Polestar 2 Gets Minor Updates for More Range, Less Carbon

I like the Polestar 2. It's a handsome, reasonably priced electric vehicle that drives as well as it looks. It's not perfect, but according to an announcement made by Polestar on Wednesday, the company's been working on further refining its first mass-market electric vehicle.

The changes for the Polestar 2 include some things you'd expect like new colors -- Space (aka black) and Jupiter (gold-grey with red flake) -- and new wheel designs for both the standard 19-inchers and the optional 20s. There's even a new Zinc Grey color for the uprated Nappa leather interior and a sunshade for the car's panoramic glass roof. The interesting updates, at least for CNET, run a little deeper, though.

Namely, Polestar has recalibrated the 2's heat pump to work across a wider temperature range, from 20 degrees Fahrenheit to 77 F. This means Plus Pack-equipped Polestar 2s should benefit from increased range when the weather gets bad, and more range without adding more battery weight is always good in my book.

Polestar also added a new cabin filter with an upgraded particulate matter sensor that works with a new in-car app to tell you just how good the air is in your car's cabin and how bad it is outside. We'd be curious how well the new filters stack up to Tesla's massive Model Y filters and its "Bioweapon Defense Mode."

Lastly, Polestar is expanding its program that uses the blockchain to ensure that the mined materials that go into its vehicles are done so ethically. It also estimates that this tech can reduce its overall carbon footprint. As an example, it cites the aluminum tray in which the vehicle's batteries live. It estimates that it can save 1,653 pounds in carbon dioxide emissions by using the blockchain to only buy from aluminum suppliers that use renewable energy. Now, Polestar didn't describe what kind of blockchain it's using for its program and some blockchains are more energy-efficient than others. It didn't note what period of time this saving would cover either, so this is best taken with a grain of salt.

Now, Polestar hasn't released any information on just how much its changes will affect the maximum range of US-spec vehicles, but I'll bet the difference isn't huge. Still, this all just means that one of the best midpriced electric vehicles is getting even better, and that's always nice to see.

2023 Polestar 2 Gets New Colors, More Range and Better Accountability

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