The Polestar Pull
- Matthew
- Jan 20, 2020
- 3 min read
Hello and welcome to your daily Charge Smart blog! To kick off the new week, let's take a look at a cool new EV from Polestar!
Above: The stylish Polestar 2
What's Polestar?
Let's start with some background info. If you haven't already heard of Polestar then fear not because we are here to explain. Polestar is a brand owned by both Volvo and Geely which functions as the innovation hub for Volvo. They are currently working on making their own range of electric cars but they also offer performance upgrades and tuning parts for Volvo road cars. It’s fair to say that Polestar is sort of like a combination of the Mercedes EQ and AMG brands. Polestar have worked their magic on some fairly mundane Volvos in the past, turning them into head turners and they have used the same sort of ethos on their new line of cars. Of which, they’ve given us two cars so far. The Polestar 1 which is a hybrid sports coupe and the Polestar 2 which is an electric family sedan/liftback.
Above: The Polestar 2 uses some styling features from Volvo
The story so far
The Polestar 1 will go on sale later this year and with news that the first year’s production numbers have already been filled. The 1 continues with the theme of manufacturers using historical ICE cars to inspire their line of EVs as the Polestar 1 is based on Volvo’s legendary P1800 sports coupe. While Polestar is meant to be an all-electric company, their first offering is a hybrid. The CEO stated that it would help people make the transition between ICE cars and full EVs easier. You can see his point but we could argue that it would’ve been smarter to just go all in as there is no EV sports coupe currently available for those who want a fun to drive sportscar. But this isn’t about their first offering, it’s about the second car that they will be making. It’s aptly called the 2 and don’t worry, this one will be fully electric.
The Polestar 2
The Polestar 2 has two electric motors at each axle. It’s got a 78kWhr battery onboard that’s good for 443 kilometres of range, 300kW and a whopping 660Nm of torque! That’s almost 100Nm more than the highest spec Volkswagen Amarok V6 ute. Imagine being in a car the size of the Model 3 and bring able to tow larger loads than the big diesel utes out there. Well, that’s the biggest selling point of the 2! It’s incredible torque figure. Not only does the 2 blow all the competition out of the water when it comes to towing but it also has a very generous boot, 440 litres worth to be exact. You even have the option of a roof rack which makes the 2 a perfect combination of practicality and speed. Polestar’s CEO said that the 2 was meant to be flexible just like its customers. The car has been advertised as a performance hatchback with the ability to be loaded up for a road trip on the weekends and we know, us Kiwis love our road trips. We also love taking our bicycles, canoes and boats with us on these escapades, something which the 2 should excel at. With a base price of $66,00 NZD, the Polestar 2 makes for a very competitive option.
Above: The vegan interior of the Polestar 2
What else is special about the car you may ask? Well, Polestar have somehow integrated the batteries into the chassis so the whole thing functions as one system. The rigidity of their new battery means the 2 handles brilliantly around corners and the compact size means that cabin noise is reduced by 3.7dB, that makes the interior as quite as a library apparently! The 2 also comes with Ohlins dampers and Brembo brakes, just like a Lamborghini Aventador! While on one hand you have this savage performance car, on the other hand there’s things like the vegan interior and ergonomic cabin which soothe your conscience. The interior is made from a technology called WeaveTech which is inspired by a diver’s wetsuit but feels like a premium material and has its own unique characteristics. WeaveTech is also made without any animal products.
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