Concerned about making the switch to EVs? So was Charlotte Vowden – until she visited a Polestar Space and fell in love with a car that’s
more than the sum of its parts
he love of my automotive life is a 60-year-old roadster that belonged to my
late grandfather. It has an insatiable thirst for petroleum. I’m also the
millennial daughter of a mechanic who instilled me with a passion for the internal combustion engine and a devotion to time-honoured design.
I’m what an advocate of the electric vehicle (EV) would consider a hard sell. But when you cross the threshold into a Polestar Space – the Swedish brand’s refreshing alternative to a car showroom – the ethos is less about shifting units and more about creating an exciting, engaging, educational and empowering experience for customers.
This distinct lack of pushiness (the brand’s “product specialists” work on a non-commission basis) helps put me at ease when I venture into a Polestar Space for the first time. I want to find out what life might be like with an EV.
Upon arrival I’m greeted by one of the specialists, who act as ambassadors within the space, and I’m invited to ask for help if I need it. The atmosphere is friendly, low-key and relaxed. Designed not to detract from the cars, the uncluttered, open-plan setting feels like a gallery and is minimalist without being bleak.
Illuminated from above by studio-quality photographic lighting panels – which eliminate shadows or distracting reflections – I felt in awe of the limited-run Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid that was in front of me. Joined by two examples of its younger sibling, the all-electric Polestar 2, my curiosity was well and truly piqued. Good looks certainly run in the family and in an electrically powered future I could get used to seeing a Polestar 2 on my driveway, but I had to make sure that this car can deliver substance as well as style. Nervous about asking a “silly” question but relaxed enough to approach a specialist, I thought about how different my showroom experience had been so far. I didn’t feel intimated and I wasn’t being hassled; I was in total control of the situation.
Chatting to a specialist as I open doors, push buttons and fiddle with dials, I discover just how well-thought out the car, which launched last year, really is. The conversation is easy and driven by what I want to know rather than what the specialist thinks I should know. I talk about my current vehicle usage and share thoughts on how this might change in the future.
promoted content
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2nd sell
“We are the first G7 country to launch an ambitious partnership that will help the oil and gas industry’s transition to green energy and support a myriad of
high-quality jobs”
Total control: when it comes to configuring your Polestar 2, the Atelier Table puts you in the driving seat
As a woman in my early thirties who does a lot of city driving, likes camping holidays and aspires to have a family, the information I want is practical and lifestyle-based.
With its five-star rating, this is one of the safest EVs ever tested by Euro NCAP. When activated, the built-in Pedestrian Protection System rises, pushing the bonnet back to help mitigate a pedestrian’s impact with the car during a frontal collision.
Proving it’s a fastback built for the real world, the Polestar 2 has a towing capacity of 1,500kg, and the owner’s manual includes guidelines on how to use a seatbelt safely during pregnancy. Details like these reassure me I’ve come to the right place to begin my EV journey – the brand, and the people that represent it, know what matters.
I’ve always been intrigued by what an all-electric or hybrid powertrain might look like, and the Wonder Wall – which houses a collection of components in soft-close drawers, pull-out plinths and glass display sections – lets me get to know what these cars are made of. From one end of the weight scale to the other, I pick up, inspect and ask questions about a number of technical artefacts, including a carbon-fibre panel and a shock absorber.
And I’m not the only one getting to know the ins and outs of Polestar cars. There are people of all ages visiting the Space and interacting with it, and the cars, in their own way. It’s busy but the less is more approach prevents it from feeling crowded.
Using another nifty facility, the interactive Atelier Table, I have a go at configuring my own Polestar, touching, swiping and pinching my way through the options on the screen. I can even update my design by placing trim and exterior paint samples on a digital reader. Seeking a more private configuration experience, I settle into a sound-proofed side suite to dream up a bespoke design at my leisure. Whether it’s a five-minute or four-hour visit (like mine) the pressure remains well and truly off.
It’s finally time to find out what an all-electric powertrain can do on the open road. I’m more than a little excited – it’s my first time behind the wheel of an EV.
The Polestar 2 waiting for me (sanitised and Covid-safe) has a choice of four pre-programmed routes and, once inside, I’m given a comprehensive briefing. My designated product specialist puts me at ease, remaining cool, calm and collected as I explain my anxieties about the drive
And it isn’t long before I feel bold enough to hit the motorway. It’s there that I get to experience the thrill of the Polestar 2’s acceleration – a nippy 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds. I think I even let out a little whoop.
With a starting price of £39,900, there are three versions of the Polestar 2 available in the UK: the Standard range Single motor, with a range of 273 miles on a single charge; the Long range Dual motor – a four-wheel drive, which I drove – that has a single-charge range of 298 miles and 408bhp, so it really can shoot off into the distance; and finally the Long range Single motor, a front wheel drive with the greatest charge range of all three – 335 miles.
Opt for the Performance Pack and you get brakes engineered by Brembo that offer increased rigidity and quick response at any temperature, while reducing weight, wear, noise and dust build-up. It also includes Öhlins DFV dampers (with 22 settings) that improve grip and traction, and forged alloy wheels that were originally developed for racing cars and which maximise handling of the car and road contact. The Special Edition seatbelts, brake callipers, dampers and valve caps are a smart finishing touch.
As a fastback with 405 litres of boot space that extends to 1,095 litres with the rear seats folded down, it’s not an out and out sports car, but it does make sensible feel sexy. The glass roof that comes as part of the Plus Pack is, in my opinion, one of the snazziest features, and if you avoid the optional leather seats, you can cruise with a clear conscience because the interior is entirely vegan and cruelty-free. By the end of the test drive my heart is fluttering – perhaps I’m falling for an EV after all.
At the point of purchase, discretion is the name of the game. Unless assistance is required, the order is completed by the customer online, or in the Polestar app using a unique QR code that’s generated through the configuration process. There’s no upselling and there’s no haggling.
Customers are also given a carbon-footprint “receipt” showing the amount of emissions that will be created during the build process – although by 2030 the brand wants that figure to be zero without carbon-offset projects.
There are currently two Polestar Spaces in the UK – at Westfield White City in London and The Trafford Centre in Manchester – and both are located in shopping centres to make them accessible. As an entirely digital brand, it is possible to do everything online, but exploring the space showed me a new way to fall in love with a car. From that first flirtatious glance to committing to your future together, will your EV affair begin in a Polestar Space?
Space pace: Polestar customers are given room and time to experience the car independently
BOOK TEST DRIVE
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Polestar are running test drive hubs and events across the UK offering test drives for the Polestar 2.
the showroom turning petrol heads electric
It's A Match
game changer
