The conventional SUV isan environmental offender.
But Polestar aims to redeem the category, launching their third vehicle: Polestar 3.
I attended the launch last week and got an up-close look at it.
Sorry, but SUVs are popular
First, lets address the elephant in the room.
Its an uncomfortable truth for environmentalists, but SUV sales are increasing.
In 2021, SUV sales accounted for approximately48% of the passenger car marketin China.
The reasons for this are varied.
Car usage increased during the pandemic as an alternative to public transport.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
Or, simply put, peoplelikeSUVs.
And its taking SUV lovers along for the ride toward a greener kind of vehicle.
The Polestar brand launched in 2017 and is co-owned by Volvo Cars Group and Geely Holding.
This is is a major task that extends far beyond electrification, and the Polestar 3 lays the groundwork.
For example, aerodynamic efficiency increases through the front and rear aero wings to reduce drag.
And, of course, the greater the aerodynamic efficiency, the greater the EVs range.
These CO2 values will reduce year by year, the company says.
Customers I spoke to at the launch liked this feature.
Polestar was the first car to announce the use ofblockchainto tracecobaltin its batteries.
Head of Sustainability Frederika Klaren told us that this also extends to nickel and lithium sourcing.
In other words, it wants to reuse car parts tomakecar parts.
But theres room for improvement.
Although lets be clear, this car is no green martyr.
Its a good-looking vehicle that would catch the eye of any SUV owner.
As one Polestar owner told me, you cant guilt someone into buying a 90,000 car.
you’re able to upgrade to low-carbon leather byBridge and Weirif you must.
Smaller manufacturers can test their products in a demanding supply chain.
First and foremost, it has to drive well.
However, a Bowers & Wilkins Audio system includes a whopping 25 speakers for surround sound.
There was even talk of remastering a Kraftwerk song for the sound system.
Luxury vs. convenience
The rub with luxury SUVs is around how their ownersactuallyuse their cars versus.
how they think they do.
This is particularly important when we discuss batteries.
The Polestar 3s hasa 111kWhcapacity with a range of 610km.
Comparatively, the 2022TeslaModel Y long-range has a 74kWh battery and a range of 531km.
And theMercedes-BenzEQE SUV(unveiled on Sunday in Paris) hasa 550km range with a 90.6kWh battery.
Personally, Id like Polestar to invest more in increased range in a smaller battery.
The bigger the battery, the greater the carbon impact of manufacturing.
This is disappointing as most people dont need big cars for their daily commuting.
Its getting closer, but the brand still has a long way to go to a carbon-zero vehicle.
What will the price point mean for rebates and incentivization?
So theres no price drop there.
However, workplace rebates may prove more successful in the UK and Europe.
I spoke to several Polestar 2 owners who purchased an EV under workplace schemes.
But outside of that, Polestar has placed itself firmly in the luxury market.
But how will innovation at the top trickle down to the cheaper vehicle market?
What percentage of buyers will be those transitioning from ICEs?
What do luxuryelectric SUVsmean for the future of the road (and parking)?
Currently, these questions remain unanswered.
From mid-2024, manufacturing will also occur at the Volvo facility in Ridgeville, South Carolina.
So there you have it.
An all-electric luxury SUV for people who like big cars and have money to spend.
It wont change the impact of car dependency.
But it might inspire luxury car owners to be a bit more sustainable.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
