Polestar tweaks the 2, including the price
Monday, 30 May 2022
Polestar has confirmed updates are inbound for the Polestar 2 EV, including more power and small design updates, as well as more focus on emissions reductions on the manufacturing side. Unfortunately, the changes do come with a slight price hike.
The Swedish manufacturer says it reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 6% per car sold in 2021 through efficiency and the use of renewable energy.
Updated Polestar 2 models get a new aluminium tray for the battery casing that will reduce CO2 output by 750kg per car, thanks to the material coming from smelters running on renewable power. In the second half of the year, Polestar is promising to use similarly sourced aluminium in the wheels, dropping CO2 emissions per car by a further 600kg.
Polestar has also partnered with Circulor, a leader in supply chain traceability, to include blockchain traceability of mica, in addition to cobalt that is already traced in Polestar 2 batteries. Blockchain technology allows Polestar to trace risk minerals from material source to finished product.
**READ MORE:
* Road test review: Polestar 2 Long Range
* Polestar 2 Kiwi pricing confirmed - look out, Tesla
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Design changes include more renewable, recyclable and recycled materials in the cabin, as well as a more sustainable Nappa leather upholstery pack. A vegan interior is available, like before.
Finally, the Performance Pack now ups power by 50kW and 20Nm, to 350kW and 680Nm. This drops the official 0-100km/h time to 4.4 seconds, and is only available on the Long range Dual motor version.
Prices have risen as a result of the changes, with only one model now falling under the $80,000 Clean Car Programme limit for the $8625 rebate, that being the Standard range Single motor ($76,900). You can add the Pilot Lite pack ($79,900 total) and still get a rebate, which includes extra active safety stuff like lane centring, 360-degree cameras, cross traffic alerts on top of the standard adaptive cruise control, blind spot alert and park assist functions.
Adding the Plus pack – a better sound system, panoramic glass roof and nicer seats – bumps the price to $86,900, the same price as the Long range Single motor with the Pilot Lite pack. Putting both extra packs on the Long range Single motor pushes the cost to $94,900, while adding an extra motor to the fray also adds an extra digit to the price, asking $104,900.
Finally, the all-in Long range Dual motor Performance model costs $114,900.
The price changes mean the Tesla Model 3 is now the cheaper option, as the base rear-wheel drive version starts at $73,200. The dual-motor Long Range comes in at $86,900 while the top-spec Performance kicks off at $100,900.
The updated Polestar 2 is expected to land in September 2022, and the order books are running hot, with the entire allocation of current models sold out three weeks after the first Polestar Space opened in Newmarket, Auckland.