After the Polestar 1 recently entered production at the company's factory in Chengdu, China, Polestar's next car, the aptly named Polestar 2, has reached the final stages of development. Whereas the Polestar 1 is a 600-hp hybrid sports car, the Polestar 2 is an electric fastback sedan that has the Tesla Model 3 firmly in its sights.
To ensure the Polestar 2 lives up to expectations, the electric fastback has undergone extensive chassis testing at the Hallered Proving Grounds in Sweden, as well as locations around the world including the US, UK, South Africa, China, Germany, Spain, and the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden. This allows Polestar to refine specific elements of the car for different driving conditions, from navigating mountain passes in South Africa, to cruising on the German autobahn.
"We wanted to create a car that people will really enjoy driving," said Joakim Rydholm, Polestar's lead chassis engineer and chief test driver. "As with Polestar 1, we spend time in many different environments around the world with Polestar 2, fine-tuning and testing lots of different chassis attributes – to find what we call 'the golden ride'. This is the moment when we as chassis engineers find the ultimate configuration, a perfect balance between dampers, brakes, tires, steering and power delivery that gives us goose bumps."
An optional Performance Pack will also ensure the Polestar 2 can outhandle the Tesla Model 3 thanks to large Brembo brakes and adjustable Ohlins dampers enhancing the driving dynamics. "Our cars should feel alive and communicative but balanced and predictable. Suspension tuning is one of the most crucial elements in delivering this sophisticated ride. With our Performance Pack set-up in Polestar 2, we don't have overcomplicated electronic suspension systems. Instead, we make the smallest adjustments to the Ohlins Dual Flow Valve dampers to find the sweet spot. This really sets the car apart from other electric vehicles," said Rydholm.
Rydholm also tuned the chassis of the Polestar 1, which shares many similarities with the Polestar 2 "These are Polestar cars and they should embody our electric performance philosophy. We develop our own unique driving characteristics and you can really feel the way the two cars are related," Rydholm explained. Production of the Polestar 2 is slated to start in early 2020.