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.

[vienna]

Originally Posted by 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....

I don't know about the rest of the world, but here in Los Angeles, combination parking meter/electric car charging stations have been popping up all over the place. The units take up about the same amount of space as a conventional parking meter and provide the option of being able to charge your car while its parked. By providing the ability to travel and charge the car while idle without the need to be inconvenienced, the actual range of electric cars can be extended, making electric vehicles a more viable option...




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[Mr Quatro]

Yes, your right kraznyi_oktjabr I didn't read the whole article. I sort of was shocked to hear that it was Volvo and that that was the direction they were headed to go all electric. Then I saw that Volvo was owned by China with the next thought being cheap batteries supplied by China all the way to Sweden.

These cars won't be cheap ... most of the hybrid cars now are in the $30,000 US dollars range now.

More and more EV charging stations are opening right now with downtown Portland, Oregon being free to shoppers.

http://www.westcoastgreenhighway.com...richighway.htm

The “West Coast Electric Highway” is an extensive network of electric vehicle (EV) DC fast charging stations located every 25 to 50 miles along Interstate 5 and other major roadways in the Pacific Northwest. The Washington State Department of Transportation leads the charge on the Washington segment, the Oregon Department of Transportation heads up the Oregon segment, and the California segment is coordinated by a Governor’s Office interagency group.

The west coast has a robust EV charging network with thousands of Level 2 charging pedestals and dozens of DC fast chargers.

Easy and Convenient Charging Locations
Electric vehicle drivers can now grab a cup of coffee or shop while charge up their vehicles at shopping centers, fueling stations and restaurants within a half mile of highway interchanges. The fast charge technology allows drivers to re-charge mass-produced all-electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi “i MiEV” in 30 minutes or less. Each location also includes Level 2 equipment to re-charge most plug in electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt.

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Mr Quatro

Yes, your right kraznyi_oktjabr I didn't read the whole article. I sort of was shocked to hear that it was Volvo and that that was the direction they were headed to go all electric. Then I saw that Volvo was owned by China with the next thought being cheap batteries supplied by China all the way to Sweden.

These cars won't be cheap ... most of the hybrid cars now are in the $30,000 US dollars range now.

More and more EV charging stations are opening right now with downtown Portland, Oregon being free to shoppers.

http://www.westcoastgreenhighway.com...richighway.htm

Thanks for the post, it fleshes out how the charging system works. ...

Most impressive is the availability of charging stations for free; this could be the harbinger of further variations such as public parking lots including charging as part of their parking fee or a business offering not only a parking validation, but a "free charge" as well as a patronage perq...




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[em2nought]

I wonder about Volvo's plans for their trucking division?

[Wildcat]

To the guy who said he's dumping all his stock .. ridiculous, try to appreciate the vision Volvo has. They are getting a major head start against the competition - electric motors are the future of automobiles.

The infrastructure may not be there yet but it will be. Electricity also took years and years to become what it is today. With electric cars, we don't even need to create huge networks of infrastructure - it already exists, with some modification anywhere can become a vehicle charging point.

Interesting move by Volvo.

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by vienna

I don't know about the rest of the world, but here in Los Angeles, combination parking meter/electric car charging stations have been popping up all over the place.

And how about rural hillbilly county?
The majority of the worlds population doesn't live in a metropolis.
Infrastructure for electric cars over here is developing but still far from being everywhere. So far you still have to know where you can get electricity before going on a longer trip.

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

And how about rural hillbilly county?
The majority of the worlds population doesn't live in a metropolis.
Infrastructure for electric cars over here is developing but still far from being everywhere. So far you still have to know where you can get electricity before going on a longer trip.

We don't have hillbilly country in the City of Los Angeles anymore, it's very densely populated. When I first lived here in 1965, the population was about 2.6 million; when I moved to stay in 1970, it was 2.8 million; just recently, in 2016, the population edged over 4 million. It used to be there were some areas in the San Fernando Valley (a part of the City of Los Angeles) that were rather rural, but all those areas have been 'tamed'. A lot of those areas were settled in the 1920s and 1930s by rural 'refugees' from farmlands in states farther to the east of California who were fleeing the desolation and disaster of the Dust Bowl and other economic crises. Before they became 'citified', the Los Angelenos used to refer to them derisively as "Oakies". Don't find any "Oakies" in LA anymore. The total population of Los Angeles County is about 9.82 million, so there really isn't a lot of space for 'hillbillies'...

The need to map out charging stations was a bit of a problem here before, but with so many stations and units popping up, it is less of a worry. In fact, with curbside chargers being installed in increasing numbers, it is getting to the point of being a minor concern in LA...

Given that most city dwellers tend to drive primarily within the city (work, school, shopping, etc.), range is not a huge problem, but I can understand how it would be a major consideration in rural areas...

Perhaps the solution lies in another form of fuel such as hydrogen: it is easy to produce, is plentiful and the range of vehicles currently being produced is not too bad; for example, Toyota is selling a hydrogen-powered car, the Mirai, in California and the listed range on a full tank is 312 miles. That may not be as great as, say, a gasoline car with a 400 mile range, but it is better than an electric. Refueling is also better than an electric, averaging about five minutes to completely refuel an empty tank. The Mirai is a bit pricey at about US$57,500, list, but Toyota throws in up to three years free fuel...

Production of hydrogen fuel is also very easy to do; I recall seeing a documentary a few years back where they described a Scandinavian country where petrol gas stations were being converted to hydrogen and the production facilities were right on the premises; no need to have the fuel trucked to the station as with petrol; an interesting alternative, indeed...




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[Jimbuna]

Direct ties and ownership by the Chinese

Would be interesting to know what Trump thinks about the subject matter as it is highly likely he will be seeking multi-country sanctions against China at the forthcoming G20 Summit because of their failure to put pressure on Kim over the ICBM program he is currently taking.

Just saying.