Vitesco Technologies, a leading international supplier of modern powertrain technologies and electric mobility solutions, has joined the Polestar 0 project, an initiative to create the world’s first completely climate-neutral vehicle. (Earlier post.)

Vitesco Technologies has been selected as a collaboration partner to develop the power electronics with the target to achieve a zero-carbon emissions inverter for the production vehicle application in 2030.

Vitesco Technologies with its know-how will be able to make a major contribution to this ambitious goal for moving the industry toward complete carbon-neutrality. At the same time, we see the Polestar 0 project as far more than just a milestone on the road to climate neutrality. In our eyes, it is also an exciting pilot project for entirely new forms of collaboration in open networks.

—Andreas Wolf, CEO of Vitesco Technologies

Vitesco Technologies has set the goal of being carbon-neutral across its entire value chain by 2040. This means, not least, making all products climate-neutral step by step. Vitesco Technologies already has more than eight years of experience in the field of lifecycle assessment. The company will share this extensive know-how through the Polestar 0 project.

A wide range of institutions are collaborating together in an unprecedented open network to support this initiative: Research institutes, investors, government organizations and companies—large automotive groups and suppliers as well as small start-ups. Together, they aim to identify and eliminate all climate-damaging factors in the lifecycle without exception: from raw material extraction, material processing and production to transport and product disposal.

Vitesco Technologies has several projects already underway in which cross-functional teams are developing appropriate processes, structures, methods, tools and use cases for specific products and components. One example is the Circular Electronics project to achieve complete recyclability of electronic components.

For the power electronics in the Polestar 0 project alone, we are analyzing around 10 sub-assemblies with more than 1,000 components. Furthermore, we are examining the use of natural fibers and biologically produced plastics, to name just one of the many aspects of this research project. We are very confident that Vitesco Technologies will be able to make a significant contribution to the Polestar 0 project and derive a key benefit of this collaboration by enhancing our development and manufacturing capabilities. We will continue to take leading and decisive actions on sustainability within our design, manufacturing, value chain and products.

—Mike Brighton, project manager at Vitesco Technologies