Polestar 2 power upgrade emphasises EV newcomer’s software strategy

December 13, 2021January 7, 2022 Toby Hagon 2769 Views polestar

The Polestar 2 could get quicker and more powerful before first customer deliveries arrive in Australia in February 2022 – but it will come at a cost.

The Swedish-based EV newcomer has unleashed a “performance-oriented software upgrade” that unlocks another 50kW of power and 20Nm of torque for the more powerful dual motor version of the Polestar 2.

The upgrade is performed via an over-the-air update that is a core part of the tech-focused offering for the company planning to list on the Nasdaq in 2022.

The update won’t be applied to new cars yet to be delivered but will instead be an optional extra offered through the Polestar online store.

It means the fastest Polestar 2 will be able to make a combined 350kW and 680Nm, in turn lowering the claimed 0-100km/h time by 0.3 seconds to 4.4 seconds.

However, the Polestar performance update will come at a cost. In Europe it’s about €1000, suggesting in Australia it may cost something like $1500.

Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor showing the model designation sticker on the front door

The upgrade also includes stickers for the bottom of the front doors – Polestar denotes the model configuration and power output with discrete stickers – as well as a “rank mark” badge for the grille (pictured top).

Officially the performance upgrade is “under consideration” for Australia, although we can’t think of a single reason the freshened 1s and 0s couldn’t make the big trek Down Under via the trusty World Wide Web.

However, Polestar warns that in some countries the car may require “re-registration” with authorities and encourages owners to flag the additional power with their insurance company.

While the OTA update is not cheap by software standards it gives a hint to Polestar’s revenue model, which looks set to offer tempters and extras to keep the money rolling in once customers have taken delivery of the car.

“The upgrade highlights how connected technologies can transform the relationship a car company has with its customers,” said Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath in announcing the software upgrade.

“The driving experience in Polestar 2 is something we are really proud of. It is such a fun car to drive already, but with this upgrade we can offer even more to our customers who might be after a little extra excitement.”

Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor with optional Performance Pack — The Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor will soon have an optional over-the-air software update that can unleash another 50kW of power

The company has been rolling out regular software updates since the Polestar 2 went on sale globally earlier this year. Like rival Tesla, those updates have mostly been free, improving functionality or adding extra features, such as the Apple CarPlay connectivity that’s due to arrive soon.

Whereas car makers have traditionally turned to styling and hardware for regular updates, they’re increasingly turning to software to improve their vehicles.

And EVs offer new possibilities. With EVs it’s typically the battery that is the limiting factor on how much power the car will produce. So with some clever software management there’s potential for more power, as Polestar has demonstrated.

One thought on “Polestar 2 power upgrade emphasises EV newcomer’s software strategy”

Dave
December 18, 2021 at 7:42 am
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Tesla already offers an identical performance upgrade for the Model 3 Long Range Dual Motor. It costs $3,000 and takes less than 2 minutes to download. We’ve added it to our car and it takes the 0-100 acceleration to high 3s, based on numerous YouTube drag strip videos and Tesla’s own description.
It’s made an already very quick car hilarious. Totally unnecessary, of course. Try getting a similar performance upgrade in an ICE car and you’ll conclude it’s a bargain.