Volvo is working to introduce its first all-electric vehicle and the brand is targeting a range of at least 250 miles.
Speaking with at the Geneva Motor Show, Lex Kerssemakers, the CEO of Volvo Car USA, said that he has tasked engineers with coming up with an electric car that will travel at least 250 miles on a charge and cost between $35,000 and $40,000, all by 2019. That would give the Volvo EV more range than the 238 miles found in the Chevy Bolt and more than most basic Tesla Model S 60D.
Exactly what form the vehicle will take is still unknown. It could be a current Volvo model saddled with an all-electric powertrain, while Volvo could develop an all-new standalone model to launch its first EV. The company will likely develop the EV on the new scalable CMA platform, which was designed from the outset for electrification. It will carry the brand’s small cars like the new XC40.
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“We believe that the time has come for electrified cars to cease being a niche technology and enter the mainstream,” said president and CEO of Volvo Cars, Håkan Samuelsson, previously. “We are confident that by 2020, 10 per cent of Volvo’s global sales will be electrified cars.”
Volvo recently trademarked the badges P5 through to P10 specifically for use on electric vehicles, so expect one of those to be, presumably, added to the end of the model name, like with the XC90 T8.
[Source: Automotive News]
