The introduction of the Polestar 2 catapulted the model into the mainstream, delivering Polestar’s signature Scandinavian design in a automobile prepared for the plenty. It has been nicely obtained so far, with Polestar autos making their method into the properties of greater than 150,000 clients. Gregor Hembrough, Head of USA at Polestar, stated that Polestar is on monitor to ship 60,000 of the Polestar 2 around the globe this yr.

A New & Improved Polestar 2

With the introduction of the 2024 mannequin yr Polestar 2, the model is giving its second automobile a facelift. Most noticeable is the swap from the extra conventional slotted grill to a clean aerodynamic grill.

Polestar’s CEO Thomas Ingenlath is clearly a fan of the Polestar 2 and had this to say in regards to the enchancment coming for 2024: “We completely love Polestar 2 – such a trendy, enjoyable automobile to drive. Our engineers have labored onerous to combine vital upgrades that actually improve the general package deal, they usually’ve made it even higher. We’re proud to see we will do that with out rising its carbon footprint, however reasonably lowering it.”

The 2024 Polestar 2. Picture courtesy: Polestar

Polestar invited CleanTechnica out to Denver to check drive its new mannequin yr 2024 autos and we had been in a position to spend time driving the only and twin motor builds via the attractive Rocky Mountains. The lengthy vary single motor Polestar 2 sports activities an 82 kilowatt-hour (kWh) (79kWh usable) CATL-based NMC battery pack and a 220 kilowatt (kW) / 299 horsepower (hp) rear motor. That interprets to a whopping 320 miles of EPA rated vary per cost, which could be recharged at as much as 205 kW from a DC quick charger.

The lengthy vary twin motor construct comes with an additional motor up entrance, bumping to whole energy output as much as 310 kW / 421 hp and nonetheless sports activities the 78 kWh (75kWh usable) LG Chem-based NMC battery pack as earlier years. The mixture can obtain 276 miles of vary per cost and might DC quick cost at as much as 155 kW attributable to limitations within the 78 kWh pack. When questioned in regards to the decrease charging pace, Polestar’s product & launch supervisor John Quinn hinted that extra updates had been within the works for the twin motor construct.

Picture credit score: Kyle Area, CleanTechnica

For these feeling the necessity for pace, Polestar additionally provides a Efficiency pack possibility on the twin motor construct. This selection leverages the magic of software program to kick the dual motors into overdrive for 335 kW / 455 hp and a whopping 740 N-m (546 lb-ft) of torque.

On the floor, the autos look nearly an identical, with delicate nuances that set them aside. Proper off the bat, the Efficiency autos are sporting huge Brembo brake calipers within the unique Swedish Gold decor and matching valve stem covers. It’s a delicate flex that this automobile isn’t simply one other Polestar 2. The badging additionally identifies it as a extra highly effective automobile. Inside, the gold seatbelt bands serve to spotlight the variations as nicely.

Picture credit score: Kyle Area, CleanTechnica

For mannequin yr 2024, Polestar launched a brand new battery pack for the only motor lengthy vary configuration. It additionally introduced the only motor from the entrance to the rear to present it a extra sporty really feel. The brand new motor can be extra sprightly than the earlier incarnation, pushing out 299 horsepower, or 68 extra ponies than the 2023.

Polestar has additionally been engaged on different enhancements below the hood, together with improved inverters and the up to date 82 kWh battery pack that allowed it to spice up the DC quick charging pace as much as 205 kW. That’s not going to interrupt any pace information, but it surely’s greater than adequate for the general public DC quick charging networks for the foreseeable future.

Picture credit score: Kyle Area, CleanTechnica

Driving Impressions

To expertise each builds of the brand new 2024 Polestar 2, the corporate mapped out a full day of driving via the Rocky Mountains. We began off with the only motor lengthy vary configuration which felt like the proper street journey automobile. Its 320-mile vary offered ample confidence and allowed us to discover the curvy mountain highways with out having to consider vary or quick charging.

At a mean pace of fifty miles per hour on the mountain roads, that translated to simply over 6 hours of driving. For these not maintaining monitor, that’s a full day of driving for the overwhelming majority of journeys, with out even having to take charging into consideration. Delivering greater than 300 miles of vary per cost lets most homeowners merely plug in once they get residence at evening identical to they do for his or her cellphones, and that’s it.

The 82 kWh battery pack helps the automobile really feel good and planted to the street, no matter how briskly you need to take a curve, whereas the enhancements to the suspension hold the steering good and tight. The suspension tuning is probably essentially the most noticeable of the enhancements within the new construct, particularly on the kind of the mountain roads we had been ripping round on.

Polestar’s design language comes via in each aspect of the automobile. Picture credit score: Kyle Area, CleanTechnica

Switching automobiles at lunch, we jumped into the twin motor lengthy vary model with the Efficiency Pack.

The 2024 twin motor Polestar 2 nonetheless makes use of the 78 kilowatt hour pack from final yr, however with the upgraded rear motor featured within the single motor construct. This interprets to a slight uptick in energy for the twin motor construct, with 310 kW / 421 hp and when it’s time to launch, it boasts 526 lb-ft of torque.

With the Efficiency Pack possibility, the facility and acceleration figures go up even additional to 335 kW / 455 hp and 546 lb-ft of torque. The upper energy output of the twin motor builds, coupled with the marginally smaller battery pack, interprets to a decrease vary for each. The twin motor construct is available in at 276 miles of vary per cost whereas the Efficiency Pack drops that all the way down to 247 miles of vary per cost.

Polestar’s model supervisor Jonathan Quinn famous that the corporate is engaged on further enhancements for the twin motor and Efficiency Pack, so we should always hold our eyes peeled for these updates within the close to future.

Picture credit score: Kyle Area, CleanTechnica

Getting behind the wheel of the twin motor Polestar 2 with the Efficiency Pack, the rise in energy was instantly evident, even at a 50% state of cost. It had a better high finish and higher willingness to blast out of the corners, permitting us to speed up quicker and longer, particularly on the lengthy straightaways main again out of Estes Park, Colorado, into the mountains.

Whereas the upper high finish was good, the Efficiency Pack was clearly lacking a few of the punchiness that we anticipate from electrical autos off the road. We slowed to a cease to check the acceleration from zero and the Polestar 2 Efficiency Pack construct felt prefer it was holding again or being held again by the decrease state of cost. When the state of cost drops in electrical autos, the decrease finish efficiency sometimes stays the identical however with noticeable drop-offs in peak energy.

Picture credit score: Kyle Area, CleanTechnica

Additional into the drive, the additional mid-range energy of the twin motor Efficiency construct actually began flexing its wings, serving to us blast out of the tight mountain curves with a bit of additional adrenaline. The suspension offered a stable basis for the mountain trek, because the Öhlins dampers and McPhereson struts helped hold the automobile planted, irrespective of how a lot we laid into it.

Total

It’s thrilling to see Polestar delivering significant enhancements below the hood and kicking the vary up over that 300-mile threshold that so many patrons are on the lookout for. The extra efficiency within the twin motor and Efficiency Pack upgrades seems nice on paper and delivers significant enhancements within the mid to high finish, and we totally anticipate Polestar to return mid-cycle for upgrades to the battery and refinements to the powertrain.

Polestar has formed the lengthy vary single motor Polestar 2 into one of the vital enticing sedans in its class, with refinements that elevate it up above the Tesla Mannequin 3 in inside high quality and suspension efficiency in each consolation and sport. We look ahead to seeing Polestar push the envelope on efficiency because it seeks to strike a stability between the uncooked energy and torque of electrical motors and the refined expertise it has change into recognized for.

Wanting past the Polestar 2, the model continues to push ahead with much more fashions. The Polestar 3 simply went on show on the model’s Denver storefront, which is bound to attract much more clients to the model. Its edgy seems and CUV packaging are already out within the showroom, prepared for public consumption, with pre-orders already underway for the $80,000+ beginning value automobile.

That value level is for the totally loaded configuration, which is what Polestar will kick off deliveries with. As is typical, extra reasonably priced configurations will observe as they ramp up manufacturing post-launch.

Disclaimer: Polestar paid for the creator’s journey and lodging to attend this occasion.

I do not like paywalls. You do not like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Right here at CleanTechnica, we carried out a restricted paywall for some time, but it surely at all times felt fallacious — and it was at all times powerful to resolve what we should always put behind there. In concept, your most unique and greatest content material goes behind a paywall. However then fewer individuals learn it! We simply do not like paywalls, and so we have determined to ditch ours.

Sadly, the media enterprise remains to be a troublesome, cut-throat enterprise with tiny margins. It is a endless Olympic problem to remain above water and even maybe — gasp — develop. So …