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.
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