Despite being a rather small company, Polestar has been trying to make a name for itself with advanced technology. To that end, it hopes to soon be among the vanguard, bringing highly advanced, Level 3 autonomous technology to the roads of the world.
The technology will be made possible by Mobileye and its “Chauffeur” partially autonomous driving technology. Although it has not said precisely when the new system will be ready for consumers, Polestar has confidently asserted that Chauffeur will debut with the Polestar 4.
While the Polestar 4 went on sale yesterday in China, it will not get the technology straight from the factory. However, the electric vehicle will come out of the box with Chauffeur capability thanks to Mobileye’s SuperVision-based ADAS system.
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Chauffeur promises to be an “eyes-off, point-to-point” autonomous driving system on highways. On other roads, Polestar describes the system’s capabilities as being an “eyes-on automated driving” experience.
While that would put Polestar ahead of much of its competition, it wouldn’t be ahead of everyone. Almost all ADAS systems on the road today are Level 2 or 2+, which means that drivers can mostly take their hands off the wheel, but must have their eyes on the road at all times.
However, Mercedes is in the process of introducing its Level 3 autonomous system. Dubbed DrivePilot, like Chauffeur, it allows drivers to take their eyes off the road on certain highways. While that does not mean that a driver can fall asleep, it does mean they can read a book or play a game on their infotainment system under certain driving scenarios.
“A collaboration with Mobileye can significantly push innovation in our Polestar 4 electric performance SUV coupé,” said Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO. “We know that driving yourself is not always fun and exciting – this technology means our customers could enable autonomous driving when they want, making all future journeys enjoyable.”
First deliveries of the 2024 Polestar 4 are expected to begin before the end of 2023 in China. Global sales and deliveries are expected to start next year.
