| Developers: | Volvo Cars |
| Date of the premiere of the system: | 2017 |
| Last Release Date: | March 2020 |
| Branches: | Transport |
Content |
Polestar is a brand of sports road electric vehicles Volvo Cars Group, positioned as an independent.
2025: Defect Detection - Glass Roof by Car Falls Right While Driving
In July 2025, it became known that the Swedish car brand Polestar, founded in 1996 as Flash Engineering and acquired in 2015 by Volvo Cars, is recalling Polestar 3 medium-sized electric crossovers. In defective cars, a panoramic glass roof can separate from the body right while driving.
Troubled vehicles are assembled at a plant in Charleston (South Carolina, USA) between September 21 and December 3, 2024. Previously, these electric cars have already undergone refinement: in particular, it was necessary to re-color certain elements.
According to documents filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recalled cars had their paint tape used at the repainting site improperly removed. Because of this, the panoramic glass roof may not be secured as securely as required. As a result, during driving, the glass panel can fall off, which creates a danger to other road users and increases the likelihood of an accident.
As part of the recall campaign, Polestar dealers will inspect all suspicious cars and remove the remains of paint tape if necessary. After that, the specialists of the service center will replace the panoramic roof of all affected electric vehicles for free. Polestar emphasizes that after identifying the defect, it fixed the problem during the production stage.
Identification numbers for defective vehicles are available on the Polestar website. The owners of these vehicles will be officially notified of the recall no later than August 18, 2025. Chinese-Swedish brand Polestar is not aware of any road accidents potentially related to the issue.[1]
2020
Two reviews of several thousand electric engines
At the end of October 2020, Volvo announced the recall of several thousand defective Polestar electric vehicles. Moreover, this service campaign turned out to be the second in a month for the brand.
First, 4586 electric cars fell under the recall, the malfunction of which is associated with a defective inverter. Due to an error in the software of this system, the power is turned off without the possibility of restarting. The repair is to replace the inverters. It is noted that this procedure is carried out in one visit to the service center - you do not need to leave the car at night.
As Dagens Industry writes with reference to the manufacturer's statement, turning off the power does not mean loss of steering and brakes, so that drivers who encountered a sudden stop of the car could normally stop at the side of the road. But then the car had to be towed. Some motorists had an inscription about a malfunction in the drive system before disconnecting. A Polestar spokesperson commented that the failure affects a number of important safety-related features. Nevertheless , the exact picture of what happened has yet to be established.
The second recall involves a coolant heater, which is responsible for heating the cabin and high-voltage battery. In this case, the fault is confirmed in 3150 instances of Polestar 2. The manufacturer will begin a repair campaign on November 2, 2020. It is launched in all Polestar sales countries except North America and Switzerland. Owners in Europe will be able to solve both problems in one visit to the dealership.
Vehicles that have not yet been delivered to customers and have problems are being repaired before customers receive them. The manufacturer did not specify exactly how many recalled machines began to be used by users.[2]
Polestar 2 Mass Production Launch
On March 24, 2020, Volvo announced the start of mass production of the first electric car under the premium Polestar brand. The car got on the conveyors, despite the fact that other auto giants are closing factories due to the spread of a new type of coronavirus.
The assembly of Polestar 2 has been established at a plant in the industrial center of Chinese Chengdu. The factory was put into operation in late summer 2019. This enterprise is positioned as "one of the most environmentally friendly industries in the country."
The capacity of this facility by March 24, 2020 allows the production of about 500 thousand cars per year. Electric cars will go on sale both to the Chinese market and to foreign ones.
Polestar 2 should compete with Tesla Model 3: the preliminary cost of the basic version of the electric car will be 39,900 euros. From China, the model will be delivered to Europe and North America, and acceptance of applications for the purchase of cars began in March 2020. The first European customers will receive their cars in the summer.
Production of Polestar 2 began against the background of how China is gradually recovering from the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. As of March 24, 2020, 90% of Chinese residents infected with COVID-2019 have recovered. This led to the resumption of the work of the factories of automakers. Thus, the assembly lines of the Tesla plant in Shanghai, as well as the Nissan and Honda factories in Hubei province, were launched.
Volvo applied a serious strict policy at its Chinese production sites to ensure that its activities in the Middle Kingdom would not be affected. For example, temperature checks, a thorough disinfection process and masks for each worker were among the measures taken. Apparently, the measures turned out to be effective, since Polestar said that none of its Chinese employees had contracted the virus.[3]
2019: Polestar 2 official announcement
On February 27, 2019, Volvo introduced the first electric car under its Polestar premium brand, which develops independently. The Polestar 2 electric car is built on the Vovlo CMA platform.
The novelty is equipped with two electric engines with a total capacity of 300 kilowatts (408 forces) and a torque of 660 Nm. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is declared in less than 5 seconds.
The battery pack, consisting of 27 modules, has a capacity of 78 kilowatt-hours and allows the car to drive up to 500 km without recharging (when measured using the WLTP method). It provides for the use of an all-wheel drive system.
Polestar 2 received an infotainment system with an 11-inch display on the center console and Android operating system with support for most Google services, including Google Maps, Google Play Store and Google Assistant.
The car has a digital dashboard, pixel LED headlights, a panoramic roof and Phone-as-Key technology, which provides access to the car interior using a smartphone. The virtual key can be transferred to relatives and friends, as well as used to receive branded concierge services, such as delivering purchases directly to the car.
The Performance Pack is available as an option, including Ohlins shock absorbers, Brembo brakes, 20-inch wheels and golden paint on brake calipers and seat belts.
The cost of Polestar 2 will be from 40 thousand euros. However, at first the electric car will be sold only in the Launch Edition, its price is 60 thousand euros. The start of sales is scheduled for 2020.[4]
Production will be organized in China, but electric cars are planned to be sold in the markets of the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Germany and other European countries.
2018: Volvo reveals its first electric car
In July 2018, details about the first in full became known. electric car Volvo It is supposed to become a competitor. Tesla Model 3
In a conversation with Autocar, Volvo COO Jonathan Goodman said that an electric car called Polestar 2 will receive a 400 hp power plant and a set of batteries that will allow the car to drive about 560 km without recharging. The cost of the electric car will begin at $40 thousand. For comparison, Tesla Model 3 costs from $35 thousand.
According to Goodman, Volvo is not going to make the design of its electric car futuristic, but the company intends to move away from the traditional approach in appearance design.
The top manager did not disclose additional details about the exterior and interior. It is only known that the new product will be built on the proprietary Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform
According to Business Insider, the final design of Polestar 2 is likely to be close to the Volvo 40.2 concept presented in 2017. Therefore, most likely Polestar 2 will receive a sedan-type body. In terms of size, the first Volvo electric car based on the 40.2 concept will be similar to the cars of the 40th family: length 4.3-4.4 meters, width 1.7-1.8 meters, wheelbase length 2.6-2.7 meters.
The Polestar 2 is expected to premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2019.
Volvo intends to produce cars only with electric motors from 2019. It is planned to produce only three types of cars: all-electric, plug-in hybrids and so-called soft hybrids, which combine a gasoline engine with a small powerful battery, in particular a driving car.
Volvo will launch five electric vehicle models between 2019 and 2021, including three under the Volvo brand, while two will be launched by Polestar.[5]
2017: Polestar 1 announcement
Polestar confirmed in October 2017 plans for the first three models, the availability of new specially created production facilities in China, as well as customer-oriented product promotion in the market, which will set a new bar in the Volvo Cars sports road car industry and two more companies have created a joint venture within the parent Zhejiang Geely Holding. A joint venture with a capitalization of 5 billion yuan (640 million euros) supports the development of Polestar. Polestar remains controlled by Volvo Car Group and will be fully consolidated into Volvo Car Group.
Polestar produces two models - the S60 and V60 Polestar, sports road cars with a capacity of 367 hp, in which more than 250 changes are implemented compared to civilian Volvo. Polestar also offers Polestar sports package components and engine optimization software.
Along with this, Polestar introduced its first model in October 2017 - the 600-horsepower Polestar 1, which is due to roll off the assembly line in mid-2019. Polestar's own technological base, as well as increased production efficiency within the framework of cooperation with Volvo Car Group, allow Polestar to accelerate the processes of designing, developing and manufacturing cars - it takes much longer for market beginners to take such a cycle.
The Polestar 1 presented sets the tone for all future models of the brand. The Polestar 1 is a two-door grand turismo coupe with a 2 + 2 landing formula with a hybrid Electric Performance Hybrid power plant, which is essentially an electric car with internal combustion engine support. On pure electric traction, the car is capable of traveling up to 150 km - more than any of the existing hybrids on the market. At the same time, thanks to the power of 600 hp. and torque 1000 Nm Polestar 1 without tension is in the segment of sports road cars.
The Polestar 1 is based on the Volvo Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA), but it is about 50% a brand new car developed by Polestar engineers. Improved dynamic and driving characteristics were the result of the introduction of a whole set of the latest technologies, pursuing one main goal - to get a truly driver's car. The Polestar 1 is the world's first chassis machine equipped with a completely new Öhlins (CESi) continuously controlled electronic suspension technology. Due to the carbon body, the weight of the car was reduced, its stiffness to twist increased by 45%, and the center of gravity of the entire structure was lowered. The Polestar 1 has a dual rear electric drive that allows you to control the distribution of torque. As a result, the necessary acceleration is transmitted to each wheel, thereby maintaining maximum traction and the car behaves perfectly in turns.
Polestar 1 will be assembled at the state-of-the-art Polestar Production Center in Chengdu, China. The center is being built specifically for this purpose, construction should be completed in mid-2018.
In the future, Polestar will retreat from the traditional car ownership scheme. 100% of the brand's machines will be ordered online and offered on a two- or three-year subscription basis. No deposit, all-inclusive subscriptions will be supplemented with services such as delivering goods to the car, as well as the ability to change the car to another within the Volvo and Polestar lineup - all this is provided for by a monthly fee.
A fixed-rate subscription means owning Polestar will be as simple and straightforward as possible. The technology of accessing the car through a mobile phone (Phone-As-Key) will allow you to transfer the virtual key to third parties and open access to a number of concierge services. The main concern of the driver from now on is to enjoy driving.
All subsequent Polestar models will be equipped with fully electric power plants. Production of the Polestar 2 will begin towards the end of 2019 - for Volvo Car Group, it will be the first electric vehicle on battery power supplies. The Polestar 2 will be a mid-size vehicle with production volumes significantly higher than those of the Polestar 1; its task is to become a competitor to the Tesla Model 3. The Polestar electric crossover Polestar 3 will complete the initial line of cars, which will become the brightest and most technological embodiment of modern dynamic electric vehicles.
Notes
- ↑ Leftover Tape Could Cause Polestar Glass Roofs To Fly Off
- ↑ Geely's EV maker Polestar recalls all Polestar 2 sedans again
- ↑ Polestar 2 EV production begins, despite COVID-19 spread
- ↑ POLESTAR TEMPTS THE MASSES BY TAKING ON THE TESLA MODEL 3
- ↑ Volvo's new Polestar 2 electric-car will start at $40,000 and have a range of 350 miles per charge
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