Swedish electric vehicle maker Polestar has announced significant improvements to its 2024 Polestar 2 model. The refresh includes a shift to rear-wheel drive for the single motor options, new electric motors with increased power, upgraded batteries and faster charging.
The single-motor rear-wheel drive variants are now 220kW, a 30% increase from the front-wheel drive model which was 170kW. The company says the additional power means the single-motor variants will now do 0-100 km/h in 6.2 seconds, 1.2 second faster than previous models.
The new duel-motor version will have a total system output of 310kW and vastly improved traction giving a 0-100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds. Upgrading the duel-motor with the Performance Pack (software upgrade) takes the power up to 350kW and 0-100 km/h down to 4.2 seconds.
The front motor can now be disengaged completely when not needed, improving efficiency. When the driver wants more power, the front motor re-engages instantly and seamlessly.
“Changing from front-wheel to rear-wheel drive in the single-motor variants, and re-calibrating the torque ratio in the dual-motor variant for an increased rear-wheel drive feel, elevates the Polestar 2 driving experience to a whole new level,” says Joakim Rydholm, Head of Chassis Development at Polestar.
Improvements to batteries and charging
The EV maker says upgraded lithium-ion batteries improve efficiency and charging times. Long-range versions will now feature 82 kWh batteries (made by CATL), a 5% increase in capacity. Standard range stays at 69 kWh.
Battery improvement, size and other efficiency gains from new technology such as front motor disconnect has increased range on the duel-motor long-range from 487 km to 592 km (WLTP), an impressive 22% increase.
Single-motor variants also have significant increases in range with standard-range now 518 km up from 478 km and the long-range 635 km up from 551 km.
The new batteries also enable faster charging rates of up to 205 kW DC for the long-range and 135 kW for the standard range.
Polestar “SmartZone” to be included on new Polestar 2
After it debuts on the Polestar 3, the Polestar 2 2024 model will also include SmartZone which is the instrument cluster where the grill/radiator would normally be. The SmartZone includes front-facing camera and radar, heating wires, accelerometers and ultrasonic sensors.
In a video Polestar’s Exterior Designer Subum Lee says that the vision based navigation system replacing what was traditionally the air intake of a combustion engine car is basically “cars going from breathing to seeing”.
Initially announced for the Polestar 3, Driver Awareness features are now standard on the Polestar 2 as well, including Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with steering support, Cross Traffic Alert with brake support, and Rear Collision Warning and Mitigation, along with the 360-degree surround view camera and automatic dimming exterior mirrors.
The wireless phone charger is now also standard on all versions.
After launching in 2019 Polestar sold its 100,000th Polestar 2 late last year and expects to grow annual sales to 80,000 in 2023.
Australian customers will be able to order the 2024 Polestar 2 in the second quarter of 2023 via Polestar.com/au First deliveries are expected in the third quarter of 2023.
Daniel Bleakley is a clean technology researcher and advocate with a background in engineering and business. He has a strong interest in electric vehicles, renewable energy, manufacturing and public policy.