Swedish car manufacturer, Volvo, has outlined its plans to phase out any vehicles with internal combustion engines from its lineup by 2030. The company has announced that, in less than 10 years, it will only sell fully electric vehicles (via Automotive News). And yes, that includes removing hybrids from its lineup as well.
The company, which is owned by the Chinese group Geely, believes that as much as 50% of its car sales will be fully electric by 2025. It launched its first fully electric vehicle, the XC40 Recharge, last year, and naturally plans to introduce more over the next few years, doing away with gas-powered cars entirely.
Volvo believes that the market for cars with combustion engines has its days numbered, with CTO Henrik Green saying:
“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.”
In addition to that, Volvo plans to only sell its electric cars online, though dealerships will continue to play a role in repairing, servicing, and delivering cars to customers. Volvo also wants to simplify its lineup and be more transparent with its offerings to make online shopping easier.
Electric vehicles have been seeing a surge in adoption, thanks in no small part to the hefty investments by companies such as Tesla. While car manufacturers are committing to only making electric vehicles, companies such as Amazon have also committed to replacing delivery fleets with electric vans, showing that there"s widespread interest in moving away from gas-powered transportation.