Volvo ditching fossil fuel only cars in 2019

thezappa · 9 Jul 2017 at 17:45

Admittedly not the mainstay of petrolheads these days but still. Happened upon this today when I was looking for something unrelated. :

https://www.thegreenage.co.uk/volvo-announce-switch-electric-cars/
Another article here:
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jul/05/volvo-cars-electric-hybrid-2019

With that and France banning all petrol and diesel cars by 2040 (admittedly a long way off). Whatever next. Thoughts?

https://www.theguardian.com/busines...petrol-diesel-cars-2040-emmanuel-macron-volvo

Jokester · 9 Jul 2017 at 17:47

Volvo may have just consigned themselves to car making history completely.

Dav4 · 9 Jul 2017 at 17:57

2019 is abit soon is it not to pull out an all electric line up most places are still way off being fully equiped with enough charging bays when travelling big distances. Considering i have also seen people dumping there normal cars in the paltry selection of charging bays when parking i just think we are nowhere near ready for a big influx of electric cars within a couple of years.

Clarkey · 9 Jul 2017 at 17:59

Didn't read it very well huh. They aren't ditching fossil fuels, they are ditching combustion engine ONLY vehicles.

Dav4 · 9 Jul 2017 at 18:05

yeh did not read it properly first time but they are still bringing out 5 fully electric cars which is a big amount and 2 performance versions from Polestar. Im sorry but either way a performance electric car from Polestar just does not sound exciting. Give me a T5 engine anyday

p1RATE · 9 Jul 2017 at 18:43

Clarkey said:
Didn't read it very well huh. They aren't ditching fossil fuels, they are ditching combustion engine ONLY vehicles.

Can OP fix the thread title?

Lashout_UK · 9 Jul 2017 at 18:54

Got a long way to go to catch up with Toyota and Lexus, haha. Great PR job by Volvo, though.

thezappa · 9 Jul 2017 at 18:55

p1RATE said:
Can OP fix the thread title?

Good point.

[TW]Fox · 9 Jul 2017 at 19:07

This really is the most annoying story ever.

It says all new models not all cars they make. And Volvo have just refreshed pretty much the entire model range and have a very long product lifecycle. It's going to be a very long time before Volvo stops selling petrol or diesel only cars surely.

The last model XC90 was in production for what, 13 years?

And · 9 Jul 2017 at 19:11

All their cars to have an electric powertain (as well as combustion engine) by 2019 and they're spinning of Polestar as a separate brand ('a new separately branded electrified global high-performance car company' according to the press release I saw). Also read soemwhere that something like 25% of the XC60s they sell are hybrids so demand is there. Don't see it consigning Volvo to the history books and honestly think it needs one manufacturer to take this route then others will follow.

[TW]Fox · 9 Jul 2017 at 19:24

And said:
All their cars to have an electric powertain (as well as combustion engine) by 2019

Go on then, where does it say this?

IAmATeaf · 9 Jul 2017 at 19:47

[TW]Fox said:
Go on then, where does it say this?

I'm with you on this, the article just says all cars launched from 2019 will be hybrid or all electric and that for all other models the option for a hybrid will be there. Sounds to me very much like a posturing announcement by them rather than anything radical.

And · 9 Jul 2017 at 22:54

Press release, first par.
"Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, has announced that every Volvo it launches from 2019 will have an electric motor, marking the historic end of cars that have only an internal combustion engine (ICE) and placing electrification at the core of its future business."

Further down.
"Five fully electric cars between 2019-2021... supplemented by a range of petrol and diesel plug-in hybrid and mild-hybrid 48-volt options on all models."

[TW]Fox · 9 Jul 2017 at 22:57

Exactly - every Volvo it launches.

So cars launched previously will still have conventional powertrains until such time as the model is discontinued and replaced. The new XC60 came out a month or two ago, for example, so there won't be another launched for a while..

gEd · 9 Jul 2017 at 23:11

Dav4 said:
yeh did not read it properly first time but they are still bringing out 5 fully electric cars which is a big amount and 2 performance versions from Polestar. Im sorry but either way a performance electric car from Polestar just does not sound exciting. Give me a T5 engine anyday

The only thing that keeps a T5 on the road is a company fuel card and I should know.....!

Nasher · 10 Jul 2017 at 10:18

Lexus have already done this, all their cars are petrol hybrids now. But they are also mega expensive because of it. Unless your doing a lot of miliage we have not got to the point where it's a saving yet.

IAmATeaf · 10 Jul 2017 at 10:32

The hybrids are only suited to certain types of driving, beyond that, for example if running up and down the motorways then you'll always be using the engine, is this not the case, I don't own one but this is certainly what I've read. So realistically the CO2 figures quoted are a bit of fudge in the same way that the current mileage figures quoted by the manufactures are?

Nasher · 10 Jul 2017 at 11:52

Yea the batteries only kick it at low speeds. On a motorway it will be petrol powered. So if your doing mostly motorway traveling it can end up costing more since the cars are very heavy. I think low 40s is what people get from them outside of town.

But it obviously pushes up the average MPG and lowers the average emissions figures. A slight fudge, but you do get more consistent figures in mixed driving.

The whole thing just smells like it's being done to fool the tax man more than any thing else.

Jonnycoupe · 10 Jul 2017 at 15:27

Nasher said:
The whole thing just smells like it's being done to fool the tax man more than any thing else.

Its more to get ready for China and other EV fleet averages.

Batteries dont 'kick in' nor is the electric motors in PHEVs insufficient to offer motorway speeds. The bulk will be 48 Volt MHEVs where the belt driven starter generator simply assists the engine and offers downsizing capability - something Volvo have already committed to with their transverse inline 4 engines only. However look at the XC60 T8 Polestar just launched - 421 bhp should suffice when required.

Orionaut · 10 Jul 2017 at 19:31

Hands up everybody who would be happy with the idea of driving around rural Sweden in the middle of winter in an EV???