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In August, a large Volvo SUV became the best-selling climate bonus car for the first time, according to statistics from the Bil Sweden industry association. It was the plug-in hybrid XC 60, weighing 2.3 tonnes, that took first place.
This means that the family cars of, for example, Volkswagen and KIA, with half the emissions, have lost market share to Volvo’s SUVs, thanks to the government loosening the requirements for climate bonuses this year.
Alleviated the requirements
When the EU introduced new and more reality-based ways of measuring emissions, it turned out that many cars had higher carbon dioxide emissions than previously declared. Thus, some hybrids, including Volvo SUVs, would leave the bonus system.
The bonus ranking is crucial for Volvo’s sales in Sweden. The buyer gets a bonus when buying the car and a lower vehicle tax. For business car drivers, the benefit value will be reduced. Many employers now only accept company cars that have a weather bonus as well.
The government chose to relax the requirements for the bonuses. The emission limit for the bond was raised from 60 to 70 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, with the justification that otherwise there would be very few car buyers willing to buy electric cars and plug-in hybrids.
Report: very little climate benefit
SVT Nyheter’s review shows that of the 48,000 bonus cars sold so far this year, around 1,000 have received a bonus thanks to the increased cap. Of these, nine out of ten are Volvo cars, the vast majority SUVs. The change thus benefited Volvo cars almost exclusively in practice.
But many of Volvo’s plug-in hybrids are very heavy. This makes them worse climate-wise than lighter plug-in hybrids. Volvo hybrids are distinguished by small electric motors, but all larger gasoline engines. There is often more than 400 horsepower under the hood, most of it from the gasoline engine. Volvo’s XC60 weighs 2.3 tonnes and the largest SUV XC90 weighs more than 2.5 tonnes. When the battery runs out after 45 kilometers, it consumes 0.8 liters per mile, according to official measurements, and even more according to tests in the specialized press.
The climate bond is estimated to cost the state $ 3 billion this year, or an average of 124,000 per car, according to the National Audit Office. The system provides very little climate benefits per tax crown, the Swedish National Audit Office considered in a report earlier this year.
Hear from Bolund on SVT’s review:
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