Any Polestar 2 owners out there

Can get two bikes in the back with front wheels off. Have done this for longer journeys, as with the bikes on the back, the range is circa 190miles, closer to 240 with nothing on the back. Thule XT2 bike carrier for me, as it will fit two gnarpoons on no issue.

The towbar is sturdy and whilst expensive (if you have to pay for it) its much better than the one I had on a gold a few years ago.

Had mine since the start of the year and 12k miles. Its been to Scotland, Wales and northern france with no issues. Just expensive charging it on the superchargers (try to keep to the 50kw ones). Driving from home its 4p/mile (diesel was 16p), work pay 13p, so it all evens itself out. The big thing for me is the tax saving every month.

Thanks SirHC. I'm in tow minds whether to try and negotiate a deal on the tow bar whilst buying the car or just see how I get on. I have a roof system as well, so could get new a new foot pack or rails, but not keen on the permanent impact on range and possible wind noise.

Are you buying it solely for personal use? If I was buying a car, I wouldn't be buying an EV, as there are very little gains to be had.

Yes (not for business use). I don't do a lot of miles per year ; main use is at weekend going hiking or biking.

To be honest, I'd be looking a petrol something or other (XC40 or XC60 if you are keeping the volvo route). Going to last for years and you arn't going to be searching for a charge point. Did 70k in my XC40 over 2 years, took it offroad and never had an issue with it, had a few undertrays fitted, the local garage was always amazed where i'd taken it!!

OK interesting feedback! I was about to buy a V60 CC (I had a V90 CC and an XC60 before that) then was seduced by the Polestar ! We have another car also which could be used for longer trips where downtime for charging might be an issue. The Energy Saving Trust used EV loan also makes it extra appealing.

I'm looking to buy the newer one.... I've driven the old one a few times, like them a lot.

To be honest when I look at petrol alternatives I look at the cost to fuel them, the cost to maintain them (ICE engines!) and the long term reliability and think again.

I suppose you've never considered climatic change or  other people's health SirHC. Go for it, huggis, I've been running EVs for six years, have never run out of leccy and my sums say it's been no more expensive than the equivalent ICEs, with the bonus EVs are a delight to drive. I would't buy a Polestar because they are made in China but there are many alternatives made in Europe.

I would’t buy a Polestar because they are made in China but there are many alternatives made in Europe

+1
Made by Geely Motors who are reported to have used forced labour.

I was vaguely seriously looking at these a few months ago.

there's a UK facebook owners group. In general they seem happy with them, good quality, good performance/range etc. How often would you realistically exceed the 240ish mile range? Rarely or never then public charging is a minor or non issue. Frequently, then yes there's some problems and surprisingly high costs to deal with.

There are a number of people who have had issues with the computer/infotainment/whatever. Having to reset it etc.

I'm sure its a low number of vehicles and the problem gets overstated by only people with issues shouting about it; but it would make me wary of any used car less than 3 years old (ie, isnt an end of lease) that someone could be offloading a problem car. I don't know how much help/warranty you get on a S/H one, as there aren't many about yet.

I suppose you’ve never considered climatic change or  other people’s health SirHC

The well to wheel Co2 calculations are very much all over the place, coupled with where the electricity comes from when you are charging the car. Not forgetting that lithium and cobalt mining makes fracking look fairly environmentally friendly.

It's been shown time and again that on balance, buying a used car (really - any used car - diesel, petrol, hybrid or EV) is environmentally friendlier than any new EV.

Now that doesn't have to be the only reason to purchase a new EV (running costs, etc come into play for everyone), but trotting out the old "You don't care about climate change or people's health" trope is counterproductive.

Thanks for all the opinions. I would say 95% of my charging will be done at home with me rarely exceeding 100 miles in a single trip. The China manufacturing?  I've not heard any claims about child labour being used and would obviously not endorse that.  In terms of the manufacturing process and quality; it's made in a new purpose built factory.  Putting the mpg vs kwh running cost argument aside servicing is simpler and there is no road tax.

I've got one as a company car. I use Thule roof bars and bike carries. It will affect the range though. I've just driven from Fort William to West Yorkshire and managed to get a range of 285 miles. I've got the Long Range Single Motor. The latest model will probably add an extra 80-100 miles to that.

It’s been shown time and again that on balance, buying a used car (really – any used car – diesel, petrol, hybrid or EV) is environmentally friendlier than any new EV.

This is a thread about...buying a used EV. 🤦

The well to wheel Co2 calculations are very much all over the place, coupled with where the electricity comes from when you are charging the car. Not forgetting that lithium and cobalt mining makes fracking look fairly environmentally friendly.

Twelve year old arguments long since shown to be rubbish on the Electric Car thread with all the links to research you could wish for. Read through the whole thread and update your knowledge.

The China issue is also do you really want to make Xi richer and Europe poorer?

that sounds promising dthom3uk. I was looking at a LRDM which will have slightly shorter range.

I don’t have a Polestar, but have a BMW i4 and through a couple of owners Facebook groups have heard quite a few comparisons to the Polestar. The PS comes off well from these - comfortable, practical, good quality etc. so based off my questionable and distinctly second hand information it sounds like a decent choice.

I have a 2021 LRDM (PPP), bought it second-hand back in February. I really like it, haven't tried carrying bikes in it yet but with the rear seats downs there should be plenty of space (front wheel off) and being a hatchback makes it a bit easier.

If I was buying new and thought I'd be transporting a couple of bikes regularly I'd probably go for the tow hitch.

Realistically I get about 180 miles range on mine (the 20" wheels don't help + going over 60mph or accelerating quickly away from lights drains the battery pretty quickly), driven more sensible I could probably get 200ish. Given my commute is 4 miles each way and I rarely (if ever) need to do over a 150 mile round-trip it suits me perfectly. I'd maybe look at a Tesla Model Y instead if I thought space would be tight with bikes + gear and wanted to do a lot of long trips (reports of harsh suspension apart from the current model year version put me off though, plus it's association with Elon. Although it's a fair point that Polestar is stained due to Geely's involvement with forced labour).

I ended up going with a 2021 version as newer ones seemed over-priced (especially up to 18 months old sub-10k mileage ones, mine had 20k miles). That said they're very pricey brand new to (close to £70k with full spec.) so they have a long way to come down from.

Thanks FuzzyWuzzy - I am looking at a 2021 LRDM PP so more or less the same.  I think I'll see how I get on with chucking the bike/s in the back for now. Been used to that with my current car and not been an issue. If anything it's extra piece of mind knowing the bikes are secure when going for post ride coffee & cake 🙂

Mine is being delivered tomorrow 😄 So no first hand feedback yet, might add some tomorrow. Only driven a leaf and i3s before so I'm expecting it to be pretty different to both of those.

1 sleep left 🙂

If I was buying a car, I wouldn’t be buying an EV, as there are very little gains to be had.

Of course there is. 1.5p a mile in my EV versus 15p a mile on diesel. I call that a significant gain. £2 to drive to my folks instead of £20. I'll take that, thanks.

To be honest, I’d be looking a petrol something or other (XC40 or XC60 if you are keeping the volvo route). Going to last for years and you arn’t going to be searching for a charge point.

See the Electric Vehicles thread for the reality* of owning an EV as opposed to parroting the right-wing press.

The Polestar is a nice car. Consider the single-motor long range version and try to find one with a heat pump. Lots of Tesla Superchargers open to the public now and many councils are pulling their fingers out at last.

* short version: no, you won’t have to recharge every few miles; it won’t burst into flames on your drive; the battery will last the lifetime of the vehicle; petrol refinement uses more cobalt than any EV; it works fine in winter; car parks won’t collapse when you drive into them; and servicing costs are pretty much zero besides tyres and wiper blades.

See the Electric Vehicles thread for the reality* of owning an EV as opposed to parroting the right-wing press.

Agree. I’m just coming up to 12 months of exclusively driving an EV, with no home charger and relying on work and public ones.

I’ve given up with all of the ignorant people trying to say they don’t work, have issues, are hard to live with etc because it’s simply not true. The cars I’ve had have been just great cars and not even slightly difficult to live with (I’ve had two times of queuing for more than 10 mins and that’s about it.) and have saved a small fortune over the last year.

it works fine in winter

Unless it's a Tesla where a recent report suggest that 120miles in cold weather will be your max. (This was a N. American press report and I've not had a sight of any other info to confirm this).

Unless it’s a Tesla where a recent report suggest that 120miles in cold weather will be your max.

I’ve been trundling 220 miles to work down the M1 in a Tesla Model 3 with winter tyres and have never needed to charge en-route regardless of the weather.

Range when I bought it: 331 miles.
Range two years / 25000 miles later: 330 miles.

Drove to work last week with a headwind and cruise control set to 72mph and averaged 210Wh/mile, which works out to an actual range of 355 miles (100% to empty).

Could we take the “are EVs any good” discussion over to the EV thread please?

Quoting a report that someone heard said something bad doesn’t hold much water (sounds like b***ocks to me). Go ask this on the EV thread and I’m a sure a few Tesla owners will share their first hand experience.

Let’s let the OP get back to the question he actually asked.

As a driver, may I ask if this is a model with the "trademark" dogshit rear light tron-a-thon across the boot and if so, beg you not to drive it after dusk ?

Imma bought to be 'that Guy'...

"there is no road tax."... There is no such thing anyway 😎

But seriously, there is no road 'tax' now but don't count on that being the case in the future. I predict that and company car tax will be on the horizon

Unless it’s a Tesla where a recent report suggest that 120miles in cold weather will be your max.

Even Tesla aren't that bad at battery management these days.

To be honest, I’d be looking a petrol something or other (XC40 or XC60 if you are keeping the volvo route).

Low mileage, infrequent or limited use and short journeys are exactly where EV is even better than petrol.

tax’ now but don’t count on that being the case in the future. I predict that and company car tax will be on the horizon

Yes, obviously. It’a a short term incentive.

Re my point before about ignorance. At least gather the most basic bit of knowledge before wading in to the debate…

Road tax and company car tax rising aren’t potential thing that needs predicting. Both are formal policy - road tax from 2025 and company car tax rising by 1% a year from 2025-2028

I'm sure I could get a Tesla down to below 120 miles. I used to get about 2mpg out of a 1275 Mini. Let's see, -40°C (when all the ICE cars need to be plugged in to have any hope of starting) then driving like a dick on snow covered roads with the heater flat out. Possible but no more useful than a report suggesting 500km out of a Zoé because they drove it around the Paris périphérique till it ran out.

Let’s see, -40°C (when all the ICE cars need to be plugged in to have any hope of starting)

Mine will start at -40, in fact i've not had a car that won't start at -40 for 15+ years. (Even diesels.)

I've even tried -50, that took, errrr, a few moments.

I think you’ve rather got hold of the wrong end of Edukators argument there. Unless you’re intending on heading off on the mother of all tangents that is.

try to find one with a heat pump

I'm not sure it's particularly beneficial in this country. The 2021 Polestar 2 doesn't have a heat pump, I was a bit concerned initially but pre-heating from just above freezing overnight temps to 22c didn't really seem to take much battery (a couple of %). I can see if you live in Canada or somewhere that gets crazy cold for several months over winter then a heat pump is almost essential but it's not really in the UK.

Without wishing to derail the thread plugging in ICEs when it's cold is a thing in North America.

https://ama.ab.ca/articles/block-heater-protects-battery

looks like north Americas streets ahead of europe in preparation for electric car charging infrastructure then.

in modern cars it is a preservation thing rather than a the car needing it to "have a hope" of starting.

Tech has moved on - i remember Minis and montegos  not starting in the rain never mind cold weather.

Yes, a convenience and fuel saving exercise rather than anything else, most scandi/cold market spec cars either have an electric block heater or an auxiliary fuel fired heater. I have a timed socket outside the garage to run the block heater that i don't have on the car...

I was a bit concerned initially but pre-heating from just above freezing overnight temps to 22c didn’t really seem to take much battery (a couple of %).

Just as an interesting point, a red hot, well used and abused turbo charged ICE car will soak down to a normal ambient of 10 degrees  overnight. Except the battery, that's pretty much the slowest cooling part of the car (high density/mass, high thermal capacity, plastic case). That'll still cool down in a fairly reasonable time though.

An EV battery, at 500 kilos, very dense contents, lots of very solid case (for fire protection and crash resistance) will take far far longer to get to ambient, even though they only get to 35 ish in the first place. Usually looking at 36-48 hours to go from operating temp to a 10 degree ambient, maybe another 24 to go to -20.

The rest of the car cools down in the same way as an ICE. Obviously.

A single night out at -10°C has the Zoé battery so cold that I get a regen warning and it won't take more than 9kW of charge rather than 40ish down the same hill in Summer.

Without wishing to derail the thread plugging in ICEs when it’s cold is a thing in North America.

I have never seen block heater power points in the USA in cold places, but I saw them all the time in Finland. Same goes for the socket on the front - lots in Nordic Europe, never seen a single one in cold USA.

North America isn't just the USA, though Alaska is in the USA. from my link:

Perhaps most concerning, only 53% of Albertans plug in their vehicles when temperatures drop;

So most Albertans (Canada) plug in.

Sandwich said in his original quote "N. America" so we don't know if the source was USA or Canada. Both can get pretty chilly.

North America isn’t just the USA, though

Oh really? You really do learn something every day, don't you?

lol

I don't know how common they are but I have seen block heaters on pickups sold in the northern states of the US.

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2018/12/21/ford-motor-company-issues-safety-recall-for-select--ford-f-150--.html

Edit: omg I am so boring 😴

heading off on the mother of all tangents

So we are now discussing electric block heaters for ICEs and North American geography?

Well done chaps.

Huggis has got his Polestar now (hope you are happy with it Huggis) the thread has now entered the tangents, distractions and bickering phase having survived the anti-EV propaganda phase. 🙂

Huggis has got his Polestar

Wait a sec now. Who is Huggis and what’s a Polestar?

Anyway, back on topic - I always found forced circulation coolant heaters more efficient than block heaters.

Wait a minute…I don’t have my Polestar yet…made a mistake asking for opinions here and sparking a full on EV debate instead.

@huggis - I have rented a Polestar 2 several times from Hertz and have done bike trips.  At my nearest branch (Birmingham airport) they have a glut of them and if you time booking right (about 10 days before) they are often cheaper than e.g. a petrol corsa (meaning they are super cheap for long trips assuming you have access to free/cheap charging).  Get a  15% off code and you can get a 3 day weekend for <£100.  It's a cheap way of trying it out.  The downside is £2.5k excess (IIRC).

I have put a large Trek procaliber and medium Marlin in the back fine with front wheels off.  The last one I did was north Warwickshire -> Wye Valley YHA -> Cardiff (Castles and Cathedrals Sportive) -> home to north Warwickshire on a single charge.  That was with a ML Merida Reacto- no need to remove front wheel.  A few comments-

1. Rear headroom is awful
2. It felt a physically wide car to me.
3. Polestar 2 (original version, not MY2024) is not too efficient compared to TM3.  Fine if you have cheap charging.
4. I haven't driven the MY2024.
5. I liked P*2 "one pedal" driving more than TM3.

Not commenting on the China issue although it's not something I ignore either..

Oh, and referring to a comment above-  I have done a 125m motorway commute (yes, non-stop without charging and not just slipstreaming lorries..) in a Tesla Model 3 LR DM with moderate heating at -4 back in December during the train strikes.  Left at 5am (dark and slushy all the way- headlights and wipers on intermittently).  Used about 55% of battery each way (225m implied range).  I don't doubt somebody managed (with great effort, heating on max, no regen, highly illegal speeds, ...) to do only 120m but it doesn't tally with my personal experience.

FYI (not looked at EV thread but I probably should...): in the end I got a Kia Niro EV 3 (cheap sal sac lease).  Boot door is slightly more practical for bikes. It's a slightly higher volume but load space seem not quite as long as P*2 (makes sense as car footprint is a little smaller).  Slightly more efficient.  Not quite as refined motorway cruising.  Not as intuitive as P*2 to drive (but that might be personal).

I’ve got a Polestar 2.

It’s fine in comparison to other non-electric cars. Can’t compare to other electric cars as haven’t driven any.

Range of 210-270ish depending on temperature.

Glass on tail gate goes right to the edge so would need to be careful with a rear boot carrier. There are no mounts for roof bars so it’s the type that fit onto the roof and under the doors.

Bike goes into the back really easy with the seats down, particularly with a wheel off.

No tow bar so no comments from me there.