PROMOTING electric business cars has been a part of my daily life at the BCF Wessex consultancy for over two years now, but I had never driven one, writes Rhys Whitcombe. So, when the opportunity arose to drive a Polestar 2 for a month while working alongside Polestar, I was eager to find out what EV driving was like.
My car was a Long-Range Single Motor Polestar 2, in Space (black), with only a handful of miles on the clock.
Getting familiar with the car
Creating my Polestar account was the first thing: my details were linked to the display within the car, and then I could do things like demist the car on cold mornings by simply pressing a button in the app from the warmth of my living room. No more freezing my hands off scraping the windscreen and my phone could even act as the key for the car if I wanted it to.
Before I was ready to go, the Polestar delivery driver outlined the basic operation of the car, along with essentials such as how to operate the cameras for manoeuvring in tight spaces. Then the regenerative braking system; just like a Formula 1 car explained the representative, once I lifted off the accelerator the car would automatically begin braking and use the energy produced to recharge the battery. This is a useful feature and makes driving in urban areas significantly easier and more relaxing.
Charging the Polestar
I don’t have a home chargepoint, so I needed to use the public network, which was easy to do through the Octopus Electroverse app, and I found there were even a couple of superchargers in the town where I live.
I had never charged an electric car before, but it was simple; I arrived at the Osprey chargepoint, which was outside a local pub, tapped my credit card, plugged the car in and went to watch the football while I waited about 40 minutes for the car to reach 80% charge. And charging the Polestar is flexible too, allowing you to set the percentage you’d like to charge to and the car estimates the time it will take.
I was able to download a receipt from the Osprey website, without opening an account, and despite it taking longer than filling a petrol or diesel car, it wasn’t an inconvenience.
It is much cheaper to have a home chargepoint and when I move to an electric car full time, I will certainly have one installed.
Driving the Polestar 2
I drove on a variety of roads and found the Polestar 2 to be versatile as well as comfortable. There are some great features which come as standard, such as adaptive cruise control and lane assist, which make motorway driving relaxing whilst allowing you to always retain full control of the car. The wireless phone charger is great, and the boot is definitely big enough for your golf clubs.
Google maps comes as standard, and all your saved locations are automatically uploaded to the car when you link your phone. Another great feature is an indicator of what your remaining charge will be once you reach your destination, and the closest chargers on your route, all of which helps with journey planning.
Range in the Polestar
One thing I’m sure a lot of new and prospective EV drivers worry about is range. The advertised range of my Polestar 2 was 330 miles on a full charge; whilst I drove it, I estimate the range was around 285 miles on a full charge.
My verdict on the Polestar 2
Overall, I loved the car. I would happily lease a Polestar in the future; it was a comfortable smooth ride with responsive controls and a host of features as standard. And having now lived with an EV for a month, I wouldn’t worry about range or running out of charge.
The Polestar, like many new EV models, has a range long enough for most people, and contrary to some articles in the media, there are chargers at most motorway service stations, and at plenty of urban area locations. I live in a town of around 45,000 people, so not very big, but there are almost 50 locations with electric chargepoints with more on the way.
My thanks to Matt Hawkins, Head of Sales for Polestar UK, for organising the car for me.
Want More On The Polestar 2? Read Our Car Review
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