Polestar 2 Brings Swedish Levels Of Safety Into The EV World

Polestar is shedding more light on the safety features of the upcoming 2 EV, the brand’s challenger to the Tesla Model 3.

The battery pack of the Polestar 2 is fully enclosed in an aluminum case and housed within the floor structure of the CMA platform, reducing this way the risk of damage and stiffening the body but also protecting the occupants in case of a collision.

Read More: New Polestar 2 EV Priced Lower At $59,900, Still $3k More Than Tesla Model 3 Performance

One of the most characteristic safety features of the new Polestar 2 is the SPOC (Severe Partial Offset Crash) block. It’s a solid aluminum block mounted on each side of the firewall’s bottom edges and is there to stop the wheels and other objects from intruding into the cabin and towards the battery pack during partially offset frontal collisions.

Polestar has also designed a new Front Lower Load Path to increase protection in the absence of an internal combustion engine, keeping the occupants and the battery pack safe from more direct frontal impacts, like hitting a pole.

“Safety is of paramount importance for Polestar,” said Thomas Ingenlath, Chief Executive Officer of Polestar. “We are directly linked to Volvo Cars and with that comes their famous reputation for outstanding safety technology. So of course, Polestar cars are designed to be among the safest in the world and we are really proud of that.”

Like with every new EV sold in the EU, Polestar has designed a distinctive Acoustic Vehicle Alert System (AVAS) for the new Polestar 2. The Polestar 2’s tunes are described as “recognizable, non-intrusive and natural-sounding”.

“We deliberately did not want Polestar 2 to sound like a robot or symphonic spaceship,” said Thomas Ingenlath. “We wanted very natural, subtle sounds that simply let pedestrians know the car is moving. At the same time, we wanted Polestar 2 to sound slightly unique and become identifiable as a Polestar, while remaining relatively simple.”

Another first is the fitment of inner-side airbags to the front seats as standard in all markets, adding an extra layer of protection for the inner limbs of the front passengers. The Polestar 2 will also debut a new generation of active safety systems, which will make their way into other Volvo models in the near future. This includes the Pilot Assist, which …assists with acceleration, braking, and steering at speeds up to 81 mph (130 km/h).

The new Polestar 2 is priced from $59,900 in the US before any rebates and destination fees and is planned to arrive in late summer. The China-made EV offers a combined 408 HP and an EPA-estimated 275 miles of driving range (442 km). The first examples of the Polestar 2 will be special Launch Edition models destined to reservation holders.