Range anxiety is largely a thing of the past, but traveling long distances in electric vehicles still requires lengthy recharging sessions.
Polestar realizes this is an inconvenience, so they’ve made a strategic investment in “extreme fast charging pioneer” StoreDot.
While the latter company isn’t a household name, Polestar said they’ve been developing silicon-dominant batteries that allow for extreme fast charging. In particular, the company aims to have batteries that are capable of receiving up to 100 miles (161 km) of range in five minutes by 2024.
Also Read: Volvo Invests In Startup StoreDot For Superfast Charging Battery Technology
Thanks to the investment, Polestar and StoreDot will explore “adapting and applying” the technology to Polestar vehicles. While this work will initially focus on prototypes, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said “If our current pilot projects with StoreDot are successful, we could see these solutions being implemented in Polestar cars by 2026.”
In the meantime, Polestar 2 owners can use a 155 kW DC fast charger to get an 80% charge in approximately 35 minutes. That’s not too bad, but StoreDot’s batteries could theoretically allow the model to be fully recharged in less than 15 minutes.
In a statement, Ingenlath said “Polestar can help shape the development of new battery technology for the automotive industry and provide invaluable insights from the perspective of a brand focused on performance and sustainability.” His sentiments were echoed by StoreDot CEO Dr Doron Myersdorf, who stated “Like us, Polestar is an extremely ambitious, innovative brand and is already proving to be pivotal in the mass adoption of electric vehicles, helping us move to a cleaner, zero-emissions world.”
StoreDot also pointed out their not working exclusively with Polestar as their other global strategic partners include Daimler, VinFast, and Volvo as well as BP, Ola Electric, and Samsung.
