Polestar Day includes company’s full range of future models for first time
- Pouch cell the key to fast charging times
- All products together for the first time
- ‘From one car on the roads to having three’
Polestar has taken the opportunity of an inaugural showcase event in Los Angeles to announce new “extreme fast charging” (XFC) technology for its forthcoming flagship model, the Polestar 5.
The first-ever Polestar Day over in America not only gave the world the chance to see the exterior design of the 5 in the metal for the first time, but also the soon-to-be-launched Polestar 3 and 4 SUVs, which will take the company’s road car count from one currently to three in short order.
The XFC tech also promises ‘100-in-5’, which means the Polestar 5 will only need to be hooked up to the mains for five minutes for an additional 100 miles of driving range, given charger capable of delivering power at those speeds.
Pouch cell the key to fast charging times
Polestar has teamed up with StoreDot, a lithium-ion battery developer, to bring the XFC technology to production. A new “pouch cell” allows for the rapid replenishment of the battery pack, and it is hoped that a prototype of the car with XFC will be ready in 2024.
The Polestar 5 will be the flagship GT of the company’s range. Designed to take on the likes of the Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT and Tesla Model S, the 5 will produce up to a massive 874bhp and 664lb ft of torque, and will have the most advanced 800-volt electrical architecture that allows for such rapid charging times.
Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar’s CEO, said of the XFC demonstration in LA: “StoreDot is making huge strides forward in the development of their extreme fast charging technology and we are a proud investor and partner in its evolution.
“StoreDot’s pioneering extreme fast charging batteries, combined with our upcoming top-of-the-line electric powertrain, can revolutionise the ownership experience for EV owners with the ability to recharge in minutes.”
Dr Doron Myersdorf, CEO of StoreDot, added: “Polestar has been one of our key investors and collaborators as we develop our XFC technology.
“Next year we’ll show how a full-scale battery module developed by Polestar with this revolutionary technology can be charged. Charging anxiety will soon be a thing of the past.”
All products together for the first time
The inaugural Polestar Day was designed to show off the company’s innovation and how it will move forward with its products.
Currently, it has just one vehicle in production, the Polestar 2 crossover-hatchback. That will soon change, however, as both the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 are due to launch in 2024.
The glamorous Polestar 5, meanwhile, should go on sale sometime in 2025. Its design and layout are based on the Polestar Precept, a concept car that was slated to go on display at the 2020 Geneva motor show before that event was cancelled because of the Covid-19 global pandemic.
The Polestar Day was the first time that the company’s full range of future models was exhibited together for the first time. So alongside examples of the 3, 4 and 5 were the Precept itself, plus the Polestar Electric Roadster Concept — previewing a new Polestar 6 — and the Polestar Synergy. The latter is the winner of Polestar’s 2022-23 Design Contest.
Guests could test-drive the 2024 model year Polestar 2s, as well as having passenger rides in the Polestar 3 and 4 development prototypes, alongside engineers and experts from the company.
‘From one car on the roads to having three’
Ingenlath added: “Polestar Day provides substantial insight into our products and the innovations we are working on together with global leaders in various fields to bring the best electric performance cars to market.
“We are progressing from having one car on the roads — Polestar 2 — to having three, with the ongoing launches of our two SUVs, Polestar 3 and Polestar 4.
“The coming months will be some of the most exciting our young company has ever seen.”
Polestar is an electric vehicle (EV) spin-off of Volvo. It has only built one car with an internal combustion engine fitted, the short-lived but impossibly beautiful Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid coupé — a £139,000 show-stopper with 601bhp and 738lb ft of torque. Just 1,500 units were made for the whole world.
- If you were interested in Polestar’s next generation of cars, take a look a Will Dron’s preview of the 872bhp Polestar 5
- And click here if you want to see our guide to all the car makers’ electric vehicle plans
- Have you read our review of the 2024MY Polestar 2?
Keyword: Polestar 5 EV's extreme fast charging adds 100 miles of range in five minutes