Volvo to sell ONLY (mild) hybrids and EVs by 2019

[Daox]

Sounds pretty progressive especially for Volvo who I don't really think of as a progressive auto maker. But, this should be interesting! Two years to replace their entire lineup!

Volvo is done with entirely traditional engines and exclusively gas-powered vehicles, the company announced. By 2019, Volvo group intends to offer only either fully electric or hybrid engines on all new models, making it the first automaker to commit to using only alternative drive trains.

Of course the last statement excludes Tesla and other EV/hybrid only startups. But, it certainly looks like they're taking ideas from Tesla...

Volvo also announced it would launch five new electric and hybrid cars between 2019 and 2021, and that two of those will be made by Polestar, which the company recently announced would become its own subsidiary and brand selling performance EVs, likely to compete with high-end Tesla models.

Full article:

https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/05/vo...rting-in-2019/

[Daox]

This article says they'll be using mild hybrids which makes things seem a lot more possible:

Every Volvo introduced after 2019 will be a hybrid or EV - Autoblog

The era of Volvos powered purely by internal combustion is nearly over. The company announced this morning that from 2019 on, every single new model introduced will be electrified in some way. This includes full EVs, plug-in hybrids, and 48-volt mild hybrid.

[Fat Charlie]

It's a good move to simplify the lineup, similar to (but better than) BMW's recent announcement- one report said that their 5 Series diesel was dropping from 5 engine offerings to four.

Like back in 2011 when Chrysler went from fielding 6 (that I can think of off the tom pg my head) V6 engines at the same time to replacing them all with the 3.6. That's a lot of duplication of effort that ended. Hopefully Volvo will wind up with fewer gas engine types in their hybrid lineup as well.

[JockoT]

China is big on hybrid and electric vehicles, and of course Volvo is now Chinese.

[Fingie]

Volvo has pretty much free hands though.

And they'll continue to use the 2.0, I-4 for a long time to come

[MetroMPG]

The mainstream media is sure running with the "Volvo going electric" headline.

I had a non-car-person relative ask me if I'd seen the news about electric-only Volvos. I replied: they'll be bankrupt in a couple of years if that's true!

A 48V belt-alternator-starter system will probably make up the bulk of their efforts.

[Hersbird]

The headline I saw said something about the end of the ICE at Volvo. Then the next sentence said hybrids. Makes me wonder what the other part of the hybrid would be? Maybe a sail and an electric motor. Maybe nuclear/electric like a US submarine. Right now all their cars are hybrids... sometimes they run with the engine, and sometimes you have to push them along the side of the road.

[oldtamiyaphile]

In 2007 Smart relased the Micro Hybrid Drive. By those standards pretty much every car out of Europe is already a Hybrid.

[MJamson]

And the announcement has come about a week after Geely announced to open a technology centre 10 km from the Volvo factory.

Geely invests in Sweden <-the best I could quickly find in English

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

They might eventually turn to full-hybrids at some moment, but that move toward mild-hybrids doesn't really surprise me.