(Credit: Polestar)
LAS VEGAS—Polestar announced two new features for its Google-built dash screen here at CES, which CEO Thomas Ingenlath expanded on in an interview with PCMag.
The first is the ability to pre-plan a Google Maps route on the iOS or Android app, and send it to the Polestar 2's dash screen when you're ready to go.
(Credit: Polestar)The second is expanded browser access inside the vehicle. Polestar launched the Vivaldi browser for Polestar 2 in 2021, and it's now rolling out Google's Chrome for Polestar 2 in beta, for a "familiar and easy-to-use browsing experience while parked," it says.
“Google is one of our most important technology partners," says Ingenlath. Previously an SVP at Volvo, he witnessed the era of car companies trying to develop their own dash-screen systems. "That promise was never fulfilled," he says.
Google, on the other hand, offers a solution that's more affordable than the "monster" investment required for car companies to create their own, he says.
"Google offers the customer a navigation that knows everything; the amount of users and knowledge they bring is just amazing," he says. Plus, Polestar is still able to offer Apple CarPlay whereas some of its rivals—such as Tesla, Rivian, and GM—do not.
But while EVs are known for their slick dash screens, "it's not all about being a computer on wheels," Ingenlath says. "It's the combination of having the great electronics and software, and the art of tuning a car that is a physical object with high weight moving in space."
Being a somewhat small, boutique brand, Polestar focuses on the look and feel of the vehicle while leaning on a roster of strong partners, including battery providers CATL and LG. "You shouldn't underestimate what advantage you have if you play with strong partners," he says. "To do everything yourself is not necessarily the best product for your customer."
Polestar currently offers one vehicle, the Polestar 2, which starts at $49,900 with an impressive 320-mile range and quick, 28-minute charge time on a level 3 fast charger. That's 40 more miles of range than the 260 miles you get on the Tesla Model Y, which starts at $43,990.
Later this year, the Polestar 3 and 4 will join the lineup, followed by the Polestar 5 in 2025. But Ingenlath says Polestar will "never be a mass-market brand. We are a dedicated brand, but we won't have the highest volume."