micromobilitybiz Delivering news updates to the micromobility industry, focusing on e-bikes, e-scooters and green transport
Tier has partnered with Northvolt to improve the environmental impact of batteries used for the company’s electric vehicles.
A first pilot project will see 5,000 Tier scooters equipped with batteries from Northvolt.
The mining of raw materials for batteries and battery manufacturing processes account for the majority of greenhouse gases an e-scooter or an e-vehicle is responsible for over its lifetime. Responding to this, Northvolt’s approach seeks to minimise the carbon and environmental footprint of batteries at ‘every opportunity’.
At Northvolt, end-of-life batteries are recycled to provide raw materials for future batteries. Northvolt’s primary manufacturing facility, Northvolt Ett gigafactory, is powered by 100% fossil-free energy in northern Sweden. The company also said it only sources materials from responsible suppliers.
“Sustainability is one of our core values at Tier and I am proud of the goals we have achieved so far,” said Lawrence Leuschner, CEO and co-founder of Tier. “We are aware that there is still a long journey ahead, especially concerning the sustainable creation and recycling of lithium-ion batteries used for micro-mobility services.
“A partnership with such an innovative and pathbreaking company as Northvolt is therefore all the more important to show that it is possible to use batteries that are manufactured in an environmental and socially responsible form of construction. This is the future.”
Peter Carlsson, co-founder and CEO of Northvolt, added: “Our ambition is to provide the world’s greenest battery for the electromobility markets. In Tier, we have found a like-minded partner that shares many of our values on that journey. We can’t wait to get started and look forward to supporting Tier in their rapid expansion plans.”
The pilot project, including the distribution of batteries for 5,000 e-scooters, is planned to be rolled out by the end of 2021.
The partnership with Northvolt follows Tier’s recent introduction of user-swappable batteries, which allow riders to charge batteries themselves at charging stations in exchange for free rides. This year, Tier will set up 4,500 charging stations within local businesses across Europe.
