Polestar Stories Today
Swedish automaker Volvo is rolling out its latest over-the-air (OTA) software update to its all-electric vehicles to help improve range and efficiency in multiple ways. This includes smart battery management, a preconditioning timer, and a new Range Assistant app to offer drivers advice and assistance in achieving max battery efficiency. Volvo Group Subsidiary Polestar is rolling out a similar OTA update to its EVs, including the Range Assistant app.
Polestar Stories September 27
Polestar, an all-electric car brand that spun out of Volvo, announced that it is going public through a SPAC.
It becomes the latest of many electric car companies that have chosen to go that route over the last year.
Polestar Stories September 7
Polestar has once again made the headlines with another unique electric concept – this time in the form of a transporter cart used to move cargo and make deliveries. The project, called Re:Move, began as a mere concept project celebrating industrial designer Konstantin Grcic and ended up becoming an actual working prototype unveiled at IAA Mobility in Munich.
Electric motorbike brand CAKE has announced the first-ever electric mobility bundle alongside EV automaker Polestar. The two Swedish companies look to provide solutions for urban mobility with a custom version of CAKE’s recently released Makka moped platform, which can be towed behind a Polestar 2 EV and simultaneously charged.
Polestar Stories September 6
Polestar has shared new versions of its Polestar 2 sedan with the public in Europe alongside pricing before deliveries begin this month. The expanded Polestar 2 now comes with three powertrain variations on display at IAA Mobility in Munich this week.
Polestar Stories September 3
In a refreshing display of transparency, Polestar has publicly shared details of the carbon footprint of its EV models compared to ICE vehicles. With this data, Polestar looks to better educate consumers and build trust as it pertains to emissions.
Polestar Stories August 23
With all the talk of robots and AI lately, we felt it topical to showcase the same technology producing art. Polestar has teamed with musician and robotics engineer Moritz Simon Geist to create a whole new type of music. The songs were produced using robots configured from Polestar 2 components alongside actual sounds from the EV itself. You can also sample the music and create a custom soundtrack of your own.
Polestar Stories July 26
Swedish EV automaker Polestar has shared big plans for expansion by promising to double its global presence from nine to 18 markets. Furthermore, Polestar has also shared plans to double its retail presence to 100 operational locations, all before the end of 2021.
Polestar Stories July 15
Generally speaking, getting overexcited about a concept car is a one-way ticket to bitter disappointment. Why? Because firstly, it may not even make it to production. And secondly, even if it does, it’ll probably look very “different” – aka “worse.” Goodbye massive rims, butterfly doors, and wacky interior with joysticks in place of a wheel. Hello softened edges, cheap plastics and sadness.
Polestar Stories July 9
Electrek sat down with Gregor Hembrough, the head of Polestar North America, to discuss the electric automaker’s latest developments, including the upcoming lower-priced 2022 version of the Polestar 2, SPAC deal speculation, and more.
Polestar Stories July 7
As Polestar makes continued efforts to bring its previously announced Precept concept EV to full production, the Swedish automaker has decided to document the whole process. The first installment of Precept: from Concept to Car has debuted on YouTube, with several more installations to follow throughout the entire development phase.
Polestar Stories June 16
Swedish automaker Polestar has announced that its upcoming performance SUV, the Polestar 3, will be built in the US and targeted at American consumers. The all-electric SUV will be manufactured at the Volvo Cars production center in South Carolina and supported by retail “Spaces” across the US.
Polestar Stories April 13
Polestar announced today the launch of new variants of the Polestar 2, the Swedish brand’s first all-electric car.
Cheaper and longer range versions are now available.
Polestar Stories March 9
EV charging network ChargePoint and automaker Polestar announced what they call a “charging partnership.” The first product of the collaboration will be an integrated charging app for the Polestar 2 EV.
Polestar Stories February 24
EV automaker Polestar is now allowing prospective customers to book test drives of its Polestar 2 electric fastback. Its website now lets consumers arrange a visit to a retail location near them. Additionally, the company can also bring the Polestar 2 to your home or office, depending on where you’re located. So far, Polestar has a small retail presence in select US cities compared to other EV automakers.
Polestar Stories October 8, 2020
Polestar is a bit of an enigma as far as auto companies are concerned. The company, which is a joint venture between Geely and Volvo (which, in turn, is also owned by Geely), operates independently on some fronts from either Geely or Volvo in order to remain nimble. But it also leans heavily on its incestuous parents for infrastructure, talent, and support. I spoke to its North American head, Gregor Hembrough, who incidentally came from two decades previous at Volvo in 2018, to find out why.
Polestar Stories September 26, 2020
Polestar confirmed that it is going to bring its latest electric car concept, the Precept, to production, but without a clear timeline.
Polestar Stories August 21, 2020
This week, I took the new all-electric Polestar 2 for a 145-mile drive from San Francisco, down coastal Highway 1, and through the twisty mountainous roads west of Silicon Valley. The taut, sporty, and long-range Polestar 2 sedan was an absolute delight to drive. The most enjoyable aspect of the Polestar EV is not what it offers, which is plenty, but what it lacks: virtue signaling.
Polestar Stories June 26, 2020
Waymo and Volvo this week announced an exclusive partnership to build a new self-driving electric vehicle for use in a ride-hailing service. Few details were provided other than the goal of working together to develop a Level 4 vehicle capable of autonomy in a wide range of locations and road conditions.
Polestar Stories May 18, 2020
Polestar will begin by selling its electric performance cars this year in New York, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. In the first half of 2021, its retail footprint will grow to include Boston, Denver, Texas, Washington DC, and Florida regions.
Polestar Stories May 17, 2020
The electric vehicle company Polestar and the electric motorcycle company CAKE share more than just a homeland. Now the two Swedish companies are joining forces with a brand partnership as well.
Polestar Stories May 6, 2020
Polestar will have a retail location in New York City, where it will sell its $60,000, 78kWh Polestar 2 EV. Any day, the company is expected to announce the location of approximately 15 North American “Polestar spaces.” Electrek learned that in addition to NYC, Los Angeles will be on the list, as well as two spots in the San Francisco Bay Area and three locations in Canada. Free deliveries will begin in September within around 100 miles from Polestar locations.
The Volvo brand is all about safety. Today the company announced that it will equip its next-generation vehicles with lidar, an expensive sensor that has almost entirely been reserved for fleet-based robotaxis — not passenger cars. Tesla rejected lidar entirely. But Volvo believes lidar’s robust capabilities can be applied to millions of vehicles for hands-off highway driving.
Polestar Stories April 29, 2020
Polestar’s parent company is Volvo, which is a pioneer in auto safety. The company is using the Polestar 2 EV to showcase the group’s latest safety tech. That includes the first use of new front-inner-side airbags and a new Acoustic Vehicle Alert System that warns pedestrians with a soundtrack similar to a heartbeat.
Polestar Stories April 23, 2020
Polestar today announced the formal pricing of its first pure electric car, the 2021 Polestar 2. The performance-oriented fastback has an MSRP of $59,900 in the United States. Destination charges will send the entry price of the Polestar 2 above $60,000.
Polestar Stories April 7, 2020
Polestar has released a close look at the Precept, a new electric sedan that shows the Swedish automaker’s design direction. expand full story
Polestar Stories February 25, 2020
Polestar, Volvo’s performance brand revived as an all-electric brand, has released pictures and a few details of a new electric sedan concept: the Polestar Precept. expand full story
Polestar Stories December 19, 2019
Volvo’s Polestar 2 is going to be one of the most interesting electric cars to hit the market in 2020, and it just got more interesting. The electric sedan is getting a 1,500 kg (3,300 lbs) towing capacity, beating the Tesla Model 3. expand full story
Polestar Stories November 14, 2019
It’s been three weeks since the opening of the world’s first so-called Polestar Space, where the Swedish brand will sell electric performance vehicles. A couple of new (rough) videos like this one reveal the customer experience, which Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath explained a few weeks ago.
Polestar Stories November 5, 2019
Hardcore EV fans might easily dismiss the $156,500, limited-edition Polestar 1 as a piece of eye candy. And Polestar deserves scrutiny for debuting the electric brand with this vehicle, which has a gas engine and a battery providing a relatively modest range of about 65 miles for an EV.
Polestar Stories September 11, 2019
An executive for Volvo’s Polestar candidly admitted that “Tesla is far ahead of everyone else on energy efficiency” and they are going to have to catch up or find other ways to compete. expand full story
Polestar Stories August 27, 2019
Polestar, Volvo’s electric car brand, announced today the opening of its massive new electric car factory in Shanghai and the start of production of the Polestar 1. expand full story
Polestar Stories May 15, 2019
Volvo, both through Polestar and its own brand, plans to bring several new all-electric vehicles to market and in order to do that, it needs significant battery supply.
The automaker now says that it has secured ‘multi-billion dollar battery supply deals’ with CATL and LG Chem. expand full story
Polestar Stories May 3, 2019
Electric car maker Polestar will qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit, and the company says it will do so separately from parent company Volvo. This would ensure both Polestar and Volvo could both sell 200,000 EVs before the credit begins to phase out. Let’s see how this works…
Polestar Stories February 27, 2019
Volvo has relaunched its Polestar brand as an electric vehicle automaker and it claims that its first all-electric vehicle, the Polestar 2, will be a Tesla Model 3 competitor.
Today, it is fully unveiling the Polestar 2 after teasing and leaking some images. expand full story
Polestar Stories January 23, 2019
Polestar, Volvo’s performance brand which has been relaunched as an electric brand, is apparently gradually unveiling the Polestar 2, an upcoming all-electric sedan, which it describes as a “Tesla Model 3 competitor.”
After releasing the first image of the Polestar 2 earlier this month, they have now released a second one through an app, which also includes details about the vehicle’s user interface.
Polestar Stories January 3, 2019
Polestar, Volvo’s performance brand which has been relaunched as an electric brand, released the first image of its upcoming all-electric Polestar 2 sedan, which it describes as a Tesla Model 3 competitor. expand full story
Polestar Stories July 13, 2018
Volvo’s strategy with relaunching Polestar as an electric vehicle brand has been somewhat confusing with their first vehicle being a $150,000+ plug-in hybrid.
Now Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath has clarified their plans by saying that “Tesla and the increasingly electrified Porsche” is their competition. expand full story
Polestar Stories March 15, 2018
Volvo’s recently unveiled Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid just got one step closer to reality, as they started taking pre-orders today and posted an online configurator allowing interested customers to check out the various color and wheel options available on the car.
We don’t yet know much about the buying process, as Volvo recently said cars from the Polestar brand would primarily be available as a “subscription service” (similar to a lease). When pressed, Volvo stated that the Polestar 1 would target a price of “130-150,000 Euros” ($160k-$185k).
The deposit is $2,500/€2,500/20,000RMB and is fully refundable. Pre-orders are available in 18 countries: China, United States, Sweden, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Portugal, Poland, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Canada.
Polestar Stories February 7, 2018
Polestar made a big deal about its next electric vehicle, the Polestar 2, being a ‘Tesla Model 3 competitor’, but those plans are apparently becoming increasingly weaker as we learn more about them.
Now, the CEO even admits that Polestar 2 will ‘not be a Tesla Model 3 killer’ as he confirmed the price and pushed production to 2020. expand full story
Polestar Stories January 22, 2018
Polestar, Volvo’s performance brand recently relaunched as an all-electric brand, was off to a somewhat awkward but interesting start last year when it unveiled its first vehicle; the Polestar 1.
The car turned out to be a highly expensive plug-in hybrid, which the automaker quickly made sound outdated by announcing that they would bring an all-electric “Tesla Model 3 competitor” to production a year later.
In a new interview, the automaker’s CEO elaborates on those plans. expand full story
Polestar Stories November 24, 2017
Last month, Volvo’s Polestar was revamped as a performance electric car brand and it had a big launch – unveiling its first vehicle and announcing several more electric vehicles to come.
Now they announced that they started construction at their new factory in China where they will produce those cars. expand full story
Polestar Stories October 17, 2017
In a strange move today, Polestar, Volvo’s newly rebranded performance electric car brand, unveiled its first vehicle, a plug-in hybrid 2+2 seat Grand Tourer Coupé (PHEV), and quickly made it somehow outdated by announcing that all future Polestar cars will be all-electric (BEV). expand full story
Polestar Stories June 21, 2017
Volvo, a Swedish automaker owned by China’s Geely, announced a new aspect of its plans to transition the company in the new electric revolution.
The company is launching its Polestar brand as a separate entity to build and sell performance electric vehicles. expand full story
