Volvo and Geely created Polestar years ago (after the merger with Zhejiang Geely Holding) originally for performance versions of both brand's products. With the dawn of the EV age, Polestar's mission changed to create battery-electric vehicles, but the original mission has not ceased with Polestar vehicles earning a reputation for excellent ride and, most importantly, handling. The Polestar 2 five-door sedan will be followed by the Polestar 3 SUV/crossover. But the news here is the Polestar 2 Performance Pack. The optional Performance Pack is available at launch, across all launch markets, and includes the four-piston Brembo braking system, Öhlins DFV dampers, 20-inch forged alloy wheels, and the Swedish gold brake calipers, seatbelts and tire valve caps. The Performace Pack option will add a paltry (for this price range) $5k to the bottom line. When I configured a Polestar 2 online the car was priced just over $70k (including the Performace Pack) with delivery in December of this year. Happy Holidays indeed.
Check out the preceding post for more info on the Polestar 2.
Source: Polestar - Pics and Media Release
Media Release:
Polestar Cars Offers Performance Pack for the Polestar 2 All-Electric Performance Fastback- Optional Performance Pack for the Polestar 2 includes Brembo four-piston braking system with heightened stopping ability and optimized energy regeneration for the electric drivetrain
- Also included are Öhlins Dual Flow Valve adjustable suspension dampers, with 22 available settings for driver preference
- Other components include 20-inch light-weight forged alloy wheels, reducing unsprung mass by 3.3 lbs. each, as well as ‘Swedish gold’ tire valve caps and seat belts
The Performance Pack includes a bespoke Brembo braking system with adjustable Öhlins suspension dampers, light-weight forged 20-inch alloy wheels, and gold-accented brake calipers, valve stem caps and seat belts.
Brembo Braking
The Brembo brake calipers in the Polestar 2 Performance Pack have been aesthetically designed by both Polestar and Brembo to combine the Italian brand’s ‘Stile’ design method with Polestar’s avant-garde design philosophy.
The four-piston aluminum front brake calipers from the global leader in braking performance are highlighted by an aero-sculpted design. This design was inspired by the lines of the Polestar 2, and the calipers are finished in Polestar’s signature Swedish gold paint.
Designed for optimum performance in all weather and road conditions, the braking system utilizes a low drag arrangement which keeps pads from dragging on the brake disc, in turn, reducing noise and rolling resistance. The system gives quick response regardless of temperature and use.
Four pistons clamp the 90 cmbrake pads to 375 mm x 35 mm front brake discs to ensure the Polestar 2 can stop as quickly as it accelerates.
Öhlins Suspension
All versions of the Polestar 2 are equipped with frequency dependent damping as standard. This smooths out high-frequency wheel motions caused by rough roads and reduces vehicle body motion and noise. This gives a more comfortable ride without compromising grip, steering response or overall handling.
Cars with the optional Performance Pack are equipped with adjustable Öhlins Dual Flow Valve (DFV) suspension dampers for increased control and adaptability.
Originating in Sweden in 1976, the Öhlins brand has its roots in top-level motorsport (including Formula 1, IndyCar, endurance racing and MotoGP) and has used this expertise to develop its DFV damping system available in the Polestar 2 with Performance Pack.
Dampers are, of course, designed to control the movement of a suspension system over rough or uneven road surfaces. The challenge engineers have historically battled is the balance of comfort and control—a soft suspension feels great over bumps, but won’t instill driver confidence when attempting more dynamic maneuvers. In this case, a clever design allows oil inside the damper to travel through two different paths depending on the input speed of the suspension.
For low-speed damper movements, where the shaft is moving slowly, an adjustable needle controls the oil flow and the damper’s response. At higher speeds, where the shaft moves more quickly and in a greater range, a shimmed piston valve stack alters the flow for optimized responses. Any sudden suspension impacts and road surface roughness are controlled by the DFV system.
Controlling both compression and rebound, the DFV ensures a more consistent response regardless of road conditions. Where conventionally valved systems can lead to the vehicle’s body being unsettled by rough road surfaces, reducing grip, comfort and control, the Polestar 2’s DFV dampers aren’t affected in the same way. With the rate of rebound matched to compression, the dampers remove small force peaks caused by road surface roughness and so grip, comfort and control for the vehicle and its occupants are improved.
Like the Öhlins DFV dampers fitted to Polestar 1, the damping system on the Polestar 2 equipped with the Performance Pack is manually adjustable through 22 unique settings. Unlike the inherent compromises in electronic systems–usually with three presets including comfort, normal and sport settings–this manual system allows for a fine tuning of the vehicle’s ride and handling responses. Although the cars will be supplied with a pre-set standard setting, drivers can request adjustment by Polestar for their preferred response.
Forged 20-Inch Aluminum Wheels
Forging the wheels increases their strength over the Polestar 2’s standard 19- and optional 20-inch alloy wheels, but despite this the Performance Pack alloy wheels are each also 3.3 lbs. lighter. This lightness contributes to less unsprung mass, which in combination with the Öhlins DFV dampers, allows for greater control and maintains maximum tire contact with the road at all times.
To match the improved performance of the wheels, the alloys are wrapped in performance-focused Continental SportContact 245/40R20 front and rear tires that are unique for Polestar 2. Swedish gold valve caps complete the package.
Visually, the 20-inch forged alloy wheel in unique 4-Y spoke Polestar design uses a new technique where the edges of the spoke are diamond polished across more than one axis, ensuring they complement the electric performance fastback’s sharp lines. The wheels themselves are milled in a three-dimensional fashion to enable their smooth, evolving polished surfaces.
Visual Enhancements
Visual enhancements complement the mechanical changes to remind owners and onlookers that Performance Pack-equipped Polestar 2 models are the most dynamic available.
Inside, all occupants are held securely in place by Swedish gold three-point seatbelts unique to the Polestar and Polestar Engineered brands. On the outside, the forged 20-inch alloy wheels are complemented with the set of distinctive Swedish gold valve caps.
The optional Performance Pack is available at launch, across all launch markets, and includes the four-piston Brembo braking system, Öhlins DFV dampers, 20-inch forged alloy wheels, and the Swedish gold brake calipers, seatbelts and tire valve caps, complete for the very attractive price of $5,000 USD.
About Polestar
Polestar is the electric performance car brand jointly owned by Volvo Car Group and Zhejiang Geely Holding. Polestar enjoys specific technological and engineering synergies with Volvo Cars and benefits from significant economies of scale as a result. This facilitates the successful design, development and production of separately-branded, electric performance cars.
Polestar launched in 2017 with the Polestar 1 – a low-volume Electric Performance Hybrid GT with 619 hp, 738 lb.-ft. and an electric-only range of 70 miles – the longest of any hybrid car in the world. In 2019, the Polestar 2 was revealed as the company’s first fully electric, higher volume premium car. Arriving in markets from the middle of 2020, the Polestar 2 electric performance fastback comes with 408 hp and 487 lb.-ft., all-wheel drive, a 78 kWh battery pack and a range of 470 km (WLTP) for the first year of production.
In 2020, Polestar released the Precept – a vision study vehicle designed to showcase the brand’s future vision in terms of sustainability, digital technology and design. In the future, Polestar 3 will join the portfolio as a fully electric performance SUV.
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