Polestar Targets Tesla Model 3 With New ‘Entry Level’ EV

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

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27th February 2019

Volvo’s all-electric premium sub-brand Polestar hopes to take on Tesla’s ‘entry-level’ Model 3 with its new Polestar 2.

Yet the Swedish carmaker seems to have already hit the wall over pricing citing a showroom tag of $55,000 including the US government’s EV grant for the launch edition, some $10,000 more than the so-far cheapest mid-range battery Tesla Model 3 on the market. That said, the carmaker claims the price is based on the higher specification launch edition and that prices for the entry level car should fall to about $45,362.

It’s a five-door fastback with two electric motors and a 78 kWh battery capacity that suggests a range of 300 miles, based on Volvo’s adaptable compact modular architecture platform (CMA). The 27-module battery pack is integrated into the floor to boost chassis stiffness and reduce road noise which, the carmaker claims, falls by 3.7 dB compared to a traditional chassis.

Up until its EV rebranding, Polestar was always the sports version of Volvo’s range and the new car hopes to honor that history by claiming an all-wheel drive electric powertrain producing 408hp and 660Nm of torque to fire the car from a standstill to 62mph in less than 5 seconds.

Polestar claims the car is the world’s first to embed an infotainment system powered by Android bringing Google services including the Google Assistant, Google Maps with support for electric vehicles and the Google Play Store5. Other technology stand-outs include phone-as-key technology for car-sharing and Polestar’s connected services such as pick-up and delivery that also allows the car to sense the driver upon approach and even predetermine the driver’s preferred cabin settings and quick start sequence.

Thomas Ingenlath, chief executive officer of Polestar, said: “Polestar 2 is our first fully electric car and first volume model. As an electric performance brand and through the forthcoming launch of a portfolio of fully electric cars, Polestar is determined to address the world’s air quality challenges.”

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_