Polestar 3 with 800 Volts: An Upgrade to Its Inner Workings
Even the first version of the stylish Polestar 3 performance SUV was a hit. Now, thanks to its 800-volt architecture, not only does it deliver impressive driving performance, but its charging performance is top-notch as well.
Inner qualities are crucial not only in people but also in vehicles. Two years ago, the Polestar 3—a sleek and imposing 4.90-meter-long SUV—made its debut here. It was and still is available with rear-wheel and all-wheel drive, yet something fundamental has now changed: Starting this fall, it will roll into eight Swiss Polestar Spaces—and by the end of the year, with the addition of Zofingen AG, that number will rise to nine—featuring the new 800-volt architecture. The new electric architecture enables it to achieve a charging power of up to 350 kW at fast-charging stations.
During its first test drive in Chiemgau (Germany), it easily delivered 273 kW despite the sweltering heat and with over 52 percent charge remaining in its 106-kWh battery. Shorter charging times—from 10 to 80 percent in 22 minutes—are also possible—and are definitely in demand among premium customers. So it’s good to see that Polestar has stepped up its game here. Thanks to «Breathe Charge»—software that monitors the battery’s condition in real time and immediately adjusts the charging power—the flagship SUV now charges significantly faster.
New Battery and New Drive System
«We have a new, more efficient permanent-magnet synchronous motor with more power in the rear,» reveals Arsham Asgharian, Polestar Product Manager. «We were also able to reduce the number of battery modules and, as a result, the car’s weight.» As a rear-wheel-drive model with a 92-kWh battery and 245 kW/333 PS, the Polestar 3 is available starting at 78,800 Swiss francs. However, in Switzerland, the all-wheel-drive variants with the larger battery and 400 kW/544 PS or 500 kW/680 PS are certainly in much higher demand. The Dual Motor, with a range of 647 km, is available starting at 88,800 Swiss francs, while the Performance model—which offers more sportiness but a slightly shorter range (601 km)—costs 106,200 Swiss francs.
Precise suspension tuning
Even during the first few kilometers of testing, this sophisticated electric sports car certainly demonstrated its capabilities (0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, top speed 230 km/h). In addition, the standard dual-chamber active air suspension—visible in the Performance model we drove via the seatbelts and the central control knob in Swedish gold—proved to be a highlight (optional on the Dual Motor model). The electric SUV proved to be very agile and comfortable, yet never felt unstable, even when taking corners at high speeds. The steering—precise and light, yet never feeling artificial—was also impressive.
In addition to the two new exterior colors, «Storm» and «Krypton,» the Polestar 3 also features a new main computer that’s more than eight times as powerful—and, by the way, this upgrade is being offered free of charge to existing Polestar 3 models as well! The new chip, combined with the integration of Google Gemini, opens up entirely new ways to interact with the electric SUV and provide more complex instructions for navigation destinations. Fun fact: The Polestar doesn’t (yet) respond to «Hey Polestar,» but it does respond to «Hey Google»—though it can surely learn that too.
