Polestar 2

Make
Polestar
Segment
Sedan

Swedish EV and hybrid manufacturer Polestar is trying something new with its service for its 1 coupe and Polestar 2 sedan. If you live in the lower 48 contiguous states, the company will send out a mechanic, though they're probably called technicians, to any customer that's having a problem with their EV. The only way it won't apply is if you live within 150 miles of a Polestar dealer. In that case, it will pick up your car and take it to be fixed for free.

Polestar has been working on this program for almost two years, the last nine months of which were getting the program built and ready for launch, the company tells us.

Tesla has done something like this before, though the teething pains of the procedure ranked the brand low in the 2021 J.D. Power Customer Service Index. Like Tesla, Polestar expects most of the fixes to be software related, which means they can usually be fixed with over-the-air updates. "A customer will rarely ever need to send a car in for service during their ownership," according to Polestar.

A company rep also added that, "anything software related such as a vehicle reset or calibration are good examples and the most frequent application so far. Otherwise mechanical work is very possible, but the limitations (situation dependent) are the technician not having a lift, full tool range or parts department present like they would at the service point."

"With Polestar's mobile service offering, customers don't need to worry about the distance between them and their nearest Polestar service point," said Steve DeGrazio, head of customer service & quality. "Although Polestar Spaces are rapidly opening in most major cities, mobile service is a convenient solution for those without a local Polestar authorized service point."

Polestar reiterated the zero dollar charge, but we're guessing they must have technicians spread across the country. The company couldn't possibly send a tech from Boston to Detroit to fix a car. Though Polestar wouldn't confirm that.

"There are obvious limitations, but the techs are fully trained," said a representative.

Polestar currently has eight service centers including Austin, Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay Area (Corte Madera and San Jose). If you're within that 150-mile range of one of those cities, you're set. But that leaves most of the country uncovered and in need of this service. That will change too as the company plans for a total of 35 "Polestar Spaces" by the end of 2022.

"It would be possible for a traditional automaker to do this for sure, but limitations would be similar, perhaps more limited by parts," Polestar says.

The Polestar 1 coupe came out in 2019 featuring a 2.0-liter twincharged four-pot at the front with two electric motors on the rear axle making a total 600 horsepower and 737 lb-ft. In contrast, the tall sedan Polestar 2 comes with a two-motor all-wheel-drive system cranking out 408 hp and 487 lb-ft, along with 233 miles of range. A new, less-expensive model was just announced with one motor making 231 hp and boasting a range of 260 miles.