In a unique collaboration combining automotive innovation and industrial transformation, Mercedes-Benz and Hydro recently completed a road trip from Oslo to Årdal. The goal was not just to test the all-new electric Mercedes-Benz CLA, but to trace the origin of the low-carbon aluminium the car is made from.
The road trip marked a symbolic return for the all-new electric CLA, which contains Hydro REDUXA 3.0 aluminium produced at Hydro’s smelter in Årdal.
The smelter in Årdal, located between high mountains and fjords, and powered by renewable hydropower, produces Hydro’s low-carbon aluminium Hydro REDUXA, also mixing post-consumer scrap into the primary production process. That gives the aluminium from Årdal a carbon footprint of just 3.0 kg CO₂ per kg aluminium, compared to the global average of 14.8 kg CO2 per kg aluminium – a reduction of nearly 80 per cent.
Rather than showcasing the CLA in a showroom, Mercedes-Benz and Hydro brought the car back to its roots – inside the electrolysis hall in Årdal, where the metal for the car is made. The visit highlighted the people behind the process: operators, engineers and apprentices whose expertise ensures quality and precision at every step.
Since 2022, Hydro and Mercedes-Benz have worked together in a strategic technology partnership aimed at decarbonising the automotive value chain. Central to this effort is transparency and traceability — from responsible bauxite mining and alumina refining in Brazil, to low-carbon smelting in Norway. By managing the full aluminium process, Hydro is able to cut emissions throughout the chain and offer end-to-end visibility — from extraction to end product.
By connecting the dots between cleaner materials and renewable energy, Hydro and Mercedes-Benz are demonstrating how responsible sourcing and low-carbon production play a central role in the transition to net-zero – long before a car reaches the road.
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In total, six of the all-new electric Mercedes-Benz CLA, with selected media and participants from Mercedes-Benz and Hydro behind the wheel, drove the 700 kilometres from Norway's capital Oslo to the smelter in Årdal and back.
Note: This article has been issued by Norsk Hydro and has been published by AL Circle with its original information without any modifications or edits to the core subject/data.
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