Polestar
Volvo’s Polestar brand unleashed its first high-end hybrid performance production car, the Polestar 1, in some extreme winter testing north of the Arctic Circle as it preps for unveiling at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show.
The Polestar 1 prototype had its first successful test drive in extreme winter conditions in an advanced high speed test on ice roads at a closed test track in Sweden, just north of the Arctic Circle. The temperature? Minus-28°C (minis-18°F). The top speed? 200km/h (124mph).
Test drivers focused specifically on Polestar 1’s torque vectoring system, enabled by two rear electric motors with individual planetary gear sets. Chassis balance was further optimized thanks to the advantages of testing on ice, allowing the test drivers to better analyze and react to the car’s behavior while driving.
“Our test drivers have given us some enthusiastic feedback on the handling and dynamics especially,” says Thomas Ingenlath, Chief Executive Officer at Polestar. “Besides being very happy with the balance of the chassis, they are particularly excited about the torque vectoring. We are now very confident about how this enhances the Polestar 1’s cornering responsiveness and accuracy. This is a driver’s car. We have now passed a major milestone in the development of the Polestar 1, and prototype testing continues throughout 2018.”
Polestar
With its triple battery set-up, unique combination of three electric motors and a supporting 2-liter inline 4-cylinder supercharged and turbocharged combustion engine, the Polestar 1 delivers 600hp, 738 pound-feet of torque, and has an electric range of 150km.
The Polestar 1 has double wishbone front suspension, the rear suspension utilizes a transverse composite leaf spring, six piston aluminium mono block calipers on each front wheel for an ultra-powerful braking system, while practically all of the Polestar 1 upper body, including the doors, bonnet and boot-lid, are made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP).
It also comes with a Bower & Wilkins high-end sound system, a fixed panoramic glass roof, stretching all the way from the top of the windscreen to the upper edge of the rear window and a standard-fitted active rear spoiler that automatically raises from its integrated flush position when the speed exceeds 100km/h and is retracted when the speed is reduced below 70km/h.
Polestar
Polestar
Polestar
Polestar
Polestar
Polestar
Polestar
Polestar
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