Tesla is the yardstick that many electric vehicles are measured by, but Polestar has one upped them in the all-important range category.
In particular, the Polestar 2 Long Range Single Motor has been given a range of 270 miles (435 km) by the EPA. That’s one of the best ratings in its class and it beats the 263 mile (423 km) Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive by a thin margin.
While the Tesla Model 3 is technically cheaper thanks to its $44,900 base price, it’s not eligible for the federal tax credit. As a result, the $45,900 Polestar 2 is the better deal as the $7,500 incentive effectively lowers the price to $38,400.
Also Read: Polestar 2 Gains 67 Horsepower Courtesy Of Over-The-Air Update
Of course, the Model 3 does have some advantages as it’s rear-wheel drive as opposed to front-wheel drive. The Tesla is also significantly faster as the dash to 60 mph (96 km/h) takes 5.8 seconds, which makes it 1.2 seconds quicker than the Polestar.
Besides announcing the EPA range for the single motor variant, Polestar revealed a new over-the-air update is now rolling out to U.S. customers. It adds “refinements” to the driver assistance systems as well as the ability to schedule charging sessions, so owners can take advantage of off-peak charging rates.
More importantly, Polestar confirmed their recently announced performance upgrade for the 2 Long Range Dual Motor will be offered in America. The software upgrade enables the model to produce 476 hp (355 kW / 483 PS) and 502 lb-ft (680 Nm) of torque, which is an increase of 67 hp (50 kW / 68 PS) and 15 lb-ft (20 Nm).
The upgrade unlocks the additional performance via an over-the-air update, but there’s no word on pricing at this point. However, it could cost around $1,126 if the European model is any indication.
