Range anxiety is something that seems to preoccupy people who don't own EVs more than it does people who do own EVs. Still, though, people-who-don't-own-EVs is a vast opportunity for manufacturers, so a bad-looking EPA test is something to be concerned about.
That's why Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO, has come out to defend his company after a disappointing range estimate for the Polestar 2. Speaking to Tech Crunch, he said:
"We know what the car does in reality," Ingenlath said. "We know in reality, what might look like a very big difference, is not that much of a difference in real life. We think it's definitely sufficient for day-to-day life as an EV. It's one of our versions, and we will be adding different variants to the Polestar 2 that will have a higher EPA [rating]. I think [the range] is absolutely in the ballpark of competing EVs that is really good for you 365 days a year."
Indeed, after a 10,000 miles Car and Driver long term test, the publication observed that the Tesla Model 3 Long Range gets 236 miles of range . That's much closer to the P2's EPA-rated 233 miles than the Model 3's EPA-rated 330 miles . That said, in a real-world test on YouTube , driving at 120 km/h (or about 74 mph) the P2 only returned 190 miles of range.
Ingenlath promised that as time goes on, the Polestar 2 will get better thanks to software updates. Audi did a similar thing with the e-tron, improving its range by about 10% simply by learning how to better use the battery through software.
Moreover, Polestar plans on releasing more versions of the P2 in years to come.
"Next year, in 2021, we have in our plans to come out with a single motor version," Ingenlath said. "This will, of course, provide a better range with the same battery. And, of course, along the way, we'll have software improvements that will give more efficiency with the same kilowatt-hours battery."
Ingenlath admits, though, that there's still room for improvement.
"We have many things to learn, and as a company, improve," Ingenlath said. "We are a startup that's fresh out. And of course, you cannot expect everything to go smoothly. We have to improve, and our customers have to be with us on the way. And I think it's a really great standard that the car industry, actually, does very early recalls to make sure no one gets into a problem."
That's why Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO, has come out to defend his company after a disappointing range estimate for the Polestar 2. Speaking to Tech Crunch, he said:
"We know what the car does in reality," Ingenlath said. "We know in reality, what might look like a very big difference, is not that much of a difference in real life. We think it's definitely sufficient for day-to-day life as an EV. It's one of our versions, and we will be adding different variants to the Polestar 2 that will have a higher EPA [rating]. I think [the range] is absolutely in the ballpark of competing EVs that is really good for you 365 days a year."
Indeed, after a 10,000 miles Car and Driver long term test, the publication observed that the Tesla Model 3 Long Range gets 236 miles of range . That's much closer to the P2's EPA-rated 233 miles than the Model 3's EPA-rated 330 miles . That said, in a real-world test on YouTube , driving at 120 km/h (or about 74 mph) the P2 only returned 190 miles of range.
Ingenlath promised that as time goes on, the Polestar 2 will get better thanks to software updates. Audi did a similar thing with the e-tron, improving its range by about 10% simply by learning how to better use the battery through software.
Moreover, Polestar plans on releasing more versions of the P2 in years to come.
"Next year, in 2021, we have in our plans to come out with a single motor version," Ingenlath said. "This will, of course, provide a better range with the same battery. And, of course, along the way, we'll have software improvements that will give more efficiency with the same kilowatt-hours battery."
Ingenlath admits, though, that there's still room for improvement.
"We have many things to learn, and as a company, improve," Ingenlath said. "We are a startup that's fresh out. And of course, you cannot expect everything to go smoothly. We have to improve, and our customers have to be with us on the way. And I think it's a really great standard that the car industry, actually, does very early recalls to make sure no one gets into a problem."
