(English) Change
POLESTAR EDUCATIONAL SERIES
So far, on our trip inside the world of Polestar, we’ve taken apart the Polestar 2 to see exactly what makes it stand out from the crowd.
But how does Polestar’s electric car stand up in the day to day?
In this final part of our series, we get under the hood (literally and figuratively) to find out the answers to the questions that often surround EV vehicles and range anxiety.
Like all other cars that run entirely on electricity, the Polestar 2 needs to be charged when its batteries run low. For most people, charging at home or at work is the best solution, allowing the car to charge for long periods while it’s not in use. If you’re ever on the road when you need to top up, it’s easy to charge your Polestar at over 375,000 public charging points in the UK and across Europe.
Whatever your situation and your best option for charging your Polestar, keeping your battery topped up is a breeze.
If you’re charging at home and you have access to private parking, a wallbox charger can be a fast and convenient way of charging that comes highly recommended. If you’re staying in a new city and hiring your Polestar 2 from Hertz, consider charging access when looking for hotels or holiday homes.
Every Polestar 2 comes with a charging cable and onboard charger. They can charge at a rate of up to 11 kW when using a type2 charging connection (CCS2). You can connect the car to a higher-output charging station, but the maximum charging capacity will stay at 11kW.
It’s strongly recommended that you only use the Polestar 2 charging cable that came with your car. It’s specifically created to work with your Polestar and to prevent damage to the battery while allowing the car to charge as fast and as efficiently as possible. If you’re installing a charger at home, we’d recommend including a feature called load balancing. As the name might suggest, a load balancer prevents excessive energy consumption, saving your Polestar 2’s battery and your wallet. You can use a standard plug socket if you wish, though most safety regulators recommend this isn’t a permanent solution.
Whether you’re charging for the 1st or the 101st time, here’s never a bad time to refresh your memory on how best to charge your Polestar 2. Follow the steps below to charge your Polestar’s battery to full.
1. Open your Polestar’s charging hatch and remove the protective cover on the plug.
2. With your charging cable, push the plug all the way into the input socket.
3. You should notice it automatically locks into place after a moment.
4. On the charging station’s interface, follow the instructions to authorise and begin the charge. You can also control the percentage of the battery you wish to charge in case you don’t want to fill your battery.
5. Before the charging can begin, the charging station will perform an isolation test which will take roughly one minute.
6. Once charging has begun, the LED lamp in the charging socket will start to flash green.
7. If you look inside the Polestar, the driver and centre display will show the remaining estimated charging time. It will also let you know if there are any issues with charging.
When you’re ready to stop charging, you can find the button to stop next to the input socket. If you’re stopping fast charging you won’t be able to automatically resume because the charging station will require authorisation again. Unlocking your car doesn’t typically stop fast charging.
The charging time for your Polestar 2 will depend on the charger you’re using. For example, if your battery is almost empty when you plug in your car, it will take around eight hours for the battery to fully charge to 100% with an 11kW AC charger. If you only charge for an hour, you’ll still be able to get about 40 miles out of the car.
For some people, especially those who live in a city, 40 miles a day is more than enough. Just remember once again that even if your home charger is capable of 22kW, your Polestar 2 is only able to take in 11kW maximum.
Your Polestar 2 is also able to charge up to 150kW on a DC charger. Charging between 10 and 80% can take as little as 35 minutes. Because it takes longer to charge your battery between 80 and 100%, it can be better to stop twice and not charge all the way, rather than stop once and charge to 100% if you’re going on a long journey.
The reason why normal plugs aren’t advised is because your home’s standard 230V socket with 10 Amps will take around 40 hours to charge an empty battery up to full, and five hours to reach the 40-mile mark. While 40 miles is the estimate, it’s best to take the distance with a pinch of salt, as factors such as temperature, traffic, and wind will determine how efficient your battery can be.
Public chargers can be found all over the UK. In public parking areas, near shopping centres, restaurants, and petrol stations, so you don’t have to go too far to charge your Polestar 2.
There are a handful of apps available for phones or websites designed to help you find the nearest charger to you or your upcoming journey. In the Polestar, you can view charger locations using the pre-installed Google Maps app by pressing the button on the central display or asking Google to show you.
When it comes to paying for charging, only a minority of charging points in the UK accept credit or debit card. Depending on the charging company, you’ll either have to download an app, go to the website or register for an RFID card.
An RFID or a radio frequency identification card can be used at selected EV charging stations across the UK. They allow you to make a payment by simply tapping your card against the reader.On the whole, it’s much cheaper to run an electric car than one that runs on gas, with electric vehicle owners saving on average £1,000 a year on fuel costs. However, this depends on:
• How often you use the vehicle
• The distances you drive
• How you drive the vehicle
• Conditions you’re driving in
Like any other EV, the Polestar 2’s range is determined by a handful of factors. Things to consider include, but aren’t limited to, your battery size, the size of your wheels and overall vehicle weight.
Your driving conditions are also going to affect your range, with road conditions and temperature all playing a part in the effectiveness of your Polestar. In colder weather you’ll find you have a reduced range when compared to warmer days. However, you can get around this by warming and preconditioning your car while it’s still plugged in, leaving you with more energy for driving.
It’s worth considering your own driving style, because as with any vehicle, the faster and more aggressive you drive, the worse your range is.
The Polestar has a few handy tricks up its sleeve to give you a performative edge. With Polestar 2’s one-pedal drive function, you’re able to make the most of brake energy regeneration and reduce overall energy consumption. To keep an eye on your range during your journey, you can use Polestar’s built-in range assistant and plan accordingly.