FIRST DRIVE: Polestar 3 – worth the wait? | Electrifying
#polestar3 #polestar #electriccars
It’s been a long time coming, but Polestar’s mission to make the electric car world a more stylish and sustainable place takes another step forward with the new Polestar 3. Having dipped a toe in the water with the plug-in hybrid Polestar 1, gone fully electric with the 2020 Polestar 2, Volvo’s all-electric, design-savvy spin-off will launch its flagship model later this year. Designed with the lucrative (and vast) American market in mind, Polestar is gunning for rivals such as the Tesla Model X and BMW iX.
Here’s the deal: the Polestar 3 is a big car. At 4,900mm long and 1,614mm tall, the 3 is 136mm shorter than the behemoth Tesla Model X and just 53mm shorter than a BMW iX. It’s also a heavy car, tipping the scales at up to 2,670kg.
However, despite being a large SUV, the Polestar 3 has been designed to be as aero-friendly as possible. The roofline is almost estate-like in its flatness, while the front end features a unique aero wing integrated into the bonnet. A second aero wing is integrated into the rear spoiler, while rear aero blades on the bumper ensure that the Polestar 3 is as slippery as possible.
The Polestar 3 launches with a big 107kWh battery pack (usable) as standard, which, according to Polestar, can deliver a driving range of up to 379 miles on the WLTP cycle.
The pack, which sits beneath the floor and runs at 400 volts, features a prismatic cell design housed in a protective aluminium case with boron steel reinforcement and liquid cooling. A heat pump is included as standard and utilises ambient heat for climate and battery pre-conditioning. The Polestar 3 is also equipped for bidirectional charging, enabling future potential for vehicle-to-grid and plug-and-charge capabilities.
In terms of charging, Polestar claims that the 3 can DC rapid charge at speeds of up to 250kW, which makes it one of the fastest charging electric cars on the market. As a result, the 3 should be able to charge from 10-80% in around 30 minutes – adding just over 265 miles of range in the process. Based on these figures, the Polestar 3 will be able to add 100 miles of range in a whisker over 10 minutes when connected to a 350kW rapid charger. AC charging peaks at 11kW, which is slightly disappointing given that many of Polestar’s rivals are now offering 22kW AC onboard chargers.
Join Tom as he takes the new Polestar 3 out on the road for the first time. Has Polestar built a winner? Let us know in the comments below.
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