Colin-on-Cars - Aluminium body for Polestar 5

Using a new bonded aluminium platform, the upcoming Polestar 5 electric performance 4-door GT will be lighter and faster.

Bonded aluminium is light-weight and rigid, offering superlative performance and environmental advantages but has previously proven labour-intensive and difficult to use in mass production vehicles without sacrificing quality.

Polestar’s 280-strong team of former Formula 1, low volume and bespoke sports cars engineers working in the heart of the UK’s Motorsport Valley in the Midlands have resolved this challenge by developing an entirely new, faster manufacturing process that develops both body and platform in unison.

Smaller

As a result of the new materials and techniques involved, the body-in-white (completed platform and body) is expected to weigh less than that of cars in smaller segments, contributing to improved vehicle efficiency, real-world EV range and dynamic responsiveness, all while delivering leading safety levels. The new bonded aluminium platform will also help drive faster product introduction, high quality and platform rigidity.

“Our UK R&D team is one of Polestar’s greatest assets,” says Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO. “Their mix of engineering and technological expertise enables us to develop advanced, light-weight sports car technology with a creative mindset and a spirit that embraces innovative engineering. This will set Polestar apart in the years to come.”

Rigidity

By further developing this technology for Polestar’s first in-house platform, the 4-door Polestar 5 is being designed with torsional rigidity superior to that of a traditional two-seat sports or supercar. The decision to develop a bespoke platform has also enabled the brand to deliver a production model that remains true to the Precept concept car that inspired it.

“We knew we wanted this car to be light-weight, we knew we wanted high quality and we knew we wanted it quickly,” says Pete Allen, Head of Polestar UK R&D. “This architecture delivers outstanding dynamic and safety attributes, with low investment technology applicable to high production volumes.”

Polestar was established as a new, standalone Swedish premium electric vehicle manufacturer in 2017.

Markets

Founded by Volvo Cars and Geely Holding, Polestar is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and its vehicles are currently available and on the road in markets across Europe, North America, China and Asia Pacific. By 2023, the company plans to be present in at least 30 global markets.

Polestar cars are currently manufactured in two facilities in China, with additional future manufacturing planned in the USA.

Polestar has produced two electric performance cars. The Polestar 1 was built between 2019 and 2021 as a low-volume electric performance hybrid GT with a carbon fibre body, 1 000 Nm and an electric-only range of 124 km (WLTP) – the longest of any hybrid car in the world.

Variants

The Polestar 2 electric performance fastback is the company’s first fully electric, high volume car. The Polestar 2 model range includes three variants with a combination of long and standard range batteries as large as 78 kWh, and dual- and single-motor powertrains with as much as 300 kW and 660 Nm.

In the coming three years, Polestar plans to launch one new electric vehicle per year, starting with Polestar 3 in 2022 – the company’s first electric performance SUV. Polestar 4 is expected to follow in 2023, a smaller electric performance SUV coupé.

https://bit.ly/3LGNx0q

 Polestar launches design contest

Are you handy with a pencil and brim full of ideas that could change the world? If so, Polestar wants to hear from you. 

Polestar, the Swedish electric performance car brand led by designer Thomas Ingenlath, has launched its 2021 vision of future mobility Design Contest under the theme of ‘progressive’. 

The contest features both student and professional categories, with initial designs submitted in the form of sketches or digital images. Designs should display new ways of thinking that could encourage positive change in society, including responses to the ongoing climate crisis. The progressive theme should be evident in the designs. 

“In a landscape of disruptive technologies, evolving lifestyles and fast-growing concern for climate change, design can be the driving force for positive change. We believe our contest provides a great platform for the design community to visualise progressive mobility ideas of the future,” says Maximilian Missoni, Head of Design at Polestar. 

The 2020 contest drew more than 600 applications from across the world. Entries included an array of cutting-edge design concepts, from prosthetic springboard blades for walking, to an autonomous pod, to a luxury yacht that exuded Polestar’s minimalistic design tonality. 

One of the winning designs was an airship that looked 20 years ahead, combining Polestar’s design ethos with a 21^st century aviation approach. The design did not need to be a car, but it needed to be ‘a Polestar’. 

An exclusive feature of the global Polestar Design Contest is the coaching and support it offers. Shortlisted submissions will receive guidance and feedback with Head of Design Maximilian Missoni, Polestar designers and sustainability lead. 

A unique prize awaits the winners, who will be flown to either Polestar Chengdu or Polestar Headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden to attend the Polestar Design Exhibition, as well as to experience both the brand and the cars up close. 

The winning designs in each category will be brought to life as 1:5 scale models and an exhibition of the winning designs will then tour Polestar Spaces around the world. This unique opportunity to promote the designers’ work during the inaugural contest last year even caught the eye of Demna Gvasalia, Creative Director at Balenciaga, who chose to integrate the designs within the fashion brand’s virtual AW show in 2020. 

To aid in their continued development as designers, winners will also receive a computer and tablet, along with a trophy. 

“Polestar is a design-born, purpose-led electric car brand, on a mission to accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility,” explains Juan Pablo Bernal, Senior Interior Design Manager at Polestar, and curator of the @polestardesigncommunity Instagram page. “We feel the ‘progressive’ theme provides a unique canvas for designers around the world to express their creativity in the pursuit of our shared goals.” 

• No purchase or payment required to enter. English language required. Must be age of majority or older to participate. Registration starts 7 June 2021 and closes 30 June 2021. Subject to eligibility and other restrictions. For complete Official Rules, visit about.polestar.com/polestar-design-contest/2021/