Tag Archives: volvo electric car

Promises, Promises: Electric Pledges From Car Producers

Are you thinking about making the change and getting an electric car? We’re not talking about a hybrid here. No, we’re referring to something quite different, a fully electric car that has no need or use for a petrol engine. Don’t let anyone fool you, these type of cars are still quite rare on the market. However, there is a lot of hope for the future. Many of the biggest car manufacturers are taking huge strides in their commitment to electric cars, and we’re not just talking about hybrids.

It’s interesting to explore the pledges and promises made by car producers. That way, we can analyse how realistic they are and whether we think the company will live up to them. As well as this, it gives us a brilliant look at the future of the auto world and, as we’re about to discover, the future is electric.

Let’s start by thinking about Volvo. The company is taking great strides towards a future based on the electric car.

Volvo Make History

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It’s true, Volvo is the first ever company to commit completely to the idea of electric vehicles. In 2019, every vehicle that Volvo produces will have an electric motor. What does this mean? Well, if you want a traditional type of powered car, you’re going to need to get one second hand, and you can read online here the type of Volvos that you might be buying. However, this also suggests that the car producer realizes how important electric powered cars are going to be. It’s also worth pointing out that the point of making this reality isn’t too far away. It’s amazing to think that in just two years, Volvo will be the first car producer to commit completely to electric. And they will be the first as currently, they are the only company to make this type of commitment.

It is, for many, a new chapter in the history of vehicles and the car industry. Volvo has suggested that this move is to benefit the current demand for electric cars and they are certainly right about that. There are many people who are eager to get their hands on an electric car. However, it’s important to understand that the car in question must fit into their budget and be something that they can rely on. Right now, it’s an either or. Either you have an expensive electric car that performs well. Or, you have a car with a low range that is cheap enough anyone can afford it. The answer? Well, Volvo might provide it with their aim to bring five fully electric cars between 2019 and 2021. The key detail here is that each of these cars is going to fit into different categories and as such, there will be high-performance electric cars that everyone can afford.

We’ll find out in a couple of years whether or not Volvos plans come to fruition. It’s worth pointing out that this isn’t the only major plan from the business in the pipeline. The company is also keen to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities in a Volvo car down to zero by 2025.

Volkswagen’s Electrifying Goal

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Another producer has their own plans for electric cars and would you believe, it’s connected to self-driving vehicles. The company has announced a Together-Strategy 2025. This is simply a plan to commit to both self-driving vehicles and electric vehicles at the same time.

Audi, one of the companies that form the Volkswagen group are seriously aggressive with their stance on self-driving cars (in a good way). In fact, Audi has claimed that by 2020, 30 percent of the cars they produce will be electric. It’s not quite the commitment to the idea Volvo are trying to make, but it’s not a bad start. And, unlike Volvo, they seem to have some concrete plans.

For instance, Audi aims to release something called the I.D in 2020. We don’t know much about this car aside from the fact that it’s fully electric and a nifty little speedster. It won’t be the first electric sports car to grace the market, but if Audi is involved, it could just be one of the best. If you’re interested in autonomous tech, this speedster will supposedly work using lasers on the roof. It all sounds very sci-fi, and we can’t find a way to see how it comes together.

It’s worth pointing out that unlike Volvo this company is in dire need of repairing it’s damaged reputation. After all, it wasn’t too long ago that their supposed ‘clean diesel’ tech wasn’t quite as clean as everyone had hoped.

Ford Thinking SUV

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It’s no surprise that Ford’s pledge for electric is all about the SUV. Ford are well known as the producer of family-friendly vehicles, and there’s nothing more family-friendly than a good old SUV. That’s probably why they have aimed to produce an EV SUV by 2020. But that’s not the big news. The big news is that this beauty will have a range of three hundred miles. That’s pretty good and certainly rivals some of the offerings from Tesla. Though, if we’re fair, we would say Tesla will probably have leapt over that type of range by 2020. The pioneers of auto technology are unlikely to be taken over by Ford, but one can’t help but admire their efforts here.

Daimler

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People who aren’t up to speed on the car industry may not recognize that name. That’s why it’s worth noting that this is the producer working behind the scenes of the Mercedes brand. Mercedes, of course, are known for selling high class, luxurious vehicles and those who can afford them will be pleased to hear that by 2022 the company expects to have 10 EVs on the market. This means they might have more than a company that plans to go all in for electric in the next couple of years.

As we can see then, car producers are taking bold steps to commit to electric cars, and it will be fascinating to see what type of progress they make on keeping these pledges over the next few years.

 

40.1 and 40.2 Concepts Part of Volvo’s Surprise Electrification Plan

Volvo recently announced on July 5th that every car the comes off their production line will be powered at least in part by an electric motor by 2019. This means every new Volvo model will soon be a hybrid (non-plug-in), plug-in hybrid, or plug-in battery electric vehicle.

Currently, Volvo plans to release to fully electric vehicles in 2019, but the details are vague. Both models will use Volvo’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform for smaller cars, which complements the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform used for larger models. This is a modular battery pack/drivetrain setup that can be used in multiple models. The two electric vehicles will based on the V40 crossover utility vehicle and S40 four-door sedan.

Both models look very nice aesthetically, with simple lines and familiar looking front grills.  Now that battery technology has improved, companies don’t need to put so much focus on aerodynamics and rounded front fenders.  I look forward to seeing if Volvo can replicate the reliability and safety track record of their ICE engine vehicle in the electrified world.

July 5th Volvo Press Release:

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 only have an internal combustion engine (ICE) and placing electrification at the core of its future business.

The announcement represents one of the most significant moves by any car maker to embrace electrification and highlights how over a century after the invention of the internal combustion engine electrification is paving the way for a new chapter in automotive history.

“This is about the customer,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive. “People increasingly demand electrified cars and we want to respond to our customers’ current and future needs. You can now pick and choose whichever electrified Volvo you wish.”

Volvo Cars will introduce a portfolio of electrified cars across its model range, embracing fully electric cars, plug in hybrid cars and mild hybrid cars.

It will launch five fully electric cars between 2019 and 2021, three of which will be Volvo models and two of which will be high performance electrified cars from Polestar, Volvo Cars’ performance car arm. Full details of these models will be announced at a later date.

These five cars will be supplemented by a range of petrol and diesel plug in hybrid and mild hybrid 48 volt options on all models, representing one of the broadest electrified car offerings of any car maker.

This means that there will in future be no Volvo cars without an electric motor, as pure ICE cars are gradually phased out and replaced by ICE cars that are enhanced with electrified options.

“This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car,” said Mr Samuelsson. “Volvo Cars has stated that it plans to have sold a total of 1m electrified cars by 2025. When we said it we meant it. This is how we are going to do it.”

The announcement underlines Volvo Cars’ commitment to minimising its environmental impact and making the cities of the future cleaner. Volvo Cars is focused on reducing the carbon emissions of both its products as well as its operations. It aims to have climate neutral manufacturing operations by 2025.

The decision also follows this month’s announcement that Volvo Cars will turn Polestar into a new separately-branded electrified global high performance car company. Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design at Volvo Cars, will lead Polestar as Chief Executive Officer.

Note to editors:

Today’s announcement will be discussed further at a press conference at the Volvo Cars Studio in Stockholm, starting at 13:00 CET today. For media that are unable to attend in person, the press conference can also be followed via an online webcast, accessible HERE. The online webcast offers the possibility to directly ask questions to both Håkan Samuelsson and Henrik Green, Senior Vice President Research & Development at Volvo Cars.