A car maker has fundamentally changed the layout of its top-selling model in a move that may be without precedent in the history of the car industry.
2023 Polestar 2 electric car
What Polestar has done to its popular 2 EV for the 2024 model year needs a new word – facelift just isn’t enough.
In a move possibly without precedent in the history of the car business, the Swedish-based and Chinese-owned electric car specialist has switched from front-drive to rear-drive as part of a mid-production-cycle update.
The Polestar 2 has switched from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive.
This is like turning a Camry into a Commodore halfway through a model run, without changing the name or styling. At the same time, it underlines one of the big differences between EVs and petrol or diesel-powered cars.
Electric motors are much more compact than internal combustion engines. They don’t need to be hooked up to an exhaust, intake system, radiator or drive shaft. Especially in something like the Polestar 2, designed to be powered by either one or two electric motors, it’s quite simple to switch the single-motor version from front- to rear-drive.
The change makes the two most affordable Polestar 2 variants, the Standard Range Single Motor and Long Range Single Motor, better to drive than the front-drivers they replace. They accelerate quicker, feel more sporty and agile from behind the wheel, and ride more smoothly.
Deliveries of the MY24 Polestar 2 to Australian customers began this month.
New batteries boost driving range, too.
Both versions of the new Polestar 2 have more powerful and efficient rear-axle electric motors than the front-drive cars they replace.
The Long Range Single motor also gets a new 82kWh battery pack. Made by big Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturer CATL, its improved chemistry means it stores more electricity and recharges more speedily.
The 69kWh battery pack of the Standard Range Single Motor, supplied by Korean company LG Chem, remains unchanged. Though its DC fast-charging rate is the same, the driving range of this version of the Polestar 2 grows by 50km or so. It’s now an estimated 532km, thanks mainly to its more efficient 200kW electric motor.
The cabin has plenty of hi-tech features.
Greater gains are delivered by the Long Range Single Motor. This version of the Polestar 2 now has a driving range of 654km. This is an increase of more than 100km. And there’s more – connected to a high-power DC fast charger, the CATL-supplied battery pack can suck up to 205kW.
This is an improvement of 32 per cent, which means there’s potential for shorter recharging stops on long journeys, if the route passes any of the latest generation of DC fast chargers.
The new Polestar 2 Long Range Single Motor has a more powerful motor. It puts out 220kW, compared to 170kW in the old front-drive version.
First deliveries of the updated version land in customers hands this month.
The Long Range Single Motor is now the pick of the Polestar 2 bunch. It’s not only that its livelier. Moving the electric motor to the rear axle has clearly evened up the car’s weight distribution, boosting comfort over bumps.
The range-topping Long Range Dual Motor has the same CATL-supplied battery pack and rear motor as the Long Rang Single Motor. While it delivers a similar increase in driving range, to 591km, the jump in performance isn’t as noticeable as in the less costly version.
Prices of all MY24 versions of the Polestar 2 increase. The Dual Motor with Performance Pack is now $85,400, the standard Dual Motor $76,400, the Long Range Single Motor $71,400 and the Standard Range Single Motor $67,400. All these prices do not include on-road costs or EV incentives, so they will vary state to state.
Keyword: Polestar 2 electric car gets massive changes