LONDON, March 2 (Reuters) – Volvo’s entire line of cars will be fully electric by 2030, the Chinese company said on Tuesday, joining an increasing number of automakers planning to eliminate fossil-fuel engines by the end of the year. end of this decade.
“I am totally convinced that there will be no customers who really want to have a gasoline engine,” Volvo Chief Executive Håkan Samuelsson told reporters when asked about future demand for electric vehicles. “We are convinced that an electric car is more attractive to customers.”
The Swedish automaker said 50% of its global sales will be from fully electric cars by 2025 and the other half from hybrid models.
Owned by the Hangzhou-based Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, Volvo has said it will launch a new family of electric cars in the coming years, all of which will only be sold online. Volvo will launch its second all-electric model, the C40, later on Tuesday.
Samuelsson said Volvo will include wireless updates and repairs for its new electric models – an approach initiated by electric car maker Tesla Inc.
Automakers are rushing to switch to zero-emission models as they face CO2 emission targets in Europe and China, as well as imminent bans in some countries on fossil-fuel vehicles.
Last month, Ford Motor Co said its line in Europe will be fully electric by 2030, while Tata Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover unit said its luxury Jaguar brand will be fully electric by 2025 and the automaker will launch electric models of your entire line. until 2030.
And last November, luxury car maker Bentley, owned by German Volkswagen, said its models will all be electric by 2030.
Electrification is expensive for automakers and, as electric vehicles have fewer moving parts, employment in the auto industry is expected to decline.
Last week, the head of the DE> truck division at Daimler AG said that going to electricity will cost thousands of jobs at the company’s powertrain plants in Germany.
Volvo said it will invest heavily in online sales channels to “radically reduce” the complexity of its model line and provide customers with transparent prices.
The automaker’s global network of 2,400 traditional brick and mortar dealers will remain open for service vehicles and to help customers place orders online.
Through volvocars.com, customers will be able to choose from a simplified range of pre-configured electric volvos for fast delivery – but they will still be able to order custom-made models. (Reporting by Nick Carey; Editing by Barbara Lewis)