Polestar, the Swedish car company seeking to be the benchmark for the electric vehicle sector, has unveiled their Polestar O2 Sports Roadster concept vehicle, which focuses on sustainability and contains some incredibly innovative features, all designed to increase driving pleasure.
The Polestar O2 will be quite a significant departure from the family-based salons the company currently manufactures. It will be a hard-top convertible Sports Roadster designed to give the driver and passengers a dynamic experience and all from an electric motor.
Other Companies such as Tesla and Fisker have talked about sporty, rapid Roadsters, but Polestar has put some serious thinking into the O2, which I hope will be going into full production.
Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO said, “Polestar O2 is the hero car for our brand. It opens the door to our secret chamber of future potential. This is a taste of what we can design and engineer with our in-house talent and technology. It looks incredible, and being able to lower the roof and not hear an engine promises a superb sensation.”
Maximilian Missoni, Polestar’s Head of Design added, “Polestar O2 is our vision of a new era for sports cars. Mixing the joy of open-top driving with the purity of electric mobility unlocks a new mix of emotions in a car. But as with all our cars, we are about more than just straight-line sprints. It’s when you turn the steering wheel that the true fun begins.”
Polestar’s R&D team in the UK has developed the O2 giving it a low and wide body with an assertive presence. It has a compact 2+2 cabin design, minimal overhangs, and a long wheelbase that echo the classic sports car proportions but uses ultra-modern technology with the benefits of electric power.
“This car is a meeting point between technology and art, between precision and sculpture, with a determined but not aggressive stance.” Said Maximilian Missoni.
Extremely clever Aerodynamic design gains the Polestar O2 increased range. The brand has accomplished this with disguised features like integrated ducts that improve laminar airflow over the wheels and body sides, and the rear lights function as air blades to reduce turbulence behind the car.
The Swedish company has looked at sustainability in every aspect of building the Polestar O2, and the EV also showcases the latest technology available. Mono-Material is a single base material for manufacturing different components, and the new Thermoplastic mono-material features significantly in the Sports Roadster. The vehicle also uses recycled polyester for the soft parts in the interior.
Sustainability teams at Polestar believe materials should be recycled, not downcycled. Integrating a new method of controlling recycled content in the Polestar O2 improves the circularity of metal components.
Innovation is in Polestar’s DNA, and they have certainly put their fresh thinking into the Polestar O2. The car has an autonomous cinematic drone integrated behind the rear seats that can fly while driving. It captures the full enjoyment you get when behind the wheel of the Polestar O2. engineers have created a specialised aerofoil that raises behind the rear seats creating a calm area of negative pressure. This allows the drone to take off when the car is moving.
The autonomous Operating drone automatically follows the vehicle at speeds up to 55 mph. The driver can select an atmospheric sequence that is great for a coastline cruise or an action-filled sequence with a sportier expression. Film segments can be edited and shared directly from the 15-inch centre display when the car has stopped.
“We wanted to emphasise the experience you can have with a car like the Polestar O2 in new and unusual ways. Integrating an autonomous cinematic drone was something that allowed us to push the boundaries on the innovation front. Not needing to stop and off-load the drone before filming, but rather deploying it at speed, is a key benefit to this innovative design.” – Maximilian Missoni.
The Polestar O2 continues the strong foundations laid by Polestar Precept as a vision of the company’s future design, technology and sustainability ambitions. Polestar plans to launch three new cars over the coming three years, starting in 2022, each of which has the potential to gradually realise some of the ideas presented by these concept cars.
To find out more about the exciting Polestar O2, visit www.polestar.com/polestar-o2.
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