Alstom broke ground on a green e-mobility innovation centre in Västerås, on the shore of the Lake Mälaren which contributes to the ongoing transition to electrified transport and creates the need for additional testing capacity. The centre is expected to be completed by 2023.
“With its geographic location, proximity to companies in the area, and ties to Mälardalen University, Västerås is the perfect place for this initiative. Additionally, Sweden is at the forefront of the ongoing green transition. The centre is meant to serve as a hub for the exchange of ideas and a place where companies can develop and test new sustainable mobility innovations,” Rob Whyte, Managing Director of Alstom Nordics said.
The core of the new centre’s operations will be the opening of Alstom’s lab in Västerås to external parties interested in testing and developing electrical drive systems. With this project, Alstom will help to accelerate the transition to an emission-free future through cross-industry collaboration. The climate-smart mobility innovations of the future will result from cross-fertilizations between industry, universities, and start-ups.
“Sweden is in the middle of a green transition. But the electrification of road and construction vehicles requires competence that is relatively limited in Sweden. Cross-fertilization between industries is therefore necessary to accelerate the process,” Rob Whyte explains.
The e-mobility innovation centre has already begun operations prior to the official ground-breaking ceremony. Alstom has invited external users into the testing lab and started collaborating with e-mobility start-ups.
In Sweden, Alstom has global development centres for drive, control, and signalling systems in Västerås and Stockholm. Among other innovations, the new energy-efficient silicon carbide-based drive system technology demonstrated in the Stockholm subway in 2018 has its origin in Västerås.
In August 2020, the Coradia iLint hydrogen train entered a 2-day test in Östersund to show its capabilities and to underline the benefits of the sustainable mobility.
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