German micromobility company Tier has teamed up with Northvolt, a Swedish supplier of battery cells and systems, to improve the sustainability of e-scooter batteries, reduce raw material needs and lower associated emissions.
A first pilot project will see 5,000 Tier e-scooters equipped with batteries from Northvolt by the end of 2021.
Northvolt’s batteries are produced using totally renewable energy and the company has developed a method of recycling old batteries to create new ones, to minimise their environmental impact.
Lawrence Leuschner, co-founder and CEO of Tier, said: “Sustainability is one of our core values at Tier and I am proud of the goals we have achieved so far. We are aware that there is still a long journey ahead, especially concerning the sustainable creation and recycling of lithium-ion batteries used for micro-mobility services.
“A partnership with such an innovative and pathbreaking company as Northvolt is therefore all the more important to show that it is possible to use batteries that are manufactured in an environmental and socially responsible form of construction. This is the future.”
The tie-up with Northvolt follows Tier’s recent introduction of user-swappable batteries, which allow riders to charge batteries themselves at charging stations in exchange for free rides. This year Tier will set up 4,500 charging stations within local businesses across Europe.
