From 2019, all new Volvo models will have an electric motor

Volvo has announced that all cars it will launch from 2019 on the market will have an electric motor. The car manufacturer says this is an end to the time when its cars only had an internal combustion engine.

The cars that will appear from 2019 will be fully electrically powered or so-called plug-in hybrid models. In the latter type, a diesel or petrol engine drives the front axle and an electric motor is mounted on the rear axle that directly drives the rear wheels. Existing models with traditional combustion engines will still be made from 2019, but an electric motor will be built in if the model is upgraded.

Volvo will release five fully electric cars between 2019 and 2021. Three of them are Volvo models; the other two are sporty models from Polestar, a tuning company that was until recently part of Volvo. More details about the cars are still unknown. These five fully electrically powered cars are complemented by a number of plug-in hybrid models.

Volvo’s director, Håkan Samuelsson, says that the manufacturer is responding to the increasing desire of consumers to drive electric cars. Volvo has previously stated the goal to have sold a total of one million electric cars by 2025.

In March, the CEO of Volvo’s American branch announced that the first fully electrically powered car will have a range of 400 km. According to Volvo, a battery of up to 100 kWh is used for this. In the US, the car, which is due in 2019, will have a starting price between 35,000 and 45,000 dollars.