Volvo says it will become an all-electric car brand at some stage in the future, Autocar reports.
Fresh off the unveiling of the long-awaited electric Volvo XC40 Recharge, company boss Hakan Samuelsson told the British publication that the timing of Volvo’s transition to exclusively electric powertrains will depend on customer demand.
“It’s when [not if Volvo will become all-electric]. The ones who will decide [the timing] in the end are the customers,” he said. “The higher the percentage of all-electric cars the faster we will shut down the combustion engine [programme]. If only a small percent [of sales] are combustion engines we will probably stop faster.”
Also Read: Volvo To Reduce Car Lifecycle Carbon Footprint By 40% In The Next Six Years
Volvo has a vision of becoming carbon neutral by 2040 and if it is to achieve that goal, it will have to stop producing combustion cars before then.
In the more immediate future, Volvo wants electric vehicles to account for half of its sales by 2025 and in the coming years, will introduce a selection of all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids all of which will feature the new ‘Recharge’ badge to denote themselves as featuring electrified powertrains.
“We will address what we can control, which is both out operations and the tailpipe emissions of our cars. And we will address what we can influence, by calling on our suppliers and the energy sector to join us in aiming for a climate-neutral future,” Samuelsson recently said of the Swedish company’s pursuit to be carbon neutral.