Volvo is investing more money than ever in the internal combustion engine. It is especially the idea of hydrogen-powered trucks that is expensive.
Volvo is now investing more money than ever before in the development of new internal combustion engines. The hope is that the new engines could run on hydrogen and different types of biofuel.
According to Lars Stenqvist, Volvo's chief technology officer, burning the hydrogen is a central part of the company's strategy.
– We want to use hydrogen in combustion engines, he says to the medium SvD Näringsliv .
Although Volvo has spent a lot of resources on electric trucks in recent years, the spread of these vehicles has been slower than expected.
Electric trucks only then make up only a very small part of sales. This year, only 2 percent of the trucks Volvo has sold are electric. At the same time, the company is experiencing a falling number of orders for the electric trucks.
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In fact, there are so few orders that Volvo has now cut back on the factory in Gothenburg.
But this does not mean that the development of the hydrogen engines is stopped. An important part of Volvo's plans is to adapt the technology to alternative fuels such as biogas, electrofuel and hydrogen. According to Lars Stenqvist, hydrogen is an important part of future solutions:
– We must use hydrogen in combustion engines in the same way that some trucks now run on natural gas or biogas, he explains.
Volvo's future development rests on three different technologies: battery-powered trucks, fuel cell trucks and trucks with internal combustion engines for alternative fuels.
This tripartition is due to the need to adapt the products to different markets. For example, emissions requirements can vary significantly between regions such as Europe and the United States.
According to analysts from Global Data, changes in US regulations, such as a possible relaxation of emissions requirements, could have consequences globally. In Europe, on the other hand, stricter environmental requirements could be expected. This uncertainty forces Volvo to develop broadly.
Despite these challenges, Volvo has set itself ambitious goals. The company plans for at least 35 percent of sales to be made up of electric trucks in just five years.
At the same time, Volvo continues to explore alternative solutions such as hydrogen in internal combustion engines to ensure flexibility in a time of changing market demands.
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