2022-02-08: Northvolt and Volvo Cars’ announcement of a new battery factory to be constructed in Gothenburg is fantastic news – for several reasons. The factory will contribute to employment in western Sweden and strengthen the electrification work taking place at Volvo Cars, the wider vehicle industry and society as a whole. It is also a confirmation of Gothenburg as a competitive and well-located city with world-class conditions for close collaboration between business, academia and the public sector.
A crucial prerequisite for industrial development and production is skills supply. A large proportion of the employees who will eventually work at the battery factory and in surrounding research and development roles will be engineers and researchers with cutting edge skills.
Chalmers has a key role to play here, in the form of newly graduated engineers from our strong selection of foundational education programmes, but also through our alumni and others at different stages of their professional lives, who are looking to sharpen their skills. We are ready to take the next steps into the future – both independently and with other universities.
Chalmers already conducts world-class battery research, and we look forward to deepening our research collaborations with Northvolt and Volvo Cars.
Gothenburg is perhaps Europe’s strongest region for electrification of vehicles, with electric cars, boats, trucks, buses, working vehicles, ferries, and aeroplanes all in evidence. A successful transition to an electric future will allow climate adaptation works to accelerate and help our society become, quite simply, more sustainable. Chalmers’ role is to be an engine itself and make this transition possible – and thereby contribute to a more sustainable future.
Stefan Bengtsson, President and CEO for Chalmers University of Technology
Under the headline "President’s perspective" Stefan Bengtsson, President and CEO for Chalmers University of Technology, shares his reflections on current topics that concern education, research and utilisation.