roadmap for the recycling of battery materials in Europe. A key element of this project is to explore how to build efficient closed-loop solutions for Porsche's EV batteries since the access to sustainably sourced raw materials is a key challenge for the automotive industry. While Porsche is committed to increasing the use of recycled materials in its vehicles, Hydro has extensive experience in recycling battery raw materials, providing valuable input in terms of circular economy and securing supply chains.

The European supply chain for materials essential to battery production is still at an early stage, with recycling in particular expected to play a crucial role in meeting the growing demand for car batteries. Porsche and Hydro are committed to exploring and implementing opportunities for joint contributions in this field. Both companies expect the first feasible results of joint battery recycling in 2025.

Original source Hydro