Shape builds bumpers from SSAB ‘fossil-free’ steel

SSAB is partnering with Michigan-based automotive technology supplier Shape Corp. to build bumpers constructed from SSAB’s “fossil-free” steel product line up.

SSAB and Shape said last year they were partnering to test fossil-free steel for automotive body structures (see Kallanish passim).

The Swedish steelmaker will utilise hydrogen breakthrough iron making technology (HYBRIT) to replace traditional steel production techniques with hydrogen-based alternatives that lower the company’s carbon emissions.

Kallanish understands that SSAB and Shape Corp. have together rolled the world’s first formed martensitic steel bumper made with low-carbon steel. The HYBRIT technology was developed jointly by SSAB alongside its fellow Swedish companies, LKAB and Vattenfall.

“We are excited to see these results of our partnership with Shape, and look forward to taking it even further. Demand for fossil-free steel is increasing, and it’s gratifying that we can join forces with our customers to decrease the carbon footprint in the value chain and help mitigate climate change,” explains SSAB head of sustainable business Thomas Hörnfeldt.

SSAB plans to fully ramp-up production of its HYBRIT steel line up to commercial-scale by 2026. The company recently announced a partnership with BE Group to supply steel from its “fossil-free” steel product line-up to the Baltic steel service provider.

“We are thrilled to take this significant step toward applying this steel on vehicles, marking a new era in sustainable manufacturing. Our material characterisation activity ensures that the performance of this fossil-free steel matches that of the incumbent steelmaking process,” adds Shape Corp. project manager Brian Oxley.

Shape Corp. estimates that SSAB’s HYBRIT steel will lower the carbon emissions released from the production of its steel bumpers by nearly 90% as compared to using steel product made by conventional steelmaking practices. The company says this amounts to nearly 20 kilograms of CO2 emissions per commissioned part.

Zach Johnson USA