Polestar CEO sees value in EVs even when they’re parked
Polestar has put two cars into production and outlined the delivery timetable for four more over its five years as a stand-alone carmaker. The most recent model, the Polestar 6, is an electric roadster that will be available for purchase in 2026. For a brand-new business, the speed is amazing.
While the cars’ performance and design may be partially attributed for the company’s success, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath is aware that the business will need to provide more than just gorgeous metal on four wheels. He is now thinking about things like bidirectional charging and autonomous driving technologies.
During Monterey Car Week’s annual Quail automobile event, Ingenlath told TechCrunch that design has always been a significant component of the company (and it should, as Ingenlath was an automotive designer before taking the helm of Polestar). For example, the success of the most recent Volvo XC90 and XC40 models (Volvo is the parent company of Polestar) demonstrated the viability of Scandinavian design.
Today, the business is planning an aggressive launch while going well beyond aesthetics.
Powerful options
The cars are more than simply a means of transportation for Ingenlath.
“The problem with mobility is that people are too focused on driving their cars. In other words, individuals must to learn to be considerably more adaptable, according to Ingenlath.
It could be more sensible to use alternative forms of transportation to go about town, but doing so does result in the dreaded immobile car. Startups in the mobility industry have long bemoaned the time and money wasted on idle cars.
Ingenlath disagrees, however. The parked EV has worth in his eyes.
He pointed to the Polestar O2 Concept, which will ultimately become the Polestar 6 roadster, and said, “The battery that we have in there will be a vital element of the energy solution for the future because you need it as a buffer.”
Vehicle-to-load (also known as bidirectional charging) will soon be available for the company’s cars. It will be accessible on Polestar’s next lineup of automobiles, Ingenlath told TechCrunch.
For the purpose of maintaining the integrity of the system during periods of high demand, a Polestar would transmit energy back into the grid (perhaps lowering the owner’s power costs). This is particularly important if the home has solar panels and produces more power than it consumes. During power shortages, the automobile would also serve as a backup battery.
While it may be tempting to keep the energy the sun produces for oneself, Ingenlath views this as more of a problem for the whole society.
We cannot all separate ourselves and turn into this type of isolated entity; we must feed into the grid, he continued. “We need to collaborate on it.”
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Automated top-down driving
Obviously, not everyone has access to a well-developed public transit system, so they still have to get to work.
According to Ingenlath, the cars will ultimately provide them with some kind of automatic driving.
“In the future, our automobiles must be able to provide the kind of experience that allows one to feel in control and enjoy the journey. However, having the convenience of turning off (as a driver) while still integrating more fully into an automated drive,” Ingenlath remarked.
A lidar sensor (together with radar and cameras) will be used in the future Polestar 3 SUV to provide a hands-free driving assistance system.
For consumer vehicles, truly autonomous driving is probably still years away, but Polestar is equipping its cars with a variety of sensors to assist them view the road ahead in a variety of situations.
What a name means
I’ve seen far too many gruelling name-giving procedures in the auto business to ever become involved.
In contrast to Volvo, which said that future models will be given names rather than alphanumeric designations, Polestar is continuing to use its number sequence nomenclature.
Ingenlath is pleased to refer to the cars as what they are. Take the Polestar 6 roadster as an example. Additionally, he adds that there is always the chance that a name may infringe on the rights of another firm, and quite simply, he’s not into that type of problem.
The CEO envisions a scenario when Polestars are not only on the road, inspiring other drivers with their design, but also at home, assisting in grid balancing. For the sake of society, automobile industry CEOs don’t often advise leaving a vehicle at home.
The market has embraced Ingenlath’s vision for Polestar; maybe the community-based energy solutions concept will as well.
