Polestar 4. Source: Polestar
The Swedish-based car maker Polestar has announced significant improvements to the range, efficiency and performance of its Polestar 2 electric sedan, even as it improves its range and peformance.
The Polestar 2 can now travel up to 22% further, consume up to 9% less energy, and charge up to 34% faster, thanks to hardware upgrades including larger batteries and new motors.
Pricing has also come down with the entry level, Standard range Single motor starting at $A67,400 from July 5. That is down from $A68,400 previously.
The Long range Duel motor models now get 591 km WLTP range (up by 104 km) while the Long range Single motor gets 654 km (up by 103 km) and the Standard range Single motor gets 532 km (up by 54 km).
Polestar says maximum DC charging speed is now up to 205 kW for versions with a new 82 kWh battery.
“Our engineers have worked hard to integrate important upgrades that really enhance the overall package, and they’ve made it even better. We are proud to see we can do this without increasing its carbon footprint, but rather reducing it,” said Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath.
The company also places a lot of focus on embodied emissions and says that since Polestar 2 deliveries began in 2020, its cradle-to-grate carbon footprint has been cut by 12% or 3 tonnes in 3 years.
Polestar says the use of low-carbon aluminium, switching to renewable energy in the factory and improved battery chemistry have helped it get embodied emissions down.
All Polestar 2 variants now have next-generation electric motors and inverters.
The new motor has a power output of up to 220 kW (increased from 170 kW) and is optimised for maximum efficiency and high torque (490 Nm, up from 330 Nm) to further increase the dynamic performance of the car. The 0-100 km/h sprint time has been reduced by as much as 1.2 seconds, down to 6.2 seconds.
Polestar says the dual-motor version now has a rear-drive bias that increases driving pleasure and performance thanks to a completely re-balanced drivetrain setup and torque-ratio. The new rear motor is the primary drive source, supported on the front axle by a new asynchronous motor.
This enables higher total system output of 310 kW and 740 Nm (increased from the original 300 kW and 660 Nm), vastly improved traction, greater overall efficiency and higher performance – 0-100 km/h is achieved in 4.5 seconds.
The front motor can now be disengaged completely when not needed. When the driver wants more power, the front motor re-engages instantly and seamlessly. The front motor disconnect function on the Long range Dual motor variant is particularly effective at maximising range.
The optional Performance Pack on the Duel Motor version takes total power up to 350 kW and gives a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 4.2 seconds.
Keyword: Polestar lifts range, efficiency and performance, and drops prices for Polestar 2