Polestars of Goodwood

POLESTAR is showing its Polestar 5 electric performance four-door GT prototype in public for the first time at the forthcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK along with launching a new Polestar 2 BST edition 270.

This marks the first glance of the Polestar 5 prototype that will be based out of “First Glance Paddock” from where it will drive up iconic Goodwood hill throughout the event starting June 23.

Information filtering from Polestar suggests the 5 will not have Tesla range capabilities but will sit around the 500km mark between charges. It's not clear whether this is a WLTP-rated range, the standard in Europe, or the more conservative EPA testing cycle.

It seems Polestar wants to focus on offering competitive levels of range, rather than engage in a “range war” with competitors.

Elon Musk has stated that “Anything over 650km of range is pointless”, something Polestar would concur with judging by available information on the Polestar 5.

Polestar will put more focus on faster recharging options. Currently, the Polestar 2 has charging speeds up to 155kW, so expect a much greater number for the 5 and future Polestars, speculated at up to 350kW.

Squeezing extra kWh into the battery would go against the company’s sustainability goals.

Details surrounding Polestar 5 powertrain are scant suffice to say whispers are circulating about keeping Tesla’s Model S honest in a 0-100kmh sprint and that means 2.0(ish) seconds.

No solid word on the drivetrain either though expect AWD and a FWD variants given what Polestar has available at present.

And yes, expect a form of autonomous drive…the Pilot Pack that will most likely be optional.

Goodwood Festival of Speed is the UK’s pre-eminent motoring event supplanting a number of motor shows as the preferred choice for new car introductions and displays. It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors over three days of motorsport and “car porn.”

Polestar will also use the Goodwood FOS as a global debut platform for the Polestar2 BST edition 270 along with the UK launch of the company’s electric roadster concept.

The entire Polestar range will feature on the Swedish electric performance car company’s stand.

“Goodwood is our favourite place to show our cars in an enthusiast environment,” said Polestar CEO  Thomas Ingenlath.

“This year, we are thrilled to showcase Polestar 5 going up the hill. Our UK R&D team is doing an amazing job developing the car, and we are proud to be able to highlight their hard work at this early stage.”

Polestar Precept, the concept car that is evolving into Polestar 5, will be on the main Polestar stand.

The updated Polestar 2 will be positioned in Electric Avenue, and Polestar will again host its exclusive test drives adjacent to the main event area at Molecomb, where visitors will have the opportunity to book a Polestar 2 test drive on a closed route on site.

Polestar has shown various cars at the iconic event over the years… including the Polestar 1 prototype in 2018 and the Experimental Polestar 2 in 2021.

The limited-edition Polestar 1 and the Experimental Polestar 2 will be stationed alongside the Polestar 5 prototype in the First Glance Paddock, and will also drive up the hill.

In line with the ongoing development of Polestar 5, the latest episode of Polestar’s YouTube documentary series, “Precept: From Concept to Car”, reveals the process of creating the production car’s interior.

Polestar intends to list on the Nasdaq in a proposed business combination with Gores Guggenheim, Inc. (Nasdaq: GGPI, GGPIW, and GGPIU), which is expected to close in June 2022.