Volvo Cars is setting up Mobility Innovation Destination Torslanda, which is a tailored test bed of automotive development near the heart of its operations in Gothenburg, Sweden. This new initiative continues the carmaker’s electrification journey and advancement of its next generation of premium electric cars.
The innovation centre will allow Volvo Cars to test emerging technologies in an environment designed to emulate the future society that it envisions its cars to be part of. So rather than developing technologies like wireless car charging, vehicle-to-grid bi-directional charging and self-driving capabilities solely in labs and development centres, the strategy of setting up the mobility innovation centre is to also be able to test, validate and deploy its innovations in a city-like environment.
Alongside new buildings and facilities for testing, engineering and materials, there is a plan to expand the Volvo Cars’ campus in Torslanda, Gothenburg, to house start-ups and business partners.
“With this initiative we aim to create an ecosystem where we can develop the future of mobility – including cars, the technology inside of them and the infrastructure around them, all hand in hand,” said Jim Rowan, chief executive of Volvo Cars. “Our ambition is to pioneer technology, attract global talent and connect with other cutting-edge businesses.”
The project’s sustainability targets are ambitious. The first new construction of 25,000 square metres will be dedicated for Volvo Cars’ sole use and is a wood hybrid, which reduces the carbon footprint by 15 percent compared to a traditional frame of steel and concrete. The construction is planned to start in the second quarter of 2024 and the first building is expected to be finished by 2026, in time for Volvo Cars’ one-hundred-year anniversary in 2027.
Together with a recently opened software test centre, the area has a strong engineering presence including a manufacturing plant, design centre and test and development facilities including a pilot plant, battery lab, wind tunnels, safety centre with crash test labs. A new battery plant by Novo, Volvo’s joint venture with Northvolt, is also under construction. In 2022, Volvo Cars had announcd plans to invest SEK 10 billion in the Torslanda plant for next-generation fully electric car production, including the introduction of mega casting of aluminium body parts, a new battery assembly plant and fully refurbished paint and final assembly shops.
Part of a larger ecosystem
Mobility Innovation Destination Torslanda will join the growing list of Volvo Cars’ physical locations around the world, including its recently opened software testing centre in Gothenburg and multiple Tech Hubs.
The company operates tech hubs in Sweden (Stockholm and Lund), Poland (Krakow), India (Bangalore) and Singapore. It also have engineering centres in Gothenburg, Sweden and in Shanghai, China. While each of these locations has its own focus, together they represent a crucial network of strategically located innovation centres.