Perhaps it's Deja Vu, but I low-key feel like I’m retracing my steps in the industry here. Back in 2021, I worked at a site that’s now deceased and scrubbed from the internet, wondering what public charging infrastructure would look like for a renter with no home charging. I knew only but a fraction about electric vehicles that I know now. However, Hyundai loaned me a previous generation, Kona Electric, to explore that idea. After my time with the Kona was up, a blueish-grey Polestar 2 had taken its place.
Three years later, here I am with a blueish-grey Polestar 2 directly after time with a Kona Electric. But, the EV market has progressed substantially since 2021. There are new competitors that are cheaper and go further than the cars I drove back then. Heck, The Kona Electric isn’t the same as it was before; it’s a whole new model that is physically larger than its predecessor. Similarly, the Polestar 2 has had some fairly substantial upgrades under the skin to make itself competitive.
Get Fully Charged
Polestar Is Subject to Tariff on EV's Made in China
The 100% tariff on EVs made in China will go into effect starting August 1st. The Chinese-made Polestar 2 will likely be affected, but the brand has yet to say how. As of February, they are not accepting new custom-made orders, citing high demand for the entry-level car.
Now, to the layperson, the Polestar 2’s visual changes might be hard to spot. There is a new 19-inch aero wheel option, and the front grille is filled in, but there aren’t too many new visual cues in the interior or on the exterior that tell buyers that this is a new car. Under the skin, however, lie some fairly substantial changes.
For 2024, the Polestar 2 will shift to rear-wheel-drive. The old Polestar 2, when purchased in single-motor form, was a front-motor, front-wheel-drive design that only generated 231 horsepower. It wasn’t all that fast, only scooting to 60 MPH in 7 seconds flat. It didn’t go all that far, either. The old FWD model could only muster 270 miles of range.
The new RWD model I have this week is quicker, goes further, and can charge at higher rates. The new motor has 299 horsepower, 361 ft-lbs of torque and can zip from 0-60 in 5.9 seconds, more than a second quicker than the old car. This motor is reportedly more efficient, and when coupled with the new 82 kWh battery, the Polestar 2 can go up to 320 miles on a single charge. Charging speeds are also higher than the old car, now the Polestar 2 can pull up to 205 kW out of a DC fast charger.
Is that enough? It seems like Polestar is harping hard on incentivized lease deals for the Polestar 2, as low as $299 per month on examples identical to the example I’ve got for the week. They aren’t the only EV deals, either. Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen, and Chevrolet all offer lease and purchase deals that match or are better than Polestar. It’s not 2021 anymore.
Still, I’ve got the Polestar 2 for the next week. What would you like to know about it? Please sound off in the comments, or reach out to me at kevin.williams@insideevs.com, or find me on Twitter (X) and Instagram under the username GaytonaUSA.
