Volvo has been quietly developing electric vehicles, readying models for the market as the company waits for the right market conditions.
“Once there is a more sustainable business case behind full EV we can do it – our platform is scalable and fully flexible,” Volvo product strategy VP Lex Kerssemakers told Autocar. “But we must see how the EV business evolves and what pressures there are from fuel efficiency requirements and cities closing borders.”
“Once there is a more sustainable business case behind full EV we can do it – our platform is scalable and fully flexible,” Volvo product strategy VP Lex Kerssemakers told Autocar. “But we must see how the EV business evolves and what pressures there are from fuel efficiency requirements and cities closing borders.”
The company has not yet revealed details of the potential EV models, instead focusing on plug-in hybrids. Kerssemakers suggests plug-in hybrids are currently a more sensible proposition, enabling owners to take advantage of both better fuel economy and the ability to make short commutes on electric power alone.
“For now, we can offer the best of both worlds,” he said.
Many automakers are waiting for the price of batteries to drop before they introduce EVs for the mainstream market. Optimistic forecasts point to 2017 as the likely year for a surge in EV offerings, while other analysts argue that batteries will remain prohibitively expensive until the end of the decade or later.
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