Sustainable battery revolution – TIER and Northvolt start partnership to equip e-scooters with greener batteries
February 24, 2021
- Micro-mobility provider TIER and battery maker Northvolt enter into partnership to improve sustainability of e-scooter batteries, to reduce raw material needs and lower associated emissions
- Northvolt is set to manufacture the world’s greenest batteries, upholding a commitment to a minimal carbon footprint and the highest standards for recycling
- The pilot project of 5000 e-scooters is planned to be rolled out by the end of 2021
Berlin/Stockholm, February 24, 2021 – TIER, the European micro-mobility leader, starts a partnership with Northvolt, a leading innovator and supplier of sustainable, high-quality battery cells and systems, to improve the environmental impact of the batteries used for the company’s electric vehicles. A first pilot project will see 5000 TIER scooters equipped with batteries from Northvolt.
TIER strives to set the bar for sustainability in the micro-mobility industry and is continuously pioneering the development of new standards. It was this foundation which motivated the Berlin-based provider to enter a partnership with Northvolt, a Swedish battery supplier that embraces renewable energy, recycling and practices of a circular economy to minimise the environmental impact of its batteries.
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 minimize the carbon and environmental footprint of batteries at every opportunity. At Northvolt, end-of-life batteries are treated as a valuable resource and recycled to provide raw materials for future batteries. Northvolt’s primary manufacturing facility, Northvolt Ett gigafactory, is powered by 100 percent fossil-free energy in northern Sweden. Meanwhile, Northvolt only sources materials from responsible suppliers, ensuring a supply and distribution chain that is free from conflict, child labor, and human rights abuse. The result: the greenest and most sustainable battery in the market.
Lawrence Leuschner, co-founder and CEO of TIER, said: “Sustainability is one of our core values at TIER and I am proud of the goals we have achieved so far. 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, said: “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 5000 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, creating a green energy network which the company hopes can transform urban transport and help to electrify cities.
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About TIER Mobility
TIER Mobility is Europe’s leading provider of micro-mobility with a mission to change mobility for good.
The company is a driving force behind the change in the transport sector, which aims to significantly reduce car traffic in cities by providing people with a wide range of electric vehicles.
As part of its commitment to sustainability, the company has adopted the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guiding framework and has set a clear agenda for reducing and offsetting emissions. As a result of these measures, TIER Mobility has been a climate-neutral company since January 2020.
TIER Mobility operates in 85+ cities in ten countries. The company is headquartered in Berlin and employs about 900 people, with over 30 in its London base, including the British CFO and COO. Founders of the company are Lawrence Leuschner, Matthias Laug and Julian Blessin.
The company’s investors are SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Mubadala Investment Company’s financial investment arm, Mubadala Capital, Northzone, Goodwater Capital, White Star Capital, Novator, RTP Global, Speedinvest and many more. In addition, there are selected business angels and individual investors like Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg.
For more information about TIER Mobility, please visit: tier.app. You can find more pictures here.
ABOUT NORTHVOLT
Northvolt is a European supplier of sustainable, high-quality battery cells and systems. Founded in 2016 to enable the European transition to a decarbonized future, the company has made swift progress on its mission to deliver the world’s greenest lithium-ion battery with a minimal CO2 footprint and has grown to more than 1100 people from over 70 different nationalities at its facilities in Sweden, Germany and Poland. Among Northvolt’s industrial partners and customers are ABB, BMW Group, Scania, Siemens, Vattenfall, Vestas and the Volkswagen Group.
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