Voi ramps up on sustainable practices in collaboration with Nordic clean-energy company Fortum

Micromobility operators such as Voi have been maturing fast in the last 2 years, and the sustainability of the service is increasing in rapid pace. As of January 2020, Voi’s service is carbon-neutral in all cities, and in less than two years, the Swedish operator managed to take its scooter lifespan from weeks to months to over 24 months lifespan. Apart from increasing the scooter lifespan, Voi is now shifting to swappable battery scooters in all major markets, allowing for drastically greener operations.

Together with leading clean-energy company, Fortum, Voi is now taking the next step in a close-knit collaboration aimed at increasing the sustainability of Voi’s service ever further. The collaboration can be divided into three parts, and includes all Nordic countries:

1. Recycling of batteries

   Thanks to Fortum’s hydro-metallic process, more than 80% of the batteries can be recycled, and substances like cobalt, manganese and nickel are re-used in the production of new batteries.

2. Operations powered by renewable energy

   The second part includes that not only charging of e scooters, but Voi’s entire Nordic operations, will be powered by 100% fossil-free and renewable hydro power. This energy will be retrieved from one of the water power plants in Ljusnan, Bergvik (Sweden). The power plant has been in use since 1961 and, in a normal year, produces 107 GWh electricity on average.

3. Traceability of recycled materials

   One of the great challenges of the recycling sector is about traceability. Or rather, the lack thereof. Material is often transported through a chain of actors and, in the end, it’s very difficult for a customer to be completely sure whether the material they have sent off for recycling is being handled properly. Recycling regulations and practices vary significantly between countries and regions in the world.

   Fortum believes it’s become increasingly important for both businesses and consumers to be guaranteed that recycling processes are handled in the right way. To be able to guarantee that, the material needs to be traceable through all parts of the value chain, all the way to the point where it re-enters the market as new raw material. Fortum is developing methods to reach such traceability on scale, and the collaboration with Voi Technology is part of this project. The goal is that every shipment from Voi to Fortum will be traceable all the way back to the market as new raw material or fuel.

In this collaboration with Fortum, we aim to reach even greener operational practices and to increase our expertise on recycling and circular economy solutions.

As a Voi rider, you are also an important contributor to a greener city. By choosing Voi instead of a car, by keeping the safety of yourself and others in mind in traffic, and by parking the scooter responsibly so that others may pass and the scooter is not subjected to wear.

Together, we all contribute to future cities made for living – free of noise, pollution and congestion.