Polestar 2 begins UK tour at Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Polestar 2 is the first volume car from the brand and the first full-electric vehicle. It follows the hybrid-electric, limited production Polestar 1, which the brand hopes will start deliveries by the end of 2019.

Jonathan Goodman, Chief Operating Officer at Polestar, told us: “Polestar 1 is a halo car for the brand.  We’re only building 500 a year, we’re building it for three years, and it’ll be almost a collector’s item. It set some of the parameters for the brand: cars that will be great to look at; cars that will be great to drive; cars that are avantgarde in their design but not alienating to anyone.

“Polestar 2 is a very important vehicle for us because it’s the first of our full electric vehicles; every car that follows afterwards in the Polestar range will be a BEV.”

The Polestar 2 uses the same Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform as other products within the Volvo family, like the XC40. However, it uses a fully electric, twin-motor drivetrain. Each motor drives a single axle, for a combined, all-wheel-drive power output of 408hp. That should equate to a 0-62mph time of around 4.7 seconds.

Power comes from a 27-module battery pack in the car’s floor. This has a capacity of 78kWh, delivering a range of 311 miles on the new WLTP testing method.

Goodman notes that the same chassis team that developed Polestar 1 is also working on Polestar 2, “to deliver the same level of performance and excitement in the driver”. There’s a standard specification for the dynamics and, like the earlier car, a performance pack with Öhlins dampers, Brembo front brakes and 20-inch polished black wheels.

The Polestar 2 also uses a new infotainment system based on Android. The 11-inch touchscreen acts as an interface for the system, which includes Google Maps, with support for electric vehicles, and the Google Assistant. “As a customer you no longer have to do all the manipulations with your phone when you get in a car – you get the same connectivity that you’re used to on your phone outside the car, you can now get inside the car. It’s an exciting step,” says Goodman.

Polestar uses other technology to enhance the ease of ownership. By using your phone as a key for the car, other people can drive it on your behalf. This could include a Polestar agent collecting your car from your workplace for service, and returning it afterwards, all while you’re at work.

When the car goes on sale, it’ll start at around €39,900 (£35,800), with a launch edition in the first 12 months priced at €59,900 (£53,700).

Photography by Joe Harding.