Volvo becomes latest car maker to abandon plans to sell only electric vehicles by 2030

Volvo has confirmed it has backtracked on its promise to sell only fully electric cars by 2030 due to a fall in demand for battery vehicles.

The Swedish company announced today it is now aiming for 90 to 100 per cent of its global sales to be either pure electric or plug-in hybrid by the end of the decade.
It comes in response to a decline in appetite for EVs across major markets, including a slowing uptake of battery cars among private buyers in the UK. 

Volvo executives said the delay to its EV schedule will 'allow for a limited number of mild hybrid models to be sold, if needed'.
(Volvo has become the latest major car maker to turn its back on plans to go fully electric from the end of the decade.)

Volvo's previous target, which it set back in 2021 when the future EV landscape appeared more robust, was for its entire car range to be pure electric by 2030.
However, a downturn in EV sales worldwide has seen it - like some of its rivals - put the brakes on its green ambitions. 

Volvo, majority-owned by China's Geely, has attributed its change in policy to a 'slower than expected' rollout of charging infrastructure, the withdrawal of government incentives in some markets and 'additional uncertainties' created by recent tariffs on electric vehicles.

The latter references recent import levies introduced on EVs arriving from China, which have been upped to 100 per cent in the US and Canada, while the EU has also introduced provisional tariffs which could be upheld following a vote by governments later this year. 
Volvo Cars chief executive Jim Rowan said: 'We are resolute in our belief that our future is electric.

'An electric car provides a superior driving experience and increases possibilities for using advanced technologies that improve the overall customer experience.
'However, it is clear that the transition to electrification will not be linear, and customers and markets are moving at different speeds of adoption.

'We are pragmatic and flexible, while retaining an industry-leading position on electrification and sustainability.'

(Volvo Cars chief executive Jim Rowan (pictured) said it had become clear that the transition to EVs 'will not be linear')

Ref: Volvo becomes latest car maker to abandon plans to sell only electric vehicles by 2030 (dailymail)

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