THE GREEN MILE

SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF VOLVO'S PAST AND THE CURRENT PUSH FOR ELECTRIFICATION IS SHAPING ITS FUTURE

- Dhruv Saxena

Volvo has been at the forefront of the global automotive industry's push for sustainable mobility. All of its cars are already offered with some degree of electrification, something Volvo achieved back in 2019. Moving forward, by 2025, it aims to bring in half of its sales through pure electric models as the brand moves towards its goal of transitioning to a pure electric line-up by 2030. This eco-conscious approach for its future is deep-rooted in Volvo's past.

In 1972, at the UN's first Environment Conference in Stockholm, the then CEO of Volvo, Pehr G. Gyllenhammar, acknowledged that the company's products had a negative environmental impact but Volvo was determined to work on it. A few years later, in 1976, Volvo became the first vehicle manufacturer in the world to introduce a three-way catalytic converter with the Lambda sensor, an invention that to this day plays a critical role in controlling tailpipe emissions and remains an integral part of all modern petrol-powered cars.

Volvo is also credited with launching the first car free of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons, widely used in a vehicle's air conditioning system. All of the company's plants in Europe rely solely on renewable hydropower and Volvo's commitment to sustainable production practices extends to its suppliers that are required to comply with certain standards set by the company.

BACK TO THE FUTURE