Four things you didn’t know about Polestar (but wished you did)
We’re not one to toot our own horn. So we won't. We won't tell you how we've manufactured 150,000 Polestar 2s. We won't get into brand growth and vehicle registrations. And we certainly won't mention our ever-growing global retail footprint that has resulted in over 20,000 handovers in the United Kingdom alone. No. We'll leave the PR to the press people. Instead, as others celebrate these milestones, we'll focus on some of the human (and not-so-human) stories behind the numbers. Because Polestar isn't just about cars. It's about people.
Car companies are fascinating places. EV companies even more so. Mobility - and the search for cleaner, more efficient transportation - is being driven by cutting-edge technological advancements across multiple disciplines. Combine this with a digital... No, wait. You've heard this story before, right?Let’s try that again. Today, as our 150,000th car rolls off the production line, we're telling our history through four "unknown" stories we feel best embody the company. The inside track for those of you who have been with us from day one. So, sit back, strap in and enjoy a whistle-stop tour down memory lane as we show you a side of Polestar you won’t have seen before. Putting the P in PerformanceRacing drivers are a different breed. To a racer, the road is like a battlefield. Every corner becomes an opponent to be attacked. At Polestar we have a few of these daredevils living amongst us. A couple you may already know, like our Chief Test Engineer, Joakim Rydholm, who has spent hours fine-tuning the driving experience on the Polestar 2. Some you probably haven’t. Like, Chris Baguley, Principal Engineer of Vehicle Dynamics. After a short stint in motorsport, where he learned that “nothing focuses the mind, or hones vehicle control, like driving bumper to bumper at the limit”, Chris now finds himself part of a 500-strong team of UK-based engineers working on the development of the Polestar 5 and 6. Having spent more than 6,000 hours in-vehicle developing the Polestar 5, he was given the honour of becoming the first person to drive the car up the famous Hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
We can't wait to upgrade our ride to a Polestar 4, so Kiwi can decide what music to listen to and the temperature in the car when Polestar goes dog mode.
KiwiBonny had Clyde. Thelma had Louise. Snoopy had Woodstock. Great partnerships build great brands. And Kiwi is our very own 110-pound ace in the hole. Having been with us since the very beginning, our bullmastiff has not only witnessed the most crucial moments in our recent history - she's starred in them too. Playing a leading role in the launch of Polestar 1, 2 and 3, our loveable mascot is always on hand to lend a paw. When she's not on stage in front of the world's press, you'll find Kiwi peacefully sleeping under the feet of Sofie Dunert, Product Manager. "We can't wait to upgrade our ride to a Polestar 4, so Kiwi can decide what music to listen to and the temperature in the car when Polestar goes dog mode," says Sofie.AcceleratorAt first glance, sustainable car covers, rim protection technology, and an efficient driving gamification app have little in common. But participants of the 2022 Polestar Accelerator will remember these as the winning submissions for our inaugural shark tank competition. The internal competition allowed employees to submit product-related ideas, with finalists presenting their concepts in front of a panel of judges, including CEO Thomas Ingenlath. "It definitely wasn't just another day in the office. I was quite nervous,'" says first-prize winner Jonas Göthlin, Studio Engineer. "It's always nice to get appreciation for your ideas. I honestly wasn't expecting to win." But this isn't the last you'll be hearing from Jonas. All top three winning entrees have been included in our advanced engineering product portfolio, so expect to see them in a car near you soon.
Set in StoneSustainability has become a bit of a buzzword recently. Words can be used so frequently that they lose all meaning. At Polestar, we are very clear about what sustainability means to us. Throughout our history we have the following notches on our belt:
- 1.First car company to launch an LCA report for a car with full methodology.
- 2.Established Project 0 with the goal of building a fully carbon-neutral car by 2030.
- 3.Published sustainability declarations for customers to see carbon footprints and risk materials for all our products.
This type of sustainability-first thinking has led to some very real-world results, including reducing our carbon footprint in the latest Polestar 2 by 3-tonnes. To put this into perspective, it would take 150 trees a year to remove the equivalent amount of carbon from the atmosphere. But our job is not done. To remind us of the work ahead, we decided to engrave our mission in marble outside our HQ in Gothenburg, Sweden. This sustainability cube is a daily reminder of our responsibilities.Some words can lose their meaning along the way. But some are set in stone.
