Volvo Going Electric/Online Only By 2030

[besserheimerphat]

All pure electric Volvo models to be available online only

Volvo Cars is fundamentally changing how and where to meet its customers, and will transform the current wholesale model by moving online and with strong customer relationships.

www.media.volvocars.com

Looks like Volvo will be transitioning not only to electric only, but also online-only sales. Will be interesting to see how this works as I thought there was a law that auto manufacturers could not sell directly to the public. There will still be locations for service, parts, delivery, etc. But no haggling, straight from the factory.

 

[BryceC]

All pure electric Volvo models to be available online only

Volvo Cars is fundamentally changing how and where to meet its customers, and will transform the current wholesale model by moving online and with strong customer relationships.

www.media.volvocars.com

Looks like Volvo will be transitioning not only to electric only, but also online-only sales. Will be interesting to see how this works as I thought there was a law that auto manufacturers could not sell directly to the public. There will still be locations for service, parts, delivery, etc. But no haggling, straight from the factory.

Most states have laws that cars must be sold at dealerships. Communities get a lot of money in property taxes from places like Karl.

That said it’s an absurd requirement and I hope it goes the way of the dodo. I absolutely hate buying cars because I do all the shopping and research and the purchase is a negotiation where I’m simply trying to avoid getting up sold.

 

[keepngoal]

Most states have laws that cars must be sold at dealerships. Communities get a lot of money in property taxes from places like Karl.

That said it’s an absurd requirement and I hope it goes the way of the dodo. I absolutely hate buying cars because I do all the shopping and research and the purchase is a negotiation where I’m simply trying to avoid getting up sold.

You can purchase a brand new Volvo from their Euro factory ... drive it around Europe, then have them ship the used card over to the US. They pay for the flight overseas!

 

[spinback32]

Existing Volvo customers may like the online model. I have a hard time believing they're going to pull customers from other brands if those customers can't drive those cars first. Maybe they will still have locations with cars available for test drives? Still seems like a non-well thought-out plan.

 

[dmclone]

Existing Volvo customers may like the online model. I have a hard time believing they're going to pull customers from other brands if those customers can't drive those cars first. Maybe they will still have locations with cars available for test drives? Still seems like a non-well thought-out plan.

There isn't a Tesla dealer in Iowa, yet I see a lot of them around. I assume Volvo will have something similar to the drive events that Tesla does. When I showed interest, they reached out to me multiple times for events they had in Omaha and WDM.

 

[ScottyP]

Multiple companies have mentioned going all-electric or majority electric by 2030. Will the infrastructure be in place to charge these vehicles by then?

 

[CYEATHAWK]

Multiple companies have mentioned going all-electric or majority electric by 2030. Will the infrastructure be in place to charge these vehicles by then?

No.

 

[bawbie]

Multiple companies have mentioned going all-electric or majority electric by 2030. Will the infrastructure be in place to charge these vehicles by then?

Yes, if we want it to be.

It's very interesting that these companies have all announced this in the last month. It's a very good direction for the industry to take.

 

[JP4CY]

Multiple companies have mentioned going all-electric or majority electric by 2030. Will the infrastructure be in place to charge these vehicles by then?

If you stay on interstates possibly. But I would doubt a lot of highways.

 

[bawbie]

If you stay on interstates possibly. But I would doubt a lot of highways.

that's basically where we are today, or the very near future. A decade is a long time for something moving this quickly.

I've always heard that gas stations make most of their margin on snacks, drinks, etc rather than from actually selling gasoline. People will still need to eat even if cars are 100% electric. I find it hard to believe that gas stations (or other retail businesses) will not be able to equip with fast charging stations in the next decade.

 

[JP4CY]

that's basically where we are today, or the very near future. A decade is a long time for something moving this quickly.

I've always heard that gas stations make most of their margin on snacks, drinks, etc rather than from actually selling gasoline. People will still need to eat even if cars are 100% electric. I find it hard to believe that gas stations (or other retail businesses) will not be able to equip with fast charging stations in the next decade.

Yep that is the case. You don't make much off fuel.

 

[CYEATHAWK]

I've always heard that gas stations make most of their margin on snacks, drinks, etc rather than from actually selling gasoline. People will still need to eat even if cars are 100% electric. I find it hard to believe that gas stations (or other retail businesses) will not be able to equip with fast charging stations in the next decade.

You ever been to a gas station at 5 pm on most any day? It takes someone what......a couple of minutes to fill up? Is there a quick charge station capable of charging that fast car after car after car for hours......every day?

The premise was never to match car for car. In other words.....if a family has 3 internal combustion auto's in their drive way......the aren't automatically going to be allowed to have 3 electric. Also......there will still be used gas/diesel cars on the road in 2030....just no new sold anymore. And the old cars will be weaned off the roads as quick as possible either by no parts market, states no longer registering or the old "cash for clunkers" game. So if there is say 100 cars in a development.....when it's all said and done there will be maybe 40. The rest of the people can take public transportation. Then and only then will there be enough charging stations for those lucky enough to have their own vehicle. This is no longer supply and demand.

 

[dmclone]

I guess a lot depends on how you drive. I'd say that 355/365 days a year I drive less than 300 miles in a day and could just charge my car at home. For those 10 days a year that I drive over 300 miles, I don't think it will be too hard to find a charger. Currently a Tesla can get 158 miles out of a 15 minute supercharge. This number is only going to improve in the future.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Multiple companies have mentioned going all-electric or majority electric by 2030. Will the infrastructure be in place to charge these vehicles by then?

Im no vehicle industry strategist but something tells me that Volvo has done the research to inform their decision.

 

[BryceC]

You ever been to a gas station at 5 pm on most any day? It takes someone what......a couple of minutes to fill up? Is there a quick charge station capable of charging that fast car after car after car for hours......every day?

The premise was never to match car for car. In other words.....if a family has 3 internal combustion auto's in their drive way......the aren't automatically going to be allowed to have 3 electric. Also......there will still be used gas/diesel cars on the road in 2030....just no new sold anymore. And the old cars will be weaned off the roads as quick as possible either by no parts market, states no longer registering or the old "cash for clunkers" game. So if there is say 100 cars in a development.....when it's all said and done there will be maybe 40. The rest of the people can take public transportation. Then and only then will there be enough charging stations for those lucky enough to have their own vehicle. This is no longer supply and demand.

Wut? There will be IC engine cars on the road for a very long time. Nobody is going to flip a switch and in 10 years there will be no gas stations. Slow down dude.

 

[Sigmapolis]

that's basically where we are today, or the very near future. A decade is a long time for something moving this quickly.

I've always heard that gas stations make most of their margin on snacks, drinks, etc rather than from actually selling gasoline. People will still need to eat even if cars are 100% electric. I find it hard to believe that gas stations (or other retail businesses) will not be able to equip with fast charging stations in the next decade.

Convenience stores (to call them by their fuller name) are going to be one of the losers in the transition from ICE to electric. Yes, people driving along the road are still going to want snacks and bathrooms occasionally, but much of their traffic comes in the form of people stopping for fuel and... why not get something while stopped.

Another big loser is going to be automotive maintenance shops, either attached to dealerships or not. Electric cars have fewer moving parts and do not require oil changes, so owners are going to save money (roughly $300 per year per vehicle) on upkeep expenses. Spreading that out over hundreds of millions of cars is quickly big money.

I have no problems with this, by the way. An economy should be dynamic and reinventing itself constantly if it wants to grow and raise our living standards, so the horse buggy whip manufacturers of today have to go.

 

[bawbie]

I guess a lot depends on how you drive. I'd say that 355/365 days a year I drive less than 300 miles in a day and could just charge my car at home. For those 10 days a year that I drive over 300 miles, I don't think it will be too hard to find a charger. Currently a Tesla can get 158 miles out of a 15 minute supercharge. This number is only going to improve in the future.

My takeaway from the statements from GM, Volvo, etc is that this is going to change FAST. The industry was working toward this for the last 4-5 years and didn't just stop because the federal direction temporarily changed. full performance, full fleet electric vehicles are coming - the industry has decided.

And its really beyond just autos. I work in the stodgy old rail industry and the sea change in terminology and verbiage around sustainability, decarbonization, etc is really stark. Everything, from investors to customers to vendors has changed in the last couple of years. We're 10-20 years from a fully automated hydrogen fuel cell powered train being a reality and the whole industry has bought in (very suddenly)

 

[bawbie]

Convenience stores (to call them by their fuller name) are going to be one of the losers in the transition from ICE to electric. Yes, people driving along the road are still going to want snacks and bathrooms occasionally, but much of their traffic comes in the form of people stopping for fuel and... why not get something while stopped.

well, that was my thought. if Casey's or whoever is smart, they'll see this coming and develop and equip with fast charging stations so that people will still have a reason to stop and ... why not get something while stopped.

 

[WhoISthis]

Multiple companies have mentioned going all-electric or majority electric by 2030. Will the infrastructure be in place to charge these vehicles by then?

Yes. Think of where the infrastructure was 9 years ago. The next 9 years will make that development look rudimentary.

Most charging is done at home. That is particularly true in areas like Iowa in which space isn’t an issue. With advancements in charging speeds and to a lesser degree battery range, it won’t be an issue.

There are very few people that will be constrained by range or charging. Much of the range and charging anxiety is similar to when people had to introduce charging habits into their life with smart phones. I rarely leave without a charger. I charge when I know I’ll need to in order to not run out prior to my next charge opportunity. If I forget or make a miscalculation in this regard, I have to seek out contingencies that add cost or time (superchargers) but it doesn’t mean I want to go back to my old cell phone.

Cars going electric and joining the IoT is going be a huge disruption, and it’s going to happen quickly (relatively speaking). The next generation is going to laugh at how crude our driving experience was.

 

[Sigmapolis]

well, that was my thought. if Casey's or whoever is smart, they'll see this coming and develop and equip with fast charging stations so that people will still have a reason to stop and ... why not get something while stopped.

Yeah, I agree, it is not necessarily a death sentence, but their business model is going to need to change.