Making the switch to full-electric driving could be a bit more difficult than expected. That was the key takeaway after 10 days testing the new Polestar 2 in southern Germany.
Product: The first mass-market EV from the Volvo Cars subsidiary is an elegant-but-understated rival to the Tesla Model 3. The Polestar 2 comes with a 78-kilowatt-hour battery that promises a range of 470 km (292 miles) from a 100 percent charge. Polestar, however, recommends that the charging is limited to between 80 percent and 90 percent, resulting in a range of 350 km to 400 km. The performance was outstanding, especially the snap-your-head-back acceleration. The best example of this was when I was able to safely pass three cars and a large delivery truck driving up a steep hill on a two-lane country road. This same move would be a sweat-inducing exercise in any comparable vehicle with a gasoline or diesel engine.
Home charging: With a standard German outlet, charging to 80 percent from 55 percent charge took five and a half hours. Going to 90 percent from 66 percent took the same amount of time. The power bill comes annually so it wasn’t possible to know what effect Polestar 2 had on our energy costs. The convenience of plugging in at night was much appreciated, especially during a deadly pandemic.
Polestar 2's performance, convenience offset range anxiety
The Polestar 2 is a rival to the Tesla Model 3.
The 38 km trip to an Ionity fast charger was worth it: In 33 minutes the battery capacity was increased to 71 percent from 28 percent. The cost for 37 kWh of power was 27.10 euros.
Public charging: This was a bit more tricky. The closest public charging station that I could get to work is 17 km from my house. There are multiple public charging stations and a Nissan dealership with a charger that are closer, about 5 km, but I couldn’t get the public chargers to cooperate (as I didn’t have the correct membership), and I didn’t have the correct cord to fill up at Nissan. The closest Ionity faster charger is 38 km from the house. The good news is that the Ionity charger was easy to operate and it was able to boost the battery to 71 percent from 28 percent in 33 minutes. I got 37 kWh of power for 27.10 euros. I only added 3.8 kWh (going to 69 percent from 68 percent) at the nearest public station at a cost of 1.47 euros. When I tested a Nissan Leaf two years ago the only option besides home charging was the Nissan dealer, which cost 5 euros for a two-hour charge to 100 percent. In two years the availability and reliability of charging locations has increased considerably, but there is definitely room for improvement.
Real-world range: The promised range diminishes quickly in colder weather. For example, the battery dipped to 89 percent from 90 percent during a 1 km drive to a nearby mailbox with the temperature hovering around 0 Celsius. Also, the 38 km trip back from the Ionity station knocked that battery’s charge down to 55 percent from 71 percent, also with temperatures around 0 Celsius. An issue is that the trips I was taking required very little braking as they are on country roads or highways.
The most convenient charging station for me was 5 km away but I didn't have the proper subscription to utilize it.
Range anxiety: This became very real once the car’s battery dipped to 40 percent. With the help of the Google assistant I was directed to the nearest charging station, which was the previously mentioned Nissan dealership, where I failed because the cords didn’t match. Google was asked to find another station and suggested one of the chargers in my downtown. I plugged in and took a 20 minute walk. Came back and found out I had zero additional charge. Fail number two. That is when I decided I needed to find a fast charger. Fortunately the trip to the Ionity location was a success.
Total cost of ownership: With just 10 days of testing there wasn’t a enough time to get a sufficient amount of data here. What I know is that it cost 73 cents per kW at the Ionity fast-charging station and 39 cents per kW at the other location I tried.
Price: The base price of the Polestar 2 in Germany is 54,925 euros but even with just the basic extras and a 2,500 euro environmental bonus the actual price is 55,825 euros, according to the company's website. Overall, the experience was very positive and only strengthened my desire to own a full-electric vehicle once the infrastructure is more established.
