VOI and Fortum in partnership to improve micro mobility sustainability

With the partnership with Fortum, the aim for VOI is to further increase the sustainability of their operations and create more circular material streams. As part of the partnership, VOI will also power their scooters in the Nordics with 100% fossil free hydro power.

People on electric scooters

-Micro mobility as a sector will grow and with that its sustainability challenge. In the VOI partnership our joint focus is on the sustainability challenge and we are looking forward to this possibility to take significant next steps together, says Per-Oscar Hedman, Communications Manager, Fortum. 

The partnership is based on VOI’s strive to improve sustainability in all parts of their business and combined with Fortum’s strive to rethink the business model of WEEE (waste electric electronic equipment), or E-waste, recycling the collaborations is very promising.

As in other sectors the challenge is to enable traceability throughout the whole process up until the recycled material will re-enter the market as new raw material. The partnership with Fortum will enable VOI to make sure that their vehicles that are deemed beyond repairs and parts that can’t be reused, will be recycled in the best way possible. The aim is to create a process where each batch that goes from VOI to Fortum is fully traceable. It means that VOI can track all the material that has been recycled throughout the process.

-VOI has already taken the first steps with swappable batteries and an increased lifespan of the scooters up to 24 months, with this partnership we’ll take another substantial step says Kristina Hunter Nilsson, Vice President Communications in VOI. 

The partnership also includes lithium-ion battery recycling. Fortum has a unique hydrometallurgical recycling process that allows scarce minerals such as cobalt, manganese and nickel to be recovered. More than 80 % of the battery materials can be recycled and delivered to battery manufacturers for reuse in the production of new batteries.  

Through the system of guarantees of origin, Fortum will also secure that the power used by VOI will be produced by at a specific hydro plant in Sweden.

-The focus on the collaboration is sustainability and circular economy, but both Fortum and VOI has every intention to also manifest our partnership in attractive offers for our customers, says Hedman.

 

Per-Oscar Hedman

Director, Corporate Relations, Sweden
Tel: +46 702 147 545
per-oscar [dot] hedman [at] fortum [dot] com