Outokumpu says that it already produces stainless steel with almost CO₂-free nickel.
Perhaps. But not everyone can do that. Nickel also has a second important role, namely in battery production. The steel that is used for battery production is nickel-coated. The reason for this is the corrosion environment in the battery. But is this really necessary? The nickel coating comes from the alkaline batteries, which we produced in this way 30 years ago. Do we still need this technology for Li-ion batteries in the batteries in the automotive industry? Is it possible to use a different type of coating for the battery steels could possibly also without nickel and thus significantly reduce the CO2 footprint? These are all discussions that we are having, intensively and in partnership with our customers. This is the only way we can come up with sustainable solutions. That is the key learning of the last few years: none of us can do it alone, we can only do it can only do it together and in partnership.
This means that you cooperate not only with all the major automobile manufacturers, but also with your competitors?
Well, the number of globally active steel manufacturers is very small anyway. The MaaS project of WorldAutoSteel is based on a cooperation at an early stage, long before the competition starts. For example, you submit material data to WorldAutoSteel, and WorldAutoSteel will not tell the other mills whether it is steel type X, Y or Z, and from where it comes. But all together, anonymised in this way, we come closer the truth bit by bit as to whether the types of steel that we produce in an electric arc furnace can do the same the same as blast furnace steel. - And if we come to the conclusion that they do not do it completely, then we have to find answers to the question: How can we mitigate some of the mitigate some of the risks that OEMs face? Because frankly speaking: We all have to give in a little bit.
How do you obtain information about the needs of your of your customers’ customers?
It is primarily up to the OEMs to find out. I was in a webinar some time ago that was about the use of aluminium. A representative of an OEM said that we now have to step up the dialog with our customers and make it clear to them: You can’t have a green vehicle that that does everything it does now. There will have to be compromises. Because the challenge with aluminium, for example, is that is that it is very energy-intensive to produce it in interesting shapes. This OEM may therefore be able to offer its customers box-shaped molds, for example, and get them used to finding them interesting. Get them used to the fact that they also find them interesting.
This still sounds a bit like a swansong to lightweight aluminium construction and a clear victory for green steel in the decarbonisation rally.
There will always be arguments in favor of aluminium in lightweight construction, that speak for the use of aluminium. In general we believe that we also have very good weight-effective solutions with steel. All our projects with WorldAutoSteel show that there is still an option, to find weight-effective solutions in steel. But then the question always arises as to how much lighter the steel solution must be for a given cost point? be? By the way, apart from the price, aluminium is its energy intensity in production from a sustainability perspective not exactly the material of choice. Depending on whether you use a lot of recycled material or whether you produce with coal, that has a certain aftertaste. In other words: We’re getting a completely different game with new rules.
