Volvo, Betting on Electric, Moves to Phase Out Conventional Engines
Volvo Cars said on Wednesday that all the vehicle models it introduces from 2019 will be either hybrids or powered solely by batteries, betting that the era of the internal combustion engine is coming to a close.
The decision is the boldest commitment by any mainstream automaker to technologies that represent a small share of the total vehicle market. While major automakers offer hybrids and battery powered vehicles, none has yet been willing to forsake cars powered solely by gasoline or diesel fuel.
Hybrids, which run on battery power supplemented by gasoline or diesel engines, accounted for about 2 percent of passenger car sales in the United States last year, and the number has been declining because gasoline prices have fallen.