The Polestar 2 has received a number of mid-cycle updates, freshening up the overall design and improving the car's eco credentials.
Ethical materials
The refresh has seen the company revisiting some of the materials that go into making the Polestar 2 with the aim of making the car and its production processes both more environmentally and ethically sound. Among the new measures includes greater traceability of the mica and cobalt used in the Polestar's batteries and the decision from now on to only use "low carbon" aluminium from smelters that exclusively use renewable energy. Going forward, the company will use both a low carbon aluminium battery tray as well as low carbon aluminium wheels resulting in a saving of 1,350kg of CO2 per car during production.
"In our programme updates we want to take action on improvements that can make a positive sustainability impact quickly, rather than traditional mid-cycle facelifts. Product optimisation programmes are common in the car industry, but we are taking an extended approach at Polestar, combining these with CO2 reduction programmes as well," said Frederika Klarén, Polestar's head of sustainability.
A new leather supplier too, the Scottish firm, Bridge of Weir, provides ethically-sourced 'vegan' leather for Polestar's interiors.
Design changes
Beyond the materials, there are several design tweaks. Magnesium (a kind of silver) is now the standard default colour with two new shades, Jupiter and Space (silvery grey and black, respectively) in the colour range. New designs for the standard 19-inch and optional 20-inch wheels are available too, with the interior also getting a small selection of new upholstery and trim options.
Also available will be a removable sunshade for the panoramic glass roof, while the heat pump has been made more efficient thanks to an optimisation of its temperature settings.
Polestar in Ireland
The battery in the standard-range single-motor Polestar 2 now features, thanks to revised cell chemistry, a 69kWh capacity with a range of up to 474km and power of 231hp on tap. This doesn't exactly mark a change for the Irish market considering that the company has just arrived here with its latest models, but differs from the smaller-capacity set-up formerly found in the Polestar 2 in other markets. Longer-range versions are on sale too with 78kWh batteries and respective ranges of 542km and 482km depending on whether the long-range single-motor or the less efficient long-range dual-motor versions are chosen.
Polestar doesn't have a dealer network as such, but rather "retail locations" (like showrooms, but smaller) with the buying process completed online. Servicing and repairs though are carried out through the rather more populous network of Volvo dealerships, Volvo being Polestar's parent company alongside the Chinese car giant Geely. The first "Polestar Destination" retail location is due to open in Dublin later this year.
While the company only has one model on sale at present, there'll be others coming down the line with the Polestar 3 SUV due to launch later this year and more models to follow thereafter.
For now though, for the Polestar 2 starts from €49,500 including incentives.
Polestar Ireland has confirmed that the updated model will arrive in the latter half of 2022.