Polestar CEO outlines Volvo subsidiary’s role in electrifying industry

Polestar, Volvo’s stand-alone brand for electrified models, will launch its first car later this year. One goal of the Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid is to highlight the benefits of electric propulsion without asking customers to entirely give up on the internal combustion engine. Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath discussed this as well as the brand’s plan to offer a fully autonomous mobility solution in the future with Automotive News Europe Managing Editor Douglas A. Bolduc.

Unlike Tesla and other companies that will only offer full-electric cars, Polestar’s debut model is the Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid. Why start with a car that still has an internal combustion engine?
Where we might be different from other e-companies is that we acknowledge the plug-in hybrid is actually a great technology for a very simple reason. We have to understand that for a lot of people it’s not easy to switch to an electric drivetrain from one day to the next. The hybrid definitely is a great way to experience electric propulsion. This goes beyond any environmental question. It is actually the modern way of driving.

What role will models such as the Polestar 1 plug-in hybrids play in pushing down Europe’s fleet CO2 level to 95 grams per kilometer starting next year?
It’s funny you are asking about the 95 grams because that is a question of the old industry. All of that talk is just a painful way of slowly getting where we really should be. The evolution of electrification will help to make the whole industry transform.

A few years ago we were told that fully autonomous cars would be on the road by 2020. That won’t happen. Why were those predictions so wrong?
You always have these phases where there is this incredible euphoria [about a new technology] with a lot of hype and things move very fast. Then, naturally, like with all emotional journeys in life, you reach a point where you really know what to expect. You also acknowledge a certain speed of development that you have to except. And that, of course, is a slower one.

Has the sector stalled?
No, a lot has happened. Today, I’m lucky enough to drive in a lot of cars that have pilot assist functionality, which you indeed get used to. It becomes a natural part of your driving. And when I switch back to a car that doesn’t have it I’m actually a bit surprised and a little scared because the car is not helping me as much as I had gotten used to. I definitely see how much, bit by bit, that becomes part of your driving and in a very nice way. That will be the journey ahead. These systems will become so much more clever and supportive.

When do you think fully autonomous cars will debut?
I almost don’t care. Will it be the year 2024, 25 or 26 when we might see the first fully autonomous robotaxi that I can enter and there’s no driver in it? It’s not the big relevant question anymore. It’s a product that we will also be delivering to our customers in the future.

Could you elaborate?
Together with our partners, we will have cars with redundant systems that will enable them to be part of a mobility network so you do not have to drive in a neutral, anonymous, public transport environment. There will be a mobility offer that is highly personalized and very luxurious in Polestar cars. We will embrace shared mobility but not in terms of big groups.

How will this work at Polestar?
You would use the service during a certain time of the day in the town and then you would give it back. That will definitely become part of our mobility, but it’s a very difficult thing for everybody to imagine right now. Something that has been experienced by a lot of rich people, this kind of limousine service with a chauffeur driving you from A to B, will be more democratized. With this type of shared mobility, you will have a really luxurious, personalized experience that is the opposite to public transport or taking a taxi because sometimes you are happy to be on your own.