Volvo to go all electric in 2019

[Mr Quatro]

This is big news ... they've been building cars since 1927

http://www.latimes.com/business/auto...705-story.html

Volvo will begin producing electric motors on all its cars starting in 2019, becoming the first traditional automaker to forgo the combustion engine altogether.

That reads all of it's cars

Volvo, which since 2010 has been owned by Chinese firm Geely, will launch five fully electric cars between 2019 and 2021.

[Schroeder]

Pretty stupid move in my opinion. While electric mobility is on the rise there is still a severe lack of infrastructure to recharge vehicles away from home, making them rather useless for people who travel a lot like those businessmen that often drive Volvos....

[STEED]

Not the smartest move, sell my shares all of them.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

From OP's link:

"This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion-engine-powered car," Volvo Chief Executive Hakan Samuelsson said in a conference call with reporters. "People increasingly demand electrified cars, and we want to respond to our customers' current and future needs."

...and

The Volvo news does not signal the end of the internal combustion engine. The company’s definition of electrified includes mild hybrid cars — vehicles with small electric motors that allow traditional gasoline and diesel engines to turn off at stop lights and get the vehicles moving again before the engines restart.

...which means hybrids and pure-electric cars for now. Volvo cars with internal combustion engines are not disappearing in 2019.

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by kraznyi_oktjabr

From OP's link:
...and
...which means hybrids and pure-electric cars for now. Volvo cars with internal combustion engines are not disappearing in 2019.

That's what I thought at first too, but that doesn't match:

Volvo will begin producing electric motors on all its cars starting in 2019, becoming the first traditional automaker to forgo the combustion engine altogether.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

That's what I thought at first too, but that doesn't match:

Good point. Whatever the correct answer is, the reporter has screwed up in presentation of facts.

[Gargamel]

They are doing this ti get under the EU emissions limits that are looming in the not so distant future. As mentioned, and in the articles I've read, they will still be producing internal combustion engines, jsut that they will be matched up with a electric motor to make some hybrid cars, along with all electric ones.

I think this is a wonderful move. The conversion from gas to electric has been a chicken or egg scenario for too long. Manufacturers have been reluctant because the infrastructure is pretty weak to accommodate electric cars, and the "infrastructure industry" (???) has been reluctant to build the infrastructure because the demand isn't there yet.

If this is the first domino to fall in going towards the majority of vehicles being predominately renewable energy supplied, I'm all for it.

I'm just hoping (lol) that they will retrofit my 2004 s60.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

The Guardian says that pure internal combustion cars are going, hybrid range is expanding and new pure electric models come in 2019.

[Skybird]

Every six months, they say, a new battery generation gets iout of the bloick, that emans the most costly item aboard electric cars looses its value in record time. When people try to resellt heir old cars after 4, 5 years, they will curse.

This, and the still not really practical range these cars have under real world conditions , and in countries the almost non existinmg infrastructure for electric charging, imo make it a silly decision to buy such a car. Makes sense only, maybe for companies doing dsriving businesses withoin limited city perimeters.

In Germany, sales are hilariously low, although there is a state-support program of 4000 Euros per car. People just do not want these things so far. 4000 Euros cannot compensate for lackign range and lacking charging - and those there are, have a multitude of various standards. And there are four dozen card-payment models for them. that yiou have two or three such cards doe snot mean that oyu can use them for payment at the charging station you happened to have found...

Diesel seesm to be a past thing as well, so: if needing a car now, still go normal gas, I say. I would not buy an electric car now.

BTW, there are model calculations showing that electric cars in no way are so much more ecologic like is claimed, when you consider the ecologic costs of their production as well. Especially the Tesla cars, often claimed to be the spearhead of development, score especially bad amongst electric car brands when it comes to calculate not just running costs, but the ecologic fingerprint of production as well.

There is quite some surrogate religion in all this.

[mapuc]

Throughout the years I have learned that batteries is depending on how the weather is. If it's cold the battery perform bad and very good at temp 20-25.

From a friends friend on FB I have also learned that on a good day, you can drive about 70-80 km, before charging the battery-He has a Tesla.

I think they should work on creating better batteries before going all in on electric cars.

Some years ago I read something about NANO-based batteries and virus-based batteries(developed by MIT). Don't know if those batteries will be in our cars in the future.

Markus

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

Originally Posted by mapuc

Throughout the years I have learned that batteries is depending on how the weather is. If it's cold the battery perform bad and very good at temp 20-25.

That is correct and has been major trouble with electrifying public transit buses here in Finland. Most of the year outdoor air temperatures are way below 20 degress Celsius, in January temperatures in Lapland dropped to -41 degrees Celsius for couple of days.

Solution? Provide good insulation and use small amount of electricity to keep batteries temperature at optimal level. That has reportedly worked with transit bus but I don't know what was required to achieve sucess nor how well it would work in private car.

I think they should work on creating better batteries before going all in on electric cars.

This statement begs for a question: When batteries would be sufficiently advanced to be used in cars then?

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by kraznyi_oktjabr

This statement begs for a question: When batteries would be sufficiently advanced to be used in cars then?

- When you can travelk from Munich to Hamburg on an average weather day without needing to plan four ofd five stops for recharging in advance - and then getting stranded due to incompatible charging stations and messy payment models preventing you from charging your battery. Munich Hamburg with just one stop - no matter the outside temperature, passenger load, speed driven.

- When you do not end up in the middle of nirvana becasue the weatherr forecats was bad and the day you drive has temps falling to zero.

- In short: when your electric car reliably provides you with the range of any gas-driven car with small tank, no matter the weather. If I need to do preplanning as if I were to take off with a Cessna and must file a flightpan and fuel calculation, then it simply is not practical.

And all that helps nothing if there is no electrical infrastructure to support this transportation model.

We are many years away for that, still. A new battery revolution is püromsied for late htis year or early next year, for electric bicycles these will increase the range by 50-60% on average, they advertize. The pedelec batteries will be a spinoff from developments done for electric cars. For pedelecs they are expected next year.

[mapuc]

Today the car producers have developed engine that can drive miles/kilometers on 1 liters fuel.

Until they have developed a battery that can make a car go about 200-250 km on one charging, whatever temp. they should use todays batteries together with todays modern engines a Hybrid so to say.

What I understand it's the batteries capacity who is the main thing here-Thou more capacity you have thou more electricity you can get and for a longer time, depending on how much electricity you are using at the moment.

These NANO-based batteries should have up to 10.000 or more of this(capacity)

Markus

[Skybird]

Batteries have limited life spans, they loose maximum capacity with every loading cycle. Another cost factor that usually does not get talked about. There is too much hype in all it so far. At least as far as cars are concerned.

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Batteries have limited life spans, they loose maximum capacity with every loading cycle. Another cost factor that usually does not get talked about. There is too much hype in all it so far. At least as far as cars are concerned.

If I remember correctly these NANO-based batteries can be recharged up to 1 million times without losing power(capacity)and no drop in volts. Even after having charged the battery you will have 6.0000 volt, as in today batteries you will have an decrease in Volt. From start it may show 5.999 Volt and after 100 or 1000 recharging it may show 5.87 Volt and lower capacity.

Markus