Polestar has revealed its first Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the Polestar 4, which reveals that, at launch, it emits as little as 19.4 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. That makes it the vehicle with the smallest carbon footprint in the automaker’s lineup.
The LCA measures all of the emissions that are emitted from the production of the vehicle, and sourcing of its parts, but not its use or what happens after it is decommissioned. That is also the figure for the most efficient model. The Polestar 4 Long range Single motor variant has a carbon footprint of 19.9 tCO2e, while the Long range Dual motor version emits 21.4 tCO2e.
No matter what model buyers opt for, they will be benefitting from the work that Polestar has been putting in over the years to reduce carbon emissions. In 2021, building the Polestar 2 meant emitting as much as 26.2 tCO2e, the automaker reported at the time.
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To reduce how much carbon the production of its vehicles emits, the automaker has been working holistically. For instance, the Hangzhou Bay factory that builds the Polestar 4 in China has solar panels on its roof that supplement green hydroelectric power from the grid.
Meanwhile, the Polestar 4 is made using more green aluminum. That can either mean metal that has been recycled, or that has been smelted using hydroelectric electricity to reduce how much pollution is emitted during its creation.
Polestar estimates that the aluminum in the 4 now represents 23-24 percent of its carbon footprint. Meanwhile, 20 percent of its emissions come from the steel and iron used to make it. As the automaker has made clear before, the batteries are the most carbon intensive part of the vehicle, and represent 36-40 percent of its emissions.
“Throughout the product development of Polestar 4, its carbon budget has influenced everything from material choices to factory energy sources,” said Frederika Klaren, Polestar’s head of sustainability. “Sharing the LCA enables us to show that we can strive for net-zero – one tonne of CO2e at a time.”
Unveiled in April, the Polestar 4 is described as an “SUV coupe.” It’s powered by a big 102 kWh battery, which gives it a targeted range of up to 373 miles (600 km) per charge. The single motor version delivers 272 hp and 253 lb-ft (343 Nm) of torque to the rear wheels, while the dual motor variant can deliver as much as 544 hp and 506 lb-ft (686 Nm) of torque to all four wheels.
Set to hit showroom floors this month in China, sales are expected to start early next year in other parts of the world, such as Europe, North America, and the Asia Pacific region.
