Will Volvo Change Tack?

[ChrisLF]

Volvo may well want to pursue BEV oblivion, but hopefully the Chinese are a bit more savvy and will "influence" the direction in which they go.
Having said that, last I heard, Labour has pledged to bring the 2035 date back to 2030 if elected, so who knows? Buy your ICE cars while you still can!

Just what the car manufacturers want, political ping-pong! If Labour do win it could be political suicide at the following election as the implications of the decision dawn on the general public, particularly those who can't have home charging and with the potential for second-hand ICE car's prices to go through the roof along with a shortage. As I said before it could be a real mess and that's putting it mildly.

It was one thing the government getting it wrong as regards diesels but at least they could still be fuelled. Getting it wrong with EVs will have far more serious consequences.

[Spike56]

I saw a "suggestion" that "perhaps we should all really consider whether we actually need our own transport". The article went on to state that "the majority of private vehicles are underused and are not warranted". Couple this with Khan creaming his pants over the Paris plans ( Paris wants to rid it's streets of SUVs apparently!) The fact that Khan wants to make parking SUVs doubly expensive, in any case, and lastly that most councils want to introduce residential parking schemes as a simple cash cow, and the question becomes will we be allowed private cars in the future?
The problem though, as always, is infrastructure. I live on a busy road. I have a bus stop in front of my house and a school opposite. My house is some 15-20 feet above the road! From my house to the end of our road is about 30 houses, around the corner are around 50 more, all raised above the road. None have vehicular access. Around the corner,on the opposite side are multiple blocks of flats, again without vehicular access. None of us can have a charging point! Relegated to public chargers at higher costs we would be penalised and then still have to pay to park on the road!
Sure, fossil fuels will run out! Most electricity is fossil fuel generated, for now. If a shift is to be made then the replacement MUST be fully developed and installed BEFORE the current system is abandoned!
Until we stop spending billions on aircraft carriers that don't float and until we build the same carrier with correctly made propellers we'll never move forward! Pun fully intended!

[ChrisLF]

Yes, for most of the population, cars are underused, especially when households have multiple cars (guilty!) but if we can afford them they give us freedom and convenience and make our lives easier. Of course, if we had to, we could "survive" without them but depending on where you live it doesn't bear thinking about!

As you say it's about the infrastructure, but I can't see how even a comprehensive system of trains, buses and car-share schemes etc. can come close to having our own cars and I'm sorry but to be honest there's a lot of people I wouldn't want to be on a bus with! The folks who pontificate about these alternatives live in a dream world and think that everyone is nice!

I fully agree with you that for a move completely away from fossil fuels and even substantially towards say EVs then everything has got to be in place. The government can't just say by such and such a date it will happen without guaranteeing the infrastructure will be there, which they can't, which is why I don't think it will by the timescales given so far. Grand ideas and the talk is the easy part, usually by politicians, especially when the consequences are years away, but funding and getting the work done isn't. Even much simpler schemes are rarely a success if ever. Look at HS2, way over budget and time, but at least that's not an essential project and doesn't really affect anyone! As is usually the case the devil is in the detail and the government/politicians don't do that very well or want to know.

[Deleted User 4737]

With prices of cars and associated costs increasing exponentially we are sure going to need alternative transport, and very soon.

[eugen61]

Volvo just pulled the plug on its electric only target: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos- ... 024-09-04/

[ChrisLF]

Well blow me down!

Funny how in these articles they usually only mention initial price and the charging infrastructure. Sometimes they mention higher insurance premiums but rarely residuals which are biggies for private buyers.

Also the honeymoon period will be over soon when users start having to pay for their use and luxury car tax unless that changes and EVs will be even less attractive for private buyers.

[adrian_xc40]

IMO, the future will be both EV and ICE, despite Volvo’s statements, targets and goals.

[JFDIT]

We need a real solution, BEVs isn't it

[adrian_xc40]

What car they just featured in the XC/EX90 event? Looks simpler than 90, maybe is the future XC40?

[Stovo]

Personally I really don’t see this as an issue regards BEVs and the integral part they will play in the future of the motoring industry. Volvo are doing what any good company would do, by being flexible and adapting their strategy to what market forces dictate. This is not the death knel of the BEV by any stretch of the imagination and the motor industry which has already invested billions into the development of electric vehicles will continue to do so. Neither they, governments around the world or the planet for that matter, can afford to fail in finding an alternative to the ICE. Am sure at some point in the future there will be another alternative mode of vehicle to replace electric, but doubt it will be in my lifetime. Like it or not, think we have to get use to the fact that the future will be electric in some form.