Volvo Going Electric/Online Only By 2030

[VeloClone]

Teslas wouldn't even exist without politics,

The transcontinental railroad wouldn't have existed when it did without government intervention. The feds provided free land to the railroads to finance a project that no one could afford to execute on their own. If there is a civic benefit governments will often subsidize progress.

 

[BCClone]

Umm, you do know that batteries in EVs are energy storage devices?

The massive increase in demand coming from EVs in combination with wind and solar isn’t a disaster, it’s the answer. Future EVs will be grid storage devices, allowing for the energy storage and arbitrage needed to support more wind and solar.

For example, in Texas demand falls at night but wind will remain strong. When do people charge their cars? At night. Problem solved.

Energy storage (batteries) development is one reason why investment in the turbine business has massively fallen off. Sorry GE investors

This is not correct. Winds diminish at night. If this is your plan, you are going to have a rude awakening early in the morning.

 

[Neptune78]

Define "going away." I mean people still ride horses even though they aren't primary transportation anymore.

Never defined new vs old purchases, or primary vs. secondary transportation.
Simply said ICE cars are not going away in response to the comment of being able to drive them 'for now'.

 

[Neptune78]

The transcontinental railroad wouldn't have existed when it did without government intervention. The feds provided free land to the railroads to finance a project that no one could afford to execute on their own. If there is a civic benefit governments will often subsidize progress.

Agree, not the one saying politics is a bad thing and that it is bad for Tesla.

 

[besserheimerphat]

Teslas wouldn't even exist without politics,

There have been electric vehicles in various stages of research and development for 40 years. You could make an argument that the only reason we don't all have electric cars right now is politics via fossil fuel lobbyists.

 

[WhoISthis]

This is not correct. Winds diminish at night. If this is your plan, you are going to have a rude awakening early in the morning.

It depends on the season and geographical location, but the important fact is that demand drops more. You most certainly will find periods in which west Texas wind is still overwhelmingly strong for load at night. Costal wind is even more so.

It’s undeniable that the possible energy arbitrage available from widespread EV is beneficial to a electrical grid with more wind and solar penetration. That’s not to mention the ancillary services and congestion management.

 

[Neptune78]

There have been electric vehicles in various stages of research and development for 40 years. You could make an argument that the only reason we don't all have electric cars right now is politics via fossil fuel lobbyists.

Wrong. Electric cars have been around for over 100 years.
Simply saying that if you think all ICE cars are going away (you name the timeline) you're dreaming.

 

[WhoISthis]

Agree, not the one saying politics is a bad thing and that it is bad for Tesla.

I suggested it’s a bad thing for the consumer. You would be less ignorant if not for the politics.

And EVs would be a thing without politics. They would have been a thing sooner if not for lobbyists and politics.

 

[WhoISthis]

Wrong. Electric cars have been around for over 100 years.
Simply saying that if you think all ICE cars are going away (you name the timeline) you're dreaming.

Please point to where it has been said ALL ICE cars are going away.

It’s been stated at some point in most people’s lives one will not be able to buy a new non-commercial ICE vehicle. Used will linger. Nor would most want to, with how little manufacturers will be spending on developing ICE.

 

[BoxsterCy]

When we tore out the linoleum in an old house kitchen back in Iowa decades ago the padding under it was old 1913 newspapers, mostly Chicago Tribune. Saved some because of the ads. Pretty sure I want one of these Ohio's. BTW, the paper still had buggy ads.

 

[BoxsterCy]

"Did you ever stop to think how much time your take, and land you use, just to raise horse feed?"

 

[usedcarguy]

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.

The law to which you're referring is a state franchise law, not federal. From what I read in the article, the dealer network is still going to exist...only that the process from ordering to delivery is going to streamline and be more integrated like Tesla is.

IMO they're playing with fire. They are stating that their focus is to establish a premium luxury brand. The Volvo brand diminished a bit when they were owned by Ford, and it's going to be even more of a challenge being owned by the Chinese in what is quickly going to be come a crowded field.

The one key takeaway from their announcement as well as VWs is that if you own Tesla, you better dump it and dump it soon. Their competitive advantage is about to be eliminated.

 

[bawbie]

Electric cars need to have about $300-$500 extra license fee. Otherwise the roads will get worse than they are.

Or find a better way to finance road improvements

 

[usedcarguy]

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.

It's going to have to. If you have to stop and charge every 158 miles, it's going to add enough time to cut your average speed by 15 mph. That would make a long distance trip a very taxing affair.

 

[usedcarguy]

And all if this massive increase in electricity demand is going to come from windmills and solar panels with absolutely no way to store it so it can be available for usage peaks... Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

IDK if it's a recipe for disaster, but what it means is that there is going to need to be an insane investment in infrastructure. And because all of this along with government takes money, the per mile cost savings which people enjoy today is going to evaporate. It will cost the same amount of money if not more to operate as an ICE, with the added inconvenience of having to plug and unplug every day.

 

[usedcarguy]

There have been electric vehicles in various stages of research and development for 40 years. You could make an argument that the only reason we don't all have electric cars right now is politics via fossil fuel lobbyists.

That would be a poor argument. The only reason we don't all have them today is because at least to this point in time they continue to be inferior technology. As another poster mentioned, we had EV's more than 100 years ago. As a matter of fact, Ferdinand Porsche built the first hybrid in 1899. EVs went to the wayside because ICE technology quickly evolved and became superior. The free market displaced the EV and made the ICE king.

 

[besserheimerphat]

That would be a poor argument. The only reason we don't all have them today is because at least to this point in time they continue to be inferior technology. As another poster mentioned, we had EV's more than 100 years ago. As a matter of fact, Ferdinand Porsche built the first hybrid in 1899. EVs went to the wayside because ICE technology quickly evolved and became superior. The free market displaced the EV and made the ICE king.

I'm aware of that. I said 40 years specifically talking about the GM EV1, which was highly desired by the public. GM killed it because they didn't think they could make it cheap enough - not because people didn't want it.

 

[WhoISthis]

That would be a poor argument. The only reason we don't all have them today is because at least to this point in time they continue to be inferior technology. As another poster mentioned, we had EV's more than 100 years ago. As a matter of fact, Ferdinand Porsche built the first hybrid in 1899. EVs went to the wayside because ICE technology quickly evolved and became superior. The free market displaced the EV and made the ICE king.

If you’re suggesting it was a free market, you’re incorrect.

Winners and losers have always been picked. Free markets are fun to talk about in the classroom, but they don’t exist in reality. EVs are just now starting to overcome being picked the loser last century. Equal treatment has gone a long ways in a short period.

 

[BryceC]

IDK if it's a recipe for disaster, but what it means is that there is going to need to be an insane investment in infrastructure. And because all of this along with government takes money, the per mile cost savings which people enjoy today is going to evaporate. It will cost the same amount of money if not more to operate as an ICE, with the added inconvenience of having to plug and unplug every day.

I'd much rather plug and unplug every day than gas up in freezing cold weather and have to hit no on the touchscreen 5 times with borderline frostbitten fingers.

There are a lot of downsides to EV's but almost all of the ones mentioned in this thread border on the ridiculous or just a minor tradeoff for something else.

 

[WhoISthis]

IDK if it's a recipe for disaster, but what it means is that there is going to need to be an insane investment in infrastructure. And because all of this along with government takes money, the per mile cost savings which people enjoy today is going to evaporate. It will cost the same amount of money if not more to operate as an ICE, with the added inconvenience of having to plug and unplug every day.

Not necessarily.

First, you may have missed the chaos in Texas last month, but regardless of EV nearly every region of America needs massive infrastructure investment.

Second, the energy arbitrage aspect of having distributed storage (EV) has cost benefits to utilities and ultimately the rate payer. Utilizing stored energy of networked EVs rather than utility funded peaking units saves the rate payer. Given the vast majority of annual miles driven by non-commercial vehicles is best supported by home charging at night, it’s not increasing peak demand or resulting in as many upgrades as you think. The grid is designed to handle peak stress hours, increasing demand in off-peak is a relatively modest cost.