Northvolt

Determined in pursuit of its ambitions to serve European automakers and establish an unprecedented blueprint for sustainable battery manufacturing, this morning we confirm that Northvolt has filed for bankruptcy in Stockholm, Sweden. Tom Johnstone, Interim Chairman of Northvolt’s Board of Directors, commented: “We are hopeful that the outreach we have undertaken with potential investors during the Chapter 11 process will accelerate identifying the necessary financing to allow continued trading under the Swedish bankruptcy process. The passion, dedication, and innovation of our team has been nothing short of extraordinary, and we deeply regret that there is not a different path forward. I want to extend my strongest gratitude to our employees, customers, suppliers, investors, and partners who believed in Northvolt’s mission. I also want to extend the same gratitude for all the support we received from the communities in Skellefteå and Västerås.” Tom Johnstone concluded: “We are hopeful that the foundation we built — the technology, the expertise, and the commitment to sustainability — will continue to drive change in the industry.” A full press release is available below ↓ https://lnkd.in/d9pGcuxb

Yesterday afternoon, we took some time out to listen to a special digital panel on International Women’s Day. The panel featured four remarkable female leaders from our company: Jamie Wolfe (Northvolt Ett and Six), Jennie Söderlund (Northvolt Labs), Tina Benjamin-Lea MIEx (Northvolt Drei), and Pia Aaltonen-Forsell (CFO and company leadership). The panel offered powerful insights into the challenges and opportunities of leading in a male-dominated field, as well as perspectives from decades of collective experience on building more inclusive teams and supporting and inspiring the next generation of women in the industry. Our thanks to Jamie, Jennie, Tine and Pia for taking the time, and to all who joined the event! 

As we work with unrelenting determination on the task of ramping up production capacity, we're proud to share the news that we've now delivered over 1 million high-performance lithium-ion battery cells produced at Northvolt Ett gigafactory. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this milestone, in particularly the incredible production team in Skellefteå, Sweden. To mark the moment, we ran the numbers to add some context on the difference that these battery cells can make, once they get into vehicles and out onto the road ↓

Today, we confirm that Northvolt has signed a Sale and Purchase Agreement with a third-party for the acquisition of Northvolt Systems Industrial — a developer and manufacturer of battery systems for the heavy industry and off-highway market segments established in 2018. Following the acquisition, Northvolt Systems Industrial operations will continue, and orders contracted for the year 2025 will be executed as planned. Elin Åkerström, Vice President Northvolt Systems Industrial, commented: “We are pleased to have arrived at this agreement which aims towards securing a bright future for the people, technology and products of Northvolt Systems Industrial. In a short time, we have built a team of experienced experts who have developed prototypes from the ground up and integrated an advanced portfolio of industry-leading products into serial production. We have sold over 3,300 of our Voltpack Core products and achieved approximately 10 million hours of runtime for individual battery packs. I’m excited to see the continued growth and development of Systems Industrial as a result of this acquisition." Matthias Arleth, Northvolt Chief Operating Officer, commented: “The transaction is one more important milestone reached on our path to focus the company. Step by step we are getting closer to the sustainable and stable platform that is required for our future success.” Full press release ↓ https://lnkd.in/d_SDstMf

Sweden needs a competence and training centre for battery production. That was the position presented at a hearing in Sweden’s Parliament held on 29 January, at which Sami Haikala, CEO of Northvolt Labs, was a guest speaker alongside representatives from Alstom, Hitachi Energi, Mälardalens Universitet and others. Sharing perspective with Members of Parliament, representatives of business, academy and regional government, Sami commented: “We placed Northvolt Labs in Västerås due to the city’s industrial history and engineering talent. To this existing tradition and strength we have added to the region new competence within battery development and production. A battery training center would leverage this even further.” 

Fantastic to see some of the great work being undertaken at Scania Group battery module production facility, which plays a key role in development of sustainable transport solutions.

A commitment to sustainability — our constant in times of change // Northvolt’s strategic review led to a significant shift in our business operations and scope of ambition. Something that remains unchanged, however, is our commitment to set a standard for sustainability in the battery industry.   Our decision to pause in-house production of cathode active material as we seek partners for this business does carry implications for our sustainability roadmap. Here we share some insight on how we’re approaching the issue of sourcing cathode material for battery production and tackling challenges head-on as we step up to continue our work to establish a sustainable and transparent battery industry.   Full post → https://lnkd.in/dVUCTBXN

Today, Paolo Cerruti, co-founder of Northvolt, addressed our team in Montreal, Canada, to announce his decision to step aside as CEO of Northvolt North America. He will continue to support our Canadian operations as Chairman of the Board of the Canadian entity.     As we thank Paolo for all he has committed to Northvolt since its earliest days and his immense contributions to the company, we are pleased to welcome Karen Chang as Interim CEO of Northvolt North America, and Jose Diaz as Interim Chief Operating Officer.     Their leadership will help us build on the strong foundation of talented people we have in Montreal and take the project to new heights. With Paolo’s continued guidance as Chairman and the expertise of Karen and Jose, we are excited to move forward and drive the success of Northvolt Six in Quebec. At the same time, we acknowledge that Daniela Maniaci will be stepping down from her role as Chief People Officer. Malin Knave will step in as interim Chief People & Growth Officer as we search for a permanent successor. We thank Daniela for playing a key role in shaping Northvolt from a company of fewer than 100 people and we wish her the very best for the future. Press release covering Leadership transition at Northvolt North America ↓ https://lnkd.in/dx53nGTG

Today we announce that Volvo Cars and Northvolt have signed a share purchase agreement relating to Northvolt’s shares in NOVO Energy, leading to Volvo Cars taking full ownership. At the same time, we are pleased to highlight that the two companies have also signed a framework agreement to explore potential future supply opportunities surrounding Northvolt North America. Full press release → https://lnkd.in/dz7kTHKr

Progress update from Northvolt Germany → While the piling rigs around the gigafactory construction site in northern Germany are hard to miss, the crucial foundation work they are performing often goes unnoticed. To date, over 6,500 piles have been drilled using a vibration-free and low-noise technique that's completely ramming-free. Since late summer 2024, the work has been supported by an on-site concrete batching plant which has enhanced efficiency and reduced traffic around the local area.