Over the past few years, Volvo has shown that it is a company that cares for Mother Nature and its inhabitants. The reason for hard limiting the top speed of its cars to 180 km/h wasn’t because it wanted to prevent people from driving too fast and dying, but rather to start an in-depth dialogue about speeding. Humans aren’t programmed to comprehend speed at a high level, Volvo said.
Now, following the launch of the Volvo C40 Recharge, the automaker is announcing its pledge to go fully electric by 2030. At the turn of the new decade, the Swedish automaker will only sell EVs and phase out any car in its global portfolio with an internal combustion engine, including hybrids.
The move is part of its ambitious climate plan to reduce the life cycle carbon footprint per car, that is from a vehicle’s manufacturing phase to the day it’s scrapped. But there’s a bit of a conundrum. In September last year, a study conducted by Polestar found that manufacturing the Polestar 2 created 24 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalents), compared to the 14 tonnes created when manufacturing an XC40 with an ICE.
This is an irrefutable fact, because the bulk of the CO2 emissions come from producing the battery pack. However, the study also showed that there are breakeven points, and that the initial CO2e deficit can be made up over many years of active use. Read more on that, here.
Another step that contributes to Volvo’s climate neutral plan is to change the way customers purchase its pure electric cars. From now on, electric Volvos can only be purchased online through its website, where customers can choose specifically the features they want (which will be made to order), or simply purchase a pre-tailored model. This frees up the logistical chain of emissions, and customers get a convenient purchasing experience with transparent pricing.
Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said: “To remain successful, we need profitable growth. So instead of investing in a shrinking business, we choose to invest in the future – electric and online. We are fully focused on becoming a leader in the fast-growing premium electric segment.”
Company chief technology officer, Henrik Green added that “there is no long-term future for cars with an internal combustion engine. We are firmly committed to becoming an electric-only car maker and the transition should happen by 2030. It will allow us to meet the expectations of our customers and be a part of the solution when it comes to fighting climate change.”
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