Polestar O₂. Source: Polestar
Geely-owned Polestar has teased a new concept electric vehicle that – if it makes it into production – will tick the box for both retro auto lovers and futuristic tech-heads, and it would appear, content-creating influencers.
The Polestar O2 (O2 standing for oxygen) is a hard-top convertible that combines the fun of open-air driving with the knowledge your passengers glee can all be caught on camera, thanks to an in-built autonomous drone.
Taking a design lead from the Precept (which will be rebadged as the Polestar 5) and utilising the same lightweight bonded aluminium frame to unlock driving range and acceleration, the Polestar O2 will be the marque’s “hero car”, CEO Thomas Ingenlath said of the new concept.
Ingenlath notes that the Polestar O2 will offer open-top driving with the added pleasure of being able to hear more than the growl of an engine.
Polestar O₂. Source: Polestar
“It opens the door to our secret chamber of future potential,” he said in a statement. “This is a taste of what we can design and engineer with the talent and technology we have in-house. It looks incredible, and being able to lower the roof and not hear an engine promises a superb sensation.”
The Polestar O2 also highlights the EV maker’s ability to adapt to its drivetrain to a variety of body styles. In the opinion of Poelstar’s design head Maximilian Missoni, the Polestar O2 is “a meeting point between technology and art, between precision and sculpture, with a determined but not aggressive stance.”
The design lead shared his own images of the Polestar O2 on Instagram, including a close-up of the Polestar-branded Hoco Flow drone and a capture of it flying above the EV concept.
Source: maximilianmissoni/Instagram
Source: maximilianmissoni/Instagram
Source: maximilianmissoni/Instagram
Source: maximilianmissoni/Instagram
In addition to conceptualising a dynamic and agile ride with minimal roll angles and high roll damping, the Polestar O2 presents the EV maker an opportunity to showcase sustainable vehicle design.
In this case, it is using a “thermoplastic mono-material”, meaning all the interior soft components – foam, adhesive, fibres and non-woven lainates – are made from recycled polyester. Recycled metals are also used in components in keeping with circular economy concept.
The drone itself is made by Hoco Flow, the consumer electronic department of Aerofugia, a joint venture borne of Polestar’s parent company Geely and US-based Terrafugia, a flying car developer.
According to Polestar, it will be able to launch from behind the rear seats of the Polestar O2 while the vehicle is moving, and capture the “perfect driving sequence”.
Polestar O₂. Source: Polestar
While there are actually a number of drones that integrate “follow me” capabilities and some EV/delivery drone concepts such as the Horsefly, from delivery EV company Workhorse, this is the first time we’ve seen one that is billed as an integrated drone purely for video creation.
Of course, drones have limited flight range due to their small batteries, but the key factor will be a charging station sitting behind the Polestar O2‘s rear seats, no doubt.
“We wanted to emphasise the experience you can have with a car like the Polestar O2 in new and unusual ways,” said Missoni of the drone.
“Integrating an autonomous cinematic drone was something that allowed us to push the boundaries on the innovation front. Not needing to stop and off-load the drone before filming, but rather deploying it at speed, is a key benefit to this innovative design.”
Polestar is currently preparing for a reverse merger onto the tech-focussed Nasdaq
Keyword: Polestar teases new hard-top electric convertible, with its own drone