Volvo's Plug-in Hybrid with Long Electric Range Now Available

Volvo plans to abandon its plan to sell only electric vehicles by 2030 and is planning a renewed push into plug-in hybrids. Plug-in hybrids will include a new generation of unspecified but long-range vehicles.

In an interview with Automotive News (subscription required) published Wednesday, Volvo's chief product strategy officer, Erik Severinson, said that the electric range of the new plug-in hybrids will be longer than the 2025.5 model year XC90 T8 announced earlier this month which he said will be a “significant upgrade” over the plug-in hybrid's 32 miles.

He said the new plug-in hybrid will continue to use Volvo's proprietary SPA platform, which debuted almost a decade ago in the current XC90, and will benefit from a higher density battery and more efficient electric motor developed for next-generation EVs.

“SPA1 is a very flexible architecture,” Severinson said. 'We can continue to upgrade the SPA1 to a longer range PHEV.'

Severinson did not mention a timeline, but at a meeting with U.S. and Canadian dealers on Tuesday, Volvo said it plans to launch 10 new and updated models over the next 24 months, Automotive News reported, citing some dealers who attended. Some of them are likely to be plug-in hybrids with longer ranges.

Volvo said this month that its current plans call for a combination of EVs and plug-in hybrids to account for 90-100% of sales by 2030, with mild hybrids making up the rest. The automaker said the move comes as demand for EVs has been much slower than projected. Dealers also pleaded to continue selling plug-in hybrids.

Volvo's long-term goal is to become a 100% EV brand. Volvo has at least five EVs in development, including a midsize sedan called the ES90 and a small crossover called the EX60. the ES90 will use the SPA2 EV platform that debuted in the 2025 EX90 and will be launched this year. the EX60 will use the more advanced SPA 3 EV platform and will be launched in 2026.