The Polestar 2 is a 100% electric Tesla competitor powered by Google

The first 100% electric car from Volvo Cars is here. Polestar, the performance sub-brand created by Volvo in 2017, announced on Wednesday its second car, the aptly named Polestar 2. Designed to compete with the Tesla 3 model, the electric sedan will combine power and intelligence. Be the first car to offer the new native version of Google's Android for the car.

According to the manufacturer, the Polestar 2 should be able to travel a distance of 443 kilometers with a single charge, thanks to a battery of 78 kWh which is the entire floor of the car. It will be fast too; Polestar says that there are 300 kW (about 408 horses) with which to play, spread over two electric motors. This integral propulsion should allow the car to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 5 seconds.

All this will eventually cost about 39,900 euros, or about 45,000 dollars, at least. Polestar will sell versions of the car at a price of 59,900 euros, or about 68,000 dollars. But none of this will happen before the second year of production. The version available at the time the car will be launched later this year will cost $ 63,000, and Polestar will only manufacture this "limited edition" car for the first 12 months. Pre-orders are open and production will begin next year in China (headquarters of Volvo's parent company, Geely). The launch of the car by Polestar is also in an ambitious range of markets: China, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Belgium.

This is roughly what Model 3 is offering. Tesla's entry-level electric sedan currently starts at $ 42,900 with rear-wheel drive and has a range of 260 km. The more expensive models offer all-wheel drive, a range of up to 310 km and a duration ranging from 0 to 60 seconds from 3.5 seconds to $ 70,000. But we will not know if the Polestar 2 can Literally competition with model 3 until cars start to come off the Volvo subsidiary's production line in 2020. And if this is not the case, Volvo itself has a lot more 100% electric cars in road.

Polestar arrived for the first time in 2017 when the brand new Volvo subsidiary announced the Polestar 1. The first car of the brand was a hybrid coupe of 600 horsepower generated by a four-cylinder engine on the front axle . two electric motors on the rear axle. There was limited trunk space because of this strange engine / engine / battery arrangement – and it was $ 155,000. The car was never designed for everyone and Polestar did not intend to make a maximum of 500 per year.

The Polestar 2 represents a big step forward, both in terms of design and technology of the company, but also its ambition. This will be the first car that Polestar manufactures on a large scale, a process that, hopefully, will not involve too many problems, as the manufacturer can rely on the know-how of the parent company Volvo. It is also a more practical car than the Polestar 1. The Polestar 2 is a "five-door" fastback style car (ie the rear opens like a tailgate) and can accommodate five people. It also offers more storage than the Polestar 1, as the battery pack of the EV is low, constituting the floor of the car.

Beyond, the interior of the Polestar 2 seems more developed and consistent than that of Polestar 1, at least to me. The centerpiece is an 11-inch portrait-oriented touch screen that houses the company's Android-based infotainment system.

In the past, automakers had built infotainment systems on Android, but they had to essentially develop the open source operating system and create their own solution. In addition, Google did not participate in these efforts. This meant that cars would end up with outdated versions of Google's operating system, complicating upgrades and security.

In 2017, Google announced that it was working on a native version of Android for the car, with Volvo and Audi as prime customers. The version was more complete in 2018. Since then, other automakers have registered, but Volvo will be the first to deploy the car experience, starting with Polestar 2.

An important benefit of this integrated approach is that customers will have instant access to automatically approved Android apps such as Google Maps, Play Music, or Google Assistant without having to use their smartphone. The other is that he will have access to the functions of the car, which means he can control the climate settings or send you maintenance alerts. This native version of Android can also be updated, which means that Polestar and Google can apply software updates remotely to improve the functions of the car long after its sale.

Polestar introduced a slightly functional preview version of the operating system last month with a web application that was running on iOS devices. It was enough to see that the Polestar 2 interface borrowed certain design elements from Volvo's Sensus user interface, which was not surprising. In fact, this is one of the selling points of Google's new approach to building embedded operating systems. Google provides the backbone for the smooth running of the experience, while allowing builders to incorporate their own design elements to help them maintain the look of their car.

All in all, it's a huge development that Google is about to see cars come out with infotainment systems running on Android. This is a kind of ultimate realization of Android Auto, starting with Polestar 2. But it will continue with the other 2020 Volvo models, as well as future Audis and Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi cars.

Polestar 2 has a lot to offer on paper. He has a Google software. Tesla's Model 3 specifications are roughly consistent with Volvo's reputation, which is as good as it gets in the automotive sector.

But if Polestar wants to sell the Polestar 2 in several markets, there is no doubt that it will be built in China. This could be a problem if the company wants the car to succeed in the United States, the national model 3 market. The United States and China are facing a trade war that has particularly harmed the automotive sector (Tesla including), and there is no sign of imminent release.