SSAB and Kirchhoff collaborate on fossil-free steel

Swedish company SSAB and German car supplier Kirchhoff Automotive have announced a collaboration on fossil fuel-free steel.
Steel is the main component of cold-formed body parts such as those made by Kirchhoff Automotive in southern Westphalia. Through this collaboration, safety-relevant Kirchhoff components will be produced from SSAB's patented, fossil-free SSAB steel. Earlier this year, the car supplier announced a similar collaboration with ArcelorMittal.

Kirchhoff's crash boxes, bottom beams and cover plates are cold-formed and the individual parts weigh between 300 g and 1.3 kg. Using SSAB Fossil-free Steel, Kirchhoff expects to reduce emissions from front bumper production by up to 40%.

SSAB Fossil-free Steel uses direct reduced iron and is produced without the use of fossil fuels. Instead, biogas and electricity are used without fossil fuels. The quality and properties of this material are the same as steel traditionally produced by SSAB, the steelmaker notes.