2024 Polestar 2 Ditches the Front Grille, Adds Range

Luxury EV maker Polestar, a joint venture with Volvo and Chinese automaker Geely, unveiled a redesigned Polestar 2 for the 2024 model year with improved range, faster charging, more performance features, and a new design.

"With the new model year Polestar 2, we went below the surface and upgraded substantial tech and mechanical components of the electric drivetrain," says Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath.

The car features what Polestar calls the SmartZone, a flat surface that replaces the traditional grille and houses the front-facing camera and radar used for safety and self-driving features. Grilles are typically intended to cool the engine on a gas-powered car, which does not apply to electric vehicles. With no engine and no gasoline combustion, EVs generate much less heat. As such, Polestar recognized an opportunity to redesign that area for the smart vehicle age.

The SmartZone signifies "the shift from breathing to seeing and reflecting the high-tech nature of Polestar vehicles," the automaker says. This design change mimics the upcoming Polestar 3 SUV, which also features the SmartZone.

The Polestar 2 is the brand's first vehicle with rear-wheel drive. It comes in two versions: a single motor and more expensive dual motor. With the redesign, both versions are rear-wheel drive. Combined with more power, and more torque, the vehicle promises to be a fun ride. The single motor goes from 0 to 60mph in 6.2 seconds, 1.2 seconds faster than previous versions. The dual motor version gets that down to 4.5 seconds.

“The updated Polestar 2 is an even more playful and agile car, retaining its compactness and complete sense of control, while at the same time becoming more mature with added comfort," says Joakim Rydholm, Head of Chassis Development at Polestar.

The brand also gave all EV drivers more of what they want: range. Thanks to a bigger, more efficient lithium-ion battery, the single motor variant now has a standard range of 320 miles (+25 miles). The extended range option will go 395 miles on a single charge (+52 miles). The dual motor vehicles comes in a basic and performance version, both with 367 miles of range (+65 miles).

However, these are European estimates. EPA-estimated range is almost always lower, based on a different test method, so we can likely expect the vehicle to be around 300-350 miles in the end across the variants, which is relatively standard on the 2024 launches we've seen. Still, it's an improvement over previous models and among the highest ranges out there in its price range.

The bigger batteries will also charge faster, up to 205kW for DC charging. Importantly, what they will not do is increase the carbon footprint of the vehicle. "Despite the larger batteries, more powerful motors, longer range and more exciting performance, carbon emissions for versions with the new 82kWh battery have come down by 1.1 tonnes to 5.9 tonnes per car (previously 7 tonnes per car), thanks to improved cell chemistry," says Polestar.

The revamped Polestar 2 is only available for pre-sale in European markets at this time, starting at $54,642 for the standard range single motor version. The US website is still taking pre-orders for the previous version; sales for the new one will open in March. However, the standard range option (the cheapest one) will not be available in US markets, so the entry point for American buyers will be the long range single motor version at $58,670 based on current EU pricing.

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