Volvo Signs Up 1 GW Offshore Wind Project to Power Ops in Sweden

Sweden-based renewable energy developer Eolus Vind AB has entered into an agreement with Volvo Car AB, under which, Eolus will supply energy to the carmaker from its 1 GW Vastvind offshore wind project. The plant, located off the coast of Gothenburg, will power Volvo’s Torslanda factory in western Sweden. The said project includes a battery project of 50 GWh with Northvolt.

The construction work on the Vastvind offshore wind project will begin in 2027. The project will be commissioned in 2029. Västvind promises the generation of 4-4.5 TWh of clean electricity every year, which will aid electricity needs of the entire city of Gothenburg boasting a population of close to 580,000.

Volvo aspirations

Volvo Cars has set sights on offering electric cars by 2030. The firm aspires to curb carbon footprint  during the complete lifecycle of the car and and access to renewable power will provide support to its goals. “By committing to electricity from offshore wind power outside Hisingen, we want to secure our access to locally produced, renewable electricity at a reasonable cost,” stated Johan Lannering, Head of Strategic Collaborations at the firm.

Torslanda is a significant project by Volvo, boasting yearly production capacity of 300,000 cars.

Volvo has been forging partnerships to push innovation and technology. Among a recent slew of initiatives in this direction, it entered into a partnership with StoreDot, which delves into extreme fast charging (XFC) battery technology for electric vehicles. Optimized battery for next generation Volvo cars will be developed as part of the agreement.

The collaboration, with experts from Volvo Cars and StoreDot working together, will lead to the development of XFC cells which will be optimized and tailored for Volvo’s future electric vehicle architectures.

Renewable energy demand in Western Sweden

The western part of Sweden aspires to become a hub of EVs and battery manufacturing. Gothenburg in Western Sweden, which is also home to the Torslanda plant, has emerged as a centre for several landmark EV related projects. Electric buses have been plying on a bus route in the centre of Gothenburg as far back as 2015.

Research is being undertaken in the region in full swing. Notable among them is an initiative by SEEL (Swedish Electric Transport Laboratory), where Swedish Electric Transport Laboratory academia, institutes, and industry can test vehicles and components for electromobility on a full scale. The facilities are placed in Säve, Borås and Nykvarn. Seel Säve also has a fuel cell lab to facilitate the testing of future fuel cell and hydrogen technologies.