Sweden. AstaZero AB
| Date of agreement: | 20 Dec 2021 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Sweden |
| Customer: | AstaZero AB |
| Amount in SEK: | SEK 50 million |
| Amount in EUR: | EUR 4.9 million |
| Maturity: | 10 years |
| NACE sector / loan type: | Supporting and auxiliary transport activities |
Project
The loan has been provided to finance investments in AstaZero’s testing site in Sandhult, Sweden.
AstaZero’s testing environment is open to vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, regulators, road authorities, universities and technical institutes for product development and research in the field of advanced traffic safety and sustainable automation solutions.
The loan provides financing for investments in the continuous development of AstaZero’s testing site, supporting the research activities of the rapidly developing automotive and traffic infrastructure sector in Sweden.
The main development trends in the automotive sector consist of electrification and connectivity as well as an increase in autonomous safety and driving systems. With the development cycles of the automotive industry constantly decreasing over time, the testing sites need to be able to serve the industry’s increasing need for accessibility to test environments.
AstaZero is owned by the Chalmers University of Technology and the state research institute Rise, and here research is also conducted by various universities and institutes. The focus of the research conducted at AstaZero comprises active safety technology, loss prevention solutions and the development of intelligent vehicles and traffic systems. The company is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Fulfilment of NIB's mandate
Productivity:
The investments are significant to the company, adding to the company’s fixed assets and widening the scope of the testing services to match demand originating from emerging technologies in active safety systems and applications to new vehicle segments.
The company seeks to upgrade its service offerings based on testing needs that follow from technological development in the industry. The main development trends in the automotive sector consist of electrification, connectivity as well as increase in autonomous safety and driving systems. The investments and operations of AstaZero support the development activities in the latter three trends, where the need for testing increases exponentially with new functionalities.
Environment:
No significant environmental benefits are expected due to the project.
