Volvo going hybrid or electric only

2015vwgolfdiesel

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aja8888 beat me to it

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IMO,

VOLVO will go the way of the Packard, Studebaker, etc.
 

turbobrick240

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Volvo makes some of the world's finest diesel engines. I wonder if they are looking to electrify their trucking segment as well. Volvo has been ahead of the curve for ages- building safe cars back when american cars exploded on impact. Like it or not, the electrics are coming.
 

aja8888

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Volvo makes some of the world's finest diesel engines. I wonder if they are looking to electrify their trucking segment as well. Volvo has been ahead of the curve for ages- building safe cars back when american cars exploded on impact. Like it or not, the electrics are coming.
Yeah, those electrics will be here and there will be more hybrids too. Fossil fuels won't be eliminated entirely in the auto industry for decades, though.
 

Oilerlord

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While the greenies are no doubt popping champagne corks in victory, and will spin this press release into something a lot larger than it is, the announcement is simply marketing. Like everyone else, they are chasing CAFE and CARB. Also like everyone else (Tesla notwithstanding), they will sell a very low percentage of BEV's but will build them to comply with regulations.
 

2015vwgolfdiesel

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CAFE is a joke

Was it scheduled for 55 MPG, coming in a few years?

Anyone notice we are now selling LNG to one country, who is now independent of Russian energy source?

Thank heavens we are now selling our natural energies geopolitical speaking.

Energy is power

Lest we forget the American jobs
 

turbobrick240

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CAFE is a joke
Was it scheduled for 55 MPG, coming in a few years?
Anyone notice we are now selling LNG to one country, who is now independent of Russian energy source?
Thank heavens we are now selling our natural energies geopolitical speaking.
Energy is power
Lest we forget the American jobs
It would be be nice if your posts were a little more coherent. They often read like a riddle. Just say whatever it is you're trying to say.
 

showdown 42

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My one and only Volvo in 1980"s was the worst car I HAVE EVER OWNED . I can 't count the problems I had with it,I hope they are going to do better with the E cars.

Once burned won't go back.
 

tadawson

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I dunno . . . my 1997 850 GLT was hands down the *best* car I have ever owned. One set of plug wires, a fuel pump, and a radiator leak was it in about 250K miles . . . Alas, I let my daughter use it in school, and she didn't care, beat it down, and had two significant accidents. I was going to restore it, but given the choice of that, or keeping our 2013 TDI, the TDI was a far easier path, so I had to let it go. I'll miss that car forever . . . as much as I like my TDI, it just can't compete with the Volvo for comfort . . .

But, as soon as Ford got their hands in it, done with the brand! The function left in favor of idiotic 'cutesy' controls and other convoluted crap instead of the easy, obvious stuff Volvo had. When the worst buys the best, run away . . . . I'd still buy a used cherry 850 like I had again in a heartbeat, though!
 
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kjclow

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I never got to drive the several Volvos we owned. I think the newest one was a 1960 PV444. We owned three that I can remember but my brother killed the last one in the early 70s with a cracked block at 90 mph.

Currently Volvo has the same problem as most other manufacturers. Their hybrid models are priced out of contention, at least for my. If I'm looking at spending mid $40s, I don't want to have to scrape up another $10K for a hybrid.
 

bhtooefr

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Currently Volvo has the same problem as most other manufacturers. Their hybrid models are priced out of contention, at least for my. If I'm looking at spending mid $40s, I don't want to have to scrape up another $10K for a hybrid.
Although I don't think the price premium will be $10k on their basic hybrid option, when they do this... because it'll be a 48 volt mild hybrid system.

Think things like the $500 California-only eAssist option available on the Silverado/Sierra - that's the kind of price premium that we're talking about, or maybe even less than that.

(That said, their only US hybrid product, the XC90 T8, before tax credits, is a $22,050 premium over the base model. It is a plug-in hybrid, though, and qualifies for $4668 of federal tax credits I think, and whatever state incentives are available.)
 

jbright

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Volvo (Cars) is now owned by China. China is the world's largest producer of lithium ion batteries. A smart business move perhaps.
 
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aja8888

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Volvo is now owned by China. China is the world's largest producer of lithium ion batteries. A smart business move perhaps.
Personally, I think the move is just to satisfy marketing and to follow the "electric car Pied Piper". Maybe they will generate some new sales out of it, but they are a small player overall.
 

Jetta_Pilot

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Volvo makes some of the world's finest diesel engines. I wonder if they are looking to electrify their trucking segment as well. Volvo has been ahead of the curve for ages- building safe cars back when american cars exploded on impact. Like it or not, the electrics are coming.
I do not know who makes the Diesel engines for Volvo now, but many years ago the engine blocks were made by VW !

Auto manufacturers are only assemblers these days, parts come from all over the globe.
 

AlcoC420

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What's lost in the breathless headline is that Volvo's resolve to use an electric motor in every car it produces in 2019 defines commonly produced hybrids. It doesn't mean the end of internal combustion engines from Volvo.

The media doesn't have time for details.
 
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turbobrick240

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I do not know who makes the Diesel engines for Volvo now, but many years ago the engine blocks were made by VW !

Auto manufacturers are only assemblers these days, parts come from all over the globe.

I was really thinking of their industrial diesel engines. Though they make some excellent passenger car diesel and gasoline engines as well. I happen to have one of the old Volvos with the VW d24 diesel engine- not one of VW's best efforts.
 

bhtooefr

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As far as the relationship between industrial, truck, and car products... Volvo Cars hasn't been a part of the Volvo Group since 1999. The industrial and truck engines are Volvo Group products.
 

turbobrick240

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Ah, I guess I lost track of what they were up to. My last Volvo was a red block. The C30 did catch my attention briefly though.
 

kjclow

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Although I don't think the price premium will be $10k on their basic hybrid option, when they do this... because it'll be a 48 volt mild hybrid system.
Think things like the $500 California-only eAssist option available on the Silverado/Sierra - that's the kind of price premium that we're talking about, or maybe even less than that.
(That said, their only US hybrid product, the XC90 T8, before tax credits, is a $22,050 premium over the base model. It is a plug-in hybrid, though, and qualifies for $4668 of federal tax credits I think, and whatever state incentives are available.)
Pricing is out for the redesigned V60s and associated models. The hybrid adds about $10 grand from the base models.
 

Oilerlord

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The media doesn't have time for details.
Anchor voice-overs on news stories usually aren't much more than short sound bites. It's pretty tough to find context, or overcome media bias in 30 seconds or less. I was at a dinner party over the weekend where someone actually said "By 2019, we won't have gasoline cars anymore" "I heard it on the news". No doubt she shared that fun fact with all of her facebook contacts.
 
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tikal

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In general terms, and based on my observations throughout the years, hybrid engines are overall a better fit for smaller cars (think of a Jetta sized vehicle) vs. a light duty diesel engine will be better suited for a larger/heavier vehicle. Volvo cars tend to be on the heavier side based on their size categories. So I am not sure how well they will perform efficiency/performance wise for what they are going to cost.
 

nwdiver

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In general terms, and based on my observations throughout the years, hybrid engines are overall a better fit for smaller cars (think of a Jetta sized vehicle) vs. a light duty diesel engine will be better suited for a larger/heavier vehicle. Volvo cars tend to be on the heavier side based on their size categories. So I am not sure how well they will perform efficiency/performance wise for what they are going to cost.
Most ultra large moving vehicles are hybrids.

ALL modern Trains

Most Ships

And the largest truck in the world

Hybrid drive trains make MORE sense in larger vehicles. It's just not enough of a benefit at the ~80k lb level to justify the added cost. It's popular with cars to meet efficiency requirement larger vehicles are exempt from.
 

tadawson

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Well, yes and no . . . diesel electric is diesel prime power running a gen to traction motors. Dynamic braking just dumps energy from traction motors (running as generators) as heat - no attempt to recover. To me, the 'hybrid' term implies an electric power source such as a battery as well, which does not exist in diesel electric configurations. Note also that diesel electric was done mainly due to transmission failure issues in direct drive applications, not for efficiency . . .
 

tikal

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Most ultra large moving vehicles are hybrids.
ALL modern Trains
Most Ships
And the largest truck in the world
Hybrid drive trains make MORE sense in larger vehicles. It's just not enough of a benefit at the ~80k lb level to justify the added cost. It's popular with cars to meet efficiency requirement larger vehicles are exempt from.
Perhaps the intent of my message was lost in translation :-(

My apologies.

I was trying to stay in the context of the topic of this thread regarding Volvo cars/vehicles for private/non-commercial use. No buses, pickup trucks, 18 wheelers, etc. considered.

In this context, then diesel engine makes more sense for an all-around (urban/road) larger vehicle such as the Volvo XC60 (I realize this will not be available in the US with a diesel engine) as opposed to a XC60 with a gasoline-hybrid engine.

Even environmentally speaking a Volvo XC60 with a diesel engine would have an smaller overall life cycle footprint than an equivalent gasoline-hybrid vehicle (reference Argonne National Labs studies and so forth).
 
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oilhammer

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There are just too many to list....
Toyota said 20 years ago (amazes me it has been that long) that within 10 years (from then) they'd have a hybrid version of EVERY model they sold here, and within 20 years (so, like, NOW), all of their cars would be "standard" hybrid models.

Well... that did not happen. Note even close. But they DID come up with a bigger truck, and then an even BIGGER truck, and an even BIGGER SUV, with of course an even BIGGER gasoline V8 engine to move the beasts, since then. So I guess that offsets the failed hybrid hype promise. Yes, they have added hybrid models (we have three Prius models now, they get uglier and uglier every year), and we do have a few hybrid versions of other models (Camry, RAV4, Highlander, Avalon), but they still remain only a portion of Toyota's total US sales. And they are all frightfully expensive, which means that not everyone is falling over themselves to buy them when the other offerings are more reasonable even if they do use more fuel.

The market dictates what people will buy, and therefor dictates what models will be available. Americans do not like economy. Present company excluded, of course, Americans generally trend towards big, cheap, thirsty. And with fuel prices remaining low, no fuel taxes being implemented beyond what paltry fuel taxes we already have (in relation to other countries), and little to no penalties for purchasing inefficient vehicles and the "truck" loophole being exploited to its fullest, I do not think there will be a change in this trend.

Volvo has such a small niche following, and they totally lost their way and their brand identity, that they'll need to reinvent themselves. This may be the flag waving method that they try. The "AWD standard" mantra sort of worked for Subaru, I do not think they would have survived without that trump card as long as they have, even though not everyone wants or needs it, they do a good job of convincing people they do.

This is where it really sucks for Volkswagen here with their decision to drop the TDIs. That was their trump card, and now it is gone. I don't think they'll ever get that mojo back, sadly. I know this life long Volkswagen fan won't be buying a new one ever again, that's for sure. :(

...but I am not buying a Volvo either. ;)
 

AlcoC420

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Well, yes and no . . . diesel electric is diesel prime power running a gen to traction motors. Dynamic braking just dumps energy from traction motors (running as generators) as heat - no attempt to recover. To me, the 'hybrid' term implies an electric power source such as a battery as well, which does not exist in diesel electric configurations. Note also that diesel electric was done mainly due to transmission failure issues in direct drive applications, not for efficiency . . .
Perfectly stated. Thank you.
 
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