Polestar’s new car is an electric SUV, but carbon-zero goals feel far away
A conventional SUV environmental criminalsA 2019 study found that vehicles Second largest cause of global increase in carbon footprint Over the past decade, it has surpassed even behemoths such as planes and trucks. However, Polestar is trying to reclaim the category by launching its third vehicle, the Polestar 3. I attended the launch last week and saw it up close.
Sorry, SUVs are popular
First, talk to the elephant in the room. An uncomfortable fact for environmentalists, SUV sales are on the rise. In 2021, SUV sales will be about 48% of passenger car market in China. Also in Europe, car buyers are shifting from hatchbacks and sedans to his SUVs. 45.5% of cars purchased Of course, the United States is the king of this market, with cars accounting for 52.3% of sales.
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There are various reasons for this. During the pandemic, the use of cars has increased as an alternative to public transportation. Automakers are also all-out on more expensive luxury vehicles to make up for losses caused by coronavirus delays. Shortage of silicon chips.
Or, simply put, people favorite SUVs. Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said, “It’s easy to get in and out of, you get great visuals from the high seats, and you feel cool.” So Polestar is on a mission to create what it calls “his SUV for the electric age.” And lead SUV enthusiasts to a greener kind of vehicle.
The Polestar brand was launched in 2017 and is jointly owned by Volvo Cars Group and Geely Holding. Beyond the obvious benefits of electric vehicles, the company is aiming even higher, Polestar 0 — Climate neutral cars with zero carbon footprint by 2030.
This is an important issue that goes well beyond electrification, and Polestar 3 lays the groundwork for it. For example, front and rear aero wings improve aerodynamic efficiency and reduce drag. And, of course, the higher the aerodynamic efficiency, the longer the EV’s range.
Maintaining Material Transparency and Scores
The interior of the Polestar 3 is engraved with text that displays the vehicle’s life-cycle assessment in terms of carbon footprint after the start of production. This is part of Polestar’s commitment to transparency. The company says these CO₂ values will decrease year on year. The customers I spoke with at launch loved this feature.
Polestar was the first car to announce its use. blockchain to trace cobalt with that battery. Her Sustainability Officer, Frederika Klarén, said this also extends to sourcing nickel and lithium.
The company is also committed to material recycling and circular design, targeting closed-loop circularity. In other words, we want to reuse auto parts. make car parts. But there is room for improvement. For example, according to design director Maximilian Missoni, cars can be made apart, but with materials like aluminum, this is not always the case.
Let’s be clear, this car is no green martyr. It’s a cool car that will catch the eye of any SUV owner. As one Polestar owner told me, “You can’t make someone guilty so he buys a €90,000 car.”
The upholstery is available in vegan ‘Microtech’ (a material developed from certified renewable vinyl and recycled polyester fibers) and animal welfare certified yarn (from sheep slaughtered for food). Can be upgraded to low carbon leather by bridge and weir if you have to.
Raising supplier environmental standards (such as using renewable energy) is important for sustainability and has ripple effects across the industry. A small manufacturer can test products in his chain of demanding supply.
As Klarén points out, “Sustainability is more important than Polestar,” all OEMs are working towards climate goals, including asking competitors to hold themselves to higher standards.
Polestar 3 isn’t just for eco-friendly people
That said, I have no illusions that green certification is a primary concern when people buy a car. First of all, it should drive well. Polestar 3 is decent level 2 ADAS (Advanced driver assistance system) such as Corner Traction Control and Trailer Stability Assist.These will likely grow Over-the-air updatesbut nothing currently stands as a significant frontrunner in driver technology.
This car doesn’t have BMW’s wraparound dashboard, for example, and the simple center display reminds me of a Tesla. However, the Bowers & Wilkins audio system includes a whopping 25 speakers for surround sound. There was even talk of remastering Kraftwerk songs for sound systems.
Luxury vs. Convenience
Friction with luxury SUVs is about how their owners behave actually Use your car against how they think This is especially important when discussing batteries.
Polestar 3 is 111kWh Cruising range is 610km. But given that most people don’t drive his SUV for hours at a time, the added value of a high-capacity battery is questionable.
By comparison, 2022 Tesla The Model Y Long Range is powered by a 74kWh battery and has a range of 531km.and the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV (announced Sunday in Paris) has The cruising range is 550km with a 90.6kWh battery.
Personally, I wish Polestar would invest more in increasing range with a small battery. The bigger the battery, the bigger the carbon impact from manufacturing.
moreover, The Tesla Y and EQE SUVs can carry up to seven people, while the Polestar is limited to five, somewhat diluting the purpose of a larger vehicle.
And while Polestar is already working on the next three vehicles in the range, it has no plans to move from the luxury market to smaller, more energy-efficient vehicles. This is a shame as most people don’t need a large vehicle for their daily commute. And we definitely have a strong stockpile of research and development in terms of sustainability that can be used to drive future innovation. It’s getting closer, but the brand still has a long way to go to carbon-free cars.
What do the rebates and incentives price points mean?
The Polestar 3 currently has a starting price of $84,000 (€89,900) and is therefore not eligible for the revised US federal EV tax credit. Inflation control law This is limited to electric SUVs priced up to $80,000. So no discount.
It is also unclear whether drivers are eligible for billing benefits such as: Free charge for 30 minutes Provided by Electrify America customers for Polestar 2 owners.
However, workplace rebates may be more successful in the UK and Europe. I spoke to several Polestar 2 owners who bought his EV under the Workplace Scheme. In one company he registered 80 people in two weeks. Therefore, it may attract attention in areas where such schemes are popular.
But other than that, Polestar has a strong presence in the luxury market. This limits purchases to high earners, or those subject to attractive loans, salary sacrifices, or other workplace schemes.
But how will top innovations penetrate the cheaper car market? What percentage of buyers will move away from ICE? What will luxury do? electric SUV Does it make sense for the future of roads (and parking lots)? Currently, these questions remain open.
The Polestar 3 will go into production at the Volvo facility in Chengdu in mid-2023, with first deliveries in Europe and the US scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023. From mid-2024, manufacturing will also take place at Volvo’s facility in Ridgeville, South Carolina.
So you have it. An all-electric luxury SUV for those who like big cars and can afford it. The impact of car dependence remains unchanged. But it may encourage luxury car owners to be a little more sustainable.
https://thenextweb.com/news/polestars-new-car-is-an-electric-suv-but-its-carbon-zero-goal-feels-far-away Polestar’s new car is an electric SUV, but carbon-zero goals feel far away
