Swedish EV maker Polestar plans to make a number of upgrades to its current flagship, the Polestar 2, for 2024, changes that will deliver up to 20% more range, even as it cuts charging times by more than a third.
The liftback is Polestar’s first all-electric model and has received generally favorable reviews with the automotive media and early buyers. The hardware upgrades should help address one of the few serious complaints the Polestar 2 has been subject to, its mid-pack battery range.
“We absolutely love Polestar 2 — such a stylish, fun car to drive. Our engineers have worked hard to integrate important upgrades that really enhance the overall package, and they’ve made it even better. We are proud to see we can do this without increasing its carbon footprint, but rather reducing it,” said Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO.
Boosting range
Like competitors such as Tesla, Audi and Ford, the Swedish-based Volvo spinoff has used smartphone-style over-the-air updates to improve the performance and upgrade features on the Polestar 2. But the big changes for 2024 will require some significant hardware updates, including a switch to larger batteries and new motors, Polestar confirmed.
When first launched in 2020 as a 2021 model, the Polestar 2 Long range Single motor package was rated at a modest 233 miles per charge, according to the EPA. It got a modest, 7% bump for 2022.
With the changes planned for 2024, however, the single-motor package gets a new 82 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack capable of delivering 320 miles between charges, the EPA said. The dual-motor pack, gets a similar range bump, at an estimated 276 miles per charge.
Improved energy efficiency, faster charging
The bigger pack is one reason for the increased range. But the 2024 model will also receive new, more efficient motors and other updates that reduce the amount of energy needed for each mile it drives by 9%, Polestar said in a statement. That translates into reduced operating costs, along with a lower carbon footprint, the automaker emphasized.
For those less worried about the Polestar 2’s environmental impact, another improvement for 2024 comes in the form of reduced charging times. Depending upon the trim package and the sort of charger it’s plugged into, the 2024 liftback can go from a 10% to 80% state-of-charge as much as 34% quicker than the outgoing Polestar 2.
Among other changes for 2024, the single-motor Polestar 2 migrates from a front- to rear-wheel drive layout.
What’s next
The Polestar name was first used in 1996 by a motor sports team using Volvo products. It was sold to the Swedish automaker 2015, Volvo using the badge for a series of high-performance variants of its core product line.
It was spun off as an electrified brand, introducing the plug-in hybrid Polestar 1 sports car in 2018. That model has now been discontinued as the start-up shifts to an all-electric product line-up. The Polestar 2 became its first EV, though 2023 marks the debut of the Polestar 3, with at least three more product lines, the Polestars 4, 5 and 6, dues out by 2026.
Like Volvo, the new brand is owned by China’s Geely. Polestar 2 has been imported from China. The automaker will begin producing vehicles in the U.S. at a plant it shares with Volvo outside Charleston, South Carolina.