Application Technology

In 2022, electric car manufacturer Polestar and Bulten began a collaboration running up to 2030, in which Bulten will provide fasteners produced in a climate neutral value chain, in order to make the Polestar 0 the world’s first climate neutral electric car.

Andreas Josefsson, key account manager at Bulten, felt it only natural that Bulten should be involved with Polestar 0. “We already have so many aspects in place – sustainable manufacturing processes, access to renewable energy supply, and for several years now, a focus on sustainability in our production chain. We can benefit from the fact that we made the transition to sustainability early on.” 

The unique project challenges the early stages of the traditional development process. Polestar has set the project up on a networking basis, with involved parties working together and identifying joint solutions that meet the challenges inherent in the climate neutrality requirement. This places some tough demands on the project parties, but it is also a unique opportunity to be involved in tomorrow’s automotive manufacturing, today.

“We will need to think along new lines. The key to success in the project is the fact that Bulten is involved early on in the process, right from the development stage,” points out Emmy Pavlovic, SVP technology and innovation at Bulten. “We are convinced that we can use our experience and expertise, while also suggesting innovative solutions that lead to the best possible delivery given the need for climate neutrality. Essentially, Polestar 0 highlights the problems that we can best solve together, such as the challenge the industry is facing regarding surface treatment. We can’t all sit and think in isolation, we have to work together – just as we are doing in this project.”

Polestar 0 is currently in its first phase, research and pilot study, and for Bulten the team initially comprises of expertise in sustainability and innovation. In these early stages, a lot of time is also devoted to establishing a relationship with Polestar, and on collecting data and mapping Bulten’s emission points in its current production process. With time, more parts of the organisation will be brought in, eventually involving expertise from the entire value chain – something Emmy regards as a strength: “Above all, I think that this project will be important internally. It will be clear to everyone just what we can achieve together and that we’re helping to make sure that the world’s first climate neutral electric car leaves the drawing board and actually gets made.”