Volvo Cars plans to sell only purely electric vehicles by 2030 and aims to become climate-neutral by 2040. The clear roadmap to full electrification represents one of the most ambitious transformation plans of any established and well-known automaker.
To underscore its commitment to these visions, Volvo Cars announced at last year’s Climate Week NYC that it would discontinue production of all diesel vehicles by early 2024. In a few months, VolvoCars’ last diesel vehicle will roll off the assembly line, making the company the first established automaker to take this action.
This milestone follows VolvoCars’ decision to stop developing new internal combustion engines, which in November 2022 saw the company divest itself of its stake in Aurobay, a consortium that brings together all its internal combustion engine assets and does not invest in any new internal combustion engines.
Jim Rowan, CEO of Volvo Cars, said that electric vehicles are our future and are superior to internal combustion engines: they are quieter, less vibratory, cheaper to maintain, and have zero emissions. The company’s focus on building a wide range of high-quality, all-electric vehicles that meet customer expectations is an important part of its response to climate change,” said Jim Rowan, CEO of Volvo Cars.
Volvo Cars is fully committed to electrification. This is an ambition that continues to pursue sustainable development since 1972, when the company first recognized the negative impact of its products on the environment at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm and resolved to take action. The UN’s recently released Global Climate Stocktake report emphasizes that humanity faces a climate emergency and must act.
Jim Rowan points out that the planet and humanity are at a critical juncture, and what we need is leadership. Industry and political leaders must be firm and decisive, and propose meaningful policies and actions to combat climate change. We are staying true to our part of the bargain, while also encouraging our peers and global political leaders to work together.
To emphasize this point, Chief Sustainability Officer Anders Karrberg participated in Climate Week 2023 in New York, organized by the A2Z Alliance. The A2Z Coalition was formed during COP27 to provide support to the Glasgow Declaration on Zero Emission Vehicles, to which we are a co-signatory. Vehicles, of which we are also a co-signatory, to provide a platform for stakeholders.
The A2Z platform allows Volvo Cars to work with other stakeholders to achieve a collective goal of “100% zero emissions from new cars and boxes globally by 2040 and 100% zero emissions from new cars and boxes in leading markets by 2035.”
Volvo Cars has a more aggressive electrification goal, which they hope will inspire other companies to take bolder action to combat the climate crisis.
Changing outlook
The decision to completely stop production of diesel cars by the beginning of 2024 surfaces the rapidly changing needs of the automotive industry and consumers in the context of the climate crisis.
Only four years ago, diesel engines were the norm for VolvoCars in Europe, as they are for most automakers, and during 2019, the majority of cars sold on the continent were diesel, and electric vehicles were only just coming into their own.
However, due to changing market demand, tighter emissions regulations, and our focus on electrification, the situation has shifted dramatically.The majority of VolvoCars sold in Europe today are electric vehicles, both pure electric and plug-in hybrids.
Fewer diesel cars on the road have also improved air quality in cities. Although diesel engines emit less carbon dioxide than gasoline engines, they emit more of other gases such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), which have a negative impact on air quality, especially in dense areas.
