Volvo shoots for EV only by 2030 – CEO

Volvo’s global CEO “wouldn’t be surprised” if the Swedish car company was entirely electric within 10 years, suggesting the brand would be an all-EV company long before any government’s ban on ICE vehicles comes into effect.

Hakan Samuelsson’s comments – made at a future vehicle summit – reaffirm his brand’s commitment to an all-electric future, and follow an earlier target that 50 per cent of Volvo’s sales would be EVs by 2025.

“I would be surprised if we wouldn’t deliver only electric cars from 2030,” Samuelsson says.”

While clearly not a concrete end date for ICE vehicles, his comments do continue Volvo’s push into the electric vehicle space, despite the brand being only just now in the process launching a full BEV, the XC40 Recharge.

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In Australia, at least in the short term, the brand is heavily invested in plug-in hybrid technology, with a PHEV option offered on the S60, V60, XC60, XC90 and the XC40. In fact, Volvo’s Australian executives are targeting a 20 per cent sales mix of PHEV vehicles in our market.

Samuelsson also says that not only will Volvo beat any specific country’s ban on ICE vehicles in the race to an all-electric future, but that he welcomes a concrete end date, or ban, on the sale of electric and diesel engines, suggesting it has a greater impact on EV take-up than any form of government incentive.

“The way forward would be to have clear rules on when we need to exit the combustion engine,” Samuelsson said. “Once you have realised that the petrol and diesel engine are really not part of the future, it’s rather easy to see you have to move fast into the new world.”