Along with its partners, ZF continues to drive the decarbonization of mobility forward as the first tier 1 supplier group in the automotive industry to participate in the “Polestar 0 Project”. The Swedish automaker’s initiative aims to create a fully climate neutral vehicle by 2030. The main goal is to avoid emissions throughout the entire vehicle life cycle — not to compensate for them by planting trees or buying emission credits. 

Development of a production-ready, completely climate neutral passenger car by 2030 will begin following a preliminary development phase of just under three years. Polestar, founded by Volvo and Geely, is focusing on fundamental cooperation across industries to address the net zero emissions challenge. The electric vehicle manufacturer is currently forming a collaboration between automotive industry suppliers, research institutions, start-ups, investors, governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Project supports ZF’s roadmap to climate neutrality

ZF is one of the first and largest technology groups in the automotive industry to decide to participate. “The Polestar 0 Project is a fantastic moonshot initiative. ZF supports it with enthusiasm because it perfectly complements our own holistic climate protection program,” says Stephan von Schuckmann, Member of the ZF Board of Management and responsible for the Electrified Powertrain Technology division. “ZF’s program includes all dimensions, from procuring materials to manufacturing to the complete life cycle of all our products. By 2040 ZF will become truly climate neutral.”

ZF is using its entry into the “Polestar 0 Project” as an opportunity to expand its own ecosystem of partnerships around the topic of sustainability. Working with universities, suppliers and start-ups, the group will create standards that make a measurable contribution to reducing emissions and conserving resources. To concretely contribute to the “Polestar 0 Project”, ZF will initially focus on developing, sourcing, and producing electric drivetrains that aspire to meet maximal sustainability targets. As a further valuable contribution, the group is also offering its systems expertise and the most comprehensive product range in the industry, covering not only drivetrain technology but also chassis technology, as well as active and passive safety technology.

Real emission avoidance instead of compensation

The “Polestar 0 Project” focuses on real emissions avoidance rather than compensation through the purchase of emission credits. It is the first overarching initiative of its kind.

“We’re excited to announce that ZF has expressed interest to collaborate on the Polestar 0 project. The intended collaboration will aim to find fossil-free automotive system solutions, including the end-of-life phase, to produce a climate-neutral car by 2030. Our joint research task will investigate the Complete Electric Drive to find out which type has the potential to achieve net zero manufacturing. Our aligned strive to fossil-free solutions will enable us to explore other areas and components as we progress with the net-zero build of the car,” says Thomas Ingenlath, CEO Polestar.

Solutions developed as part of the “Polestar 0 Project” could have an impact far beyond the automotive sector. New, lower-emission manufacturing processes for materials such as glass, steel and aluminum could contribute to the decarbonization of further industries and correspondingly benefit society as a whole.