Volvo Says Swedish Government Not Sold on EVs

Chicago Auto Show Feb 10, 2010; Byron Pope writing for WardsAuto.com reported that the Swedish government is not as keen on the future of electric vehicles as other European countries, a stance that has left Volvo Car Corp. largely on its own in the development of its C30 EV.

“There’s a big push in many European governments for EVs, but the Swedish government is not really pushing that hard yet, so we’re pushing them a little bit to wake up,” Henrick Jarcebrat, product manager for the C30 EV, tells Ward’s at the auto show here.

Despite its indifference, the government has provided Volvo with about SK150 million ($20.4 million) for EV development, but most of those funds are directed toward testing the safety of the technology, Jarcebrat says.

Since Christmas, Volvo has churned out 11 C30 EV prototypes, two of which already have undergone crash testing.

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