The gasoline-electric Polestar 1 promises to be a
car that you can drive all year round. And to prove that, Polestar shot a video
of a prototype of the coupe undergoing winter testing in northern Sweden. Starting with the batteries,
they had to withstand temperatures as low as -28C (-18F), as did the two
electric motors, for which the extreme cold wasn’t a problem.
Volvo’s electrified car brand also examined the
drivetrain, fine-tuning several aspects and tested how the One performs with
different shock absorbers, springs, anti-roll bars and rubber bushings. It’s
worth noting that the prototype was stripped of all driving assistance systems,
which allowed the driver to feel the base chassis settings.
In between testing prototypes in different
environments, Polestar will bring the hybrid coupe to Auto China 2018. The car
will be displayed at the event in Beijing between April 25 and May 4, thus
marking its second China premiere, following the global media debut in Shanghai
last October.
The Polestar 1 combines a 2.0-liter four-cylinder
engine that drives the front axle with two electric motors pushing power to the
rear wheels. It has a combined system output of 600 PS and
1,000 Nm of torque, and thanks to the 34kWh battery, it can travel on
electricity for up to 150 km.
More than 7,000 people have expressed their interest
in purchasing the hybrid coupe, and Polestar is already taking reservations for
it. Production is expected to start next year.
