Source: Polestar
It’s the exact opposite of the last of the V8 interceptors, the Ford Falcon muscle car of Mad Max fame.
A new electric vehicle concept from Volvo’s Polestar, dubbed the Polestar Precept, is intended to challenge the ideas of a Mad Max-like dystopian future with an electrifying vision of serene mobility.
The Polestar Precept will be on show at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show due to commence March 5, and ahead of the reveal the Chinese-Swedish electric vehicle brand has shared some details about its name, design and reason for being of the new concept.
“Precept is a declaration, a vision of what Polestar stands for and what makes the brand relevant,” CEO Thomas Ingenlath said in a statement.
“The car is a response to the clear challenges our society and industry face. This is not a dream of a distant future, Polestar Precept previews future vehicles and shows how we will apply innovation to minimise our environmental impact.”
While the availability of oil has not (yet) completely evaporated as in the Mad Max movie series, the age of oil – and fossil fuels – is surely on a decline.
Startups and legacy carmakers alike are (some more slowly than others) are turning their focus to electric vehicles as the inklings of a future powered by renewable energy and battery storage gain an ever surer footing.
And while some, such as Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk with his battle-ready Cybertruck, seem to seek out this new age with fists a-pumping, it seems Polestar is taking an alternative approach.
Maximilian Missoni, head of design at Polestar hints in his statement regarding the new concept’s unveil that in the Precept, Polestar is looking forward to a utopian future of new beginnings.
“Polestar Precept’s aesthetics are rooted in cutting-edge technology rather than looking back in time at historical, automotive reference,” says Missoni.
Rather than a harbinger of technological terror, Missoni says that, “At Polestar we see technology as an enabler, as a tool to solve our society’s problems and we translated this attitude into a new set of design principles.”
This is expressed in a number of ways, from the vehicle’s restrained “minimalist athleticism”, to a “smartzone” that replaces the usual grille so that the car “sees” instead of “breathing”.
Instead of the gaping air intakes of Mad Max’s Falcon XB GT Coupe, the Precept instead has an integrated “front wing” with which it deftly scoops air flow over the bonnet to the rear “light-blade”, optimising aerodynamics.
A green take on interiors includes flax-based composites that Polestar says reduces material weight by half and plastic waste by 80 per cent. Seats are made from recycled PET, bolsters and headrests from recycled cork and carpets are made from reclaimed fish nets.
“The combination of sustainable materials and high-tech smart systems opens an entirely new chapter of avant-garde luxury design and shows where Polestar is heading,” says Missoni.
The vehicle’s human interface, which consists of a smart 15″ touchscreen linked to a 12.5″ driver display, is powered by Android and soused with sensors that adjust the screen content according to the driver’s gaze – a nice touch that may in practice be a cut above the equally minimal dash of the Tesla Model 3.
The Precept sounds so seductively serene that we can’t wait for the day it guides a future production model from Polestar.
For now, however, it will remain but a concept, while Polestar focuses on prototype production of its Polestar 2 in Luqiao, China.
Editor’s note: Looks like a Model 3!
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.
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