Polestar, the all-electric performance vehicle manufacturer, has unveiled the Polestar O2 concept, a car that reimagines sports roadsters for the electric era. The hard-top convertible equipped with all the benefits of electric mobility, is the company’s concept of open-top performance and an exciting driving experience.
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Top driving experience
Maximilian Missoni, Polestar’s Head of Design, says: “Polestar O2is our vision of a new era for sports cars. By mixing the joy of open-top driving with the purity of electric mobility, it unlocks a new mix of emotions in a car. But as with all our cars, we are about more than just straight-line sprints. It’s when you turn the steering wheel that the true fun begins.”
The Polestar O2 is meant to provide a dynamic, light, and confident driving experience. Exciting, passionate driving requires predictability and fun. The unique bonded aluminum platform, which is adopted from the Polestar 5 and developed in-house by Polestar’s R&D team in the UK, provides tight body control, high stiffness, and intuitive dynamics.
The bonded aluminum platform’s excellent quality and stiffness are designed to provide increased dynamic responsiveness. The nimble, direct steering feel is linear, with outstanding steering power build-up, and the handling dynamics are tight owing to short roll angles and good roll damping.
Polestar O2 concept sports futuristic design elements
Polestar O2’s design is clearly inspired by the Polestar Precept concept vehicle, but it has its own personality. It demonstrates how Polestar’s expanding design language can be applied to a variety of body shapes while maintaining a strong familial resemblance.
Classic sports car proportions are embodied by the low and broad body with a forceful stance, compact 2+2 interior design, short overhangs, and long wheelbase, but with a distinctly contemporary, electric feel.
“This car is a meeting point between technology and art, between precision and sculpture, with a determined but not aggressive stance,” continues Maximilian Missoni.
Aerodynamics are adjusted to increase range using hidden design elements such as integrated ducts that promote laminar airflow over the wheels and body sides, and rear lights that act as air blades to minimize turbulence behind the vehicle.
High-tech and sustainable
Polestar O2 also demonstrates technological and environmental advancements. On the inside, a new thermoplastic mono-material is used extensively. The use of single base material to make several components is referred to as “mono-material.”
All soft interior components of the Polestar O2 are made entirely of recycled polyester, including foam, glue, 3D knit fibers and non-woven lamination. This makes recycling easier and takes a big step toward greater circularity while also lowering weight and waste.
Materials should be recycled, not downcycled, according to Polestar’s sustainability team. They’ve introduced a novel approach to managing recycled content and enhancing metal component circularity into Polestar O2. To assist offer an exciting driving experience, different grades of aluminum are employed throughout the chassis.
These distinct classes are labeled so that they may be recycled more efficiently while retaining their qualities. High-grade aluminum stays high-grade, while other grades retain their unique features, allowing for higher material efficiency and a reduction in the need for fresh aluminum.
Building a tradition in innovation
In a world where social media is becoming more important, the Polestar O2 has an autonomous cinematic drone incorporated beneath the back seats. The prototype drone, which was developed in partnership with Aerofugia’s consumer electronics company Hoco Flow, may be released while the automobile is in motion to capture the ideal driving sequence.
Polestar engineers created a specialized aerofoil that rises behind the back seats to create a quiet region of negative pressure that enables the drone to take flight while the vehicle is moving.
The drone follows the vehicle autonomously at speeds up to 90 km/h, and the driver may select between an ambient sequence – perfect for a coastal trip – and a more action-packed series with a sportier expression. After filming, the drone may return to the automobile on its own. When the vehicle is parked, video footage may be edited and shared immediately from the 15-inch center display.
“We wanted to emphasise the experience you can have with a car like the Polestar O2 in new and unusual ways,” continues Maximilian Missoni. “Integrating an autonomous cinematic drone was something that allowed us to push the boundaries on the innovation front. Not needing to stop and off-load the drone before filming, but rather deploying it at speed, is a key benefit to this innovative design.”
Polestar O2 builds on Polestar Precept’s solid foundations as a vision of the company’s future design, technology, and sustainability goals. Polestar intends to release three new automobiles over the next three years, beginning in 2022, each of which has the ability to realize some of the concepts described in these concept cars.
