Sustainable rare earths and magnets firm Pensana is teaming up with Polestar, Volvo’s EV division, to build the world’s first climate-neutral car by 2030, investors learned this morning.

Using climate-friendly metals to eliminate all greenhouse gases emitted when digging up raw materials, are the goals of the multi-partner venture in car-making.

Eliminating – and not merely reducing – all carbon emissions during the vehicle’s production and working life, is the project’s central challenge.

Volvo, now owned along with Lotus and Proton by Chinese firm Geely, was first among global volume car builders with its 2017 declaration that it would cease building internal-combustion powered cars from 2019.

At the Saltend Chemical Park in the Humber freeport, pictured, London-based Pensana broke ground in August on its own UK hub for refining ultra-low carbon rare earths and magnetisable metals.  High-value ores will be shipped into Humberside from a state-of-the-art mine powered by hydro-electricity at Longonjo in Angola.

Pensana’s chairman Paul Atherley commented: “We are absolutely delighted to collaborate with Polestar and its partners on the Polestar 0 project which is aiming to unlock the full potential of electric vehicles by creating the world’s first climate-neutral car.

“We believe that the Polestar 0 will set the standard for the electric vehicle industry”, Atherley declared.

“This is a truly innovative project which needs an independent and sustainable supply of rare earths.  We are very much looking forward to Pensana playing its part in redefining the future of electric vehicle manufacture.”

Hans Pehrson, leader of the Polestar 0 project, commented “Pensana’s expertise in rare earth supply, including mining, will be invaluable in our mission and will play an integral role in pioneering new and innovative technologies to achieve what has so far been impossible.”

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