German carmaker Mercedes Benz may utilize fossil-free steel produced by Swedish steelmaker SSAB to produce its vehicles. The former plans to provide the first prototypes of vehicle body shells made with this steel, in 2022.
The steel will be manufactured through SSAB’s HYBRIT system, which uses electricity and hydrogen as a replacement for coking coal which the steelmaker intends to sell commercially by 2026.
HYBRIT technology eliminates carbon emissions in steelmaking and as such, aided by this partnership, Mercedes-Benz’s new passenger vehicle fleet hopes to achieve carbon neutrality, across the products’ overall life cycle, by 2039. This collaboration follows SSAB partnering with Volvo in June to develop fossil-free steel to be used in the automotive industry.