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The Volvo Polestar 2 Is the First Google-Powered, All-Electric Car (theverge.com)
The Polestar 2 is the first all-electric car from Volvo, and the first car to feature Google's new native version of Android Auto. Billed as a competitor to Tesla's Model 3, "the Polestar 2 should be able to travel up to 275 miles (about 443 kilometers) on a single charge thanks to a 78kWh battery that makes up the entire floor of the car," reports The Verge. "It will be quick, too; Polestar says there's 300kW (about 408 horsepower) to play with, spread across dual electric motors. That all-wheel drive power should help the car get from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under 5 seconds." From the report: All this will eventually cost about 39,900 euros, or about $45,000, at the cheapest. Polestar will sell versions of the car that cost as much as 59,900 euros, or about $68,000. But none of that will happen until the second year of production. The version available when the car launches later this year will cost $63,000, and Polestar will make only that "launch edition" car for the first 12 months. Pre-orders are open now, and production begins next year in China (where Volvo's Chinese parent company Geely is headquartered). Polestar's launching the car with in an ambitious slate of markets, too: China, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Belgium.
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[T]he Polestar 2's interior looks more fully developed and coherent than the one in the Polestar 1, to my eyes at least. The centerpiece is an 11-inch portrait oriented touchscreen where the company's Android-based infotainment system lives. Car companies have built infotainment systems on Android in the past, but they essentially had to fork the open source operating system and build their own solution on top. What's more, Google wasn't involved in those efforts. This meant the cars would wind up with outdated versions of Google's operating system, which complicated upgrades and security. [...] A big benefit to this embedded approach is customers will have instant access to Android Auto-approved apps like Google Maps, or Play Music, or Google Assistant without needing to use their smartphones. Another is that it will have access to the car's functions, meaning it can control climate settings, or send you maintenance alerts. This native version of Android will also be updatable, meaning Polestar and Google can push over-the-air software updates to improve the car's functions long after it's sold.
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[T]he Polestar 2's interior looks more fully developed and coherent than the one in the Polestar 1, to my eyes at least. The centerpiece is an 11-inch portrait oriented touchscreen where the company's Android-based infotainment system lives. Car companies have built infotainment systems on Android in the past, but they essentially had to fork the open source operating system and build their own solution on top. What's more, Google wasn't involved in those efforts. This meant the cars would wind up with outdated versions of Google's operating system, which complicated upgrades and security. [...] A big benefit to this embedded approach is customers will have instant access to Android Auto-approved apps like Google Maps, or Play Music, or Google Assistant without needing to use their smartphones. Another is that it will have access to the car's functions, meaning it can control climate settings, or send you maintenance alerts. This native version of Android will also be updatable, meaning Polestar and Google can push over-the-air software updates to improve the car's functions long after it's sold.
The Tesla Model 3 is way more expensive than 39,900 euros and it is made in the only country with a lower reputation in car build quality than China. I would pick the Polestar, if I had to choose between the too.
Without ten years or more of Android updates this is a complete waste of time. Unless it can be flashed to a different, newer system, the resale value will be low. I can see buying a car that I'll send to e-waste in three years.
What's their high-speed roadtrip-oriented charging solution?
I'm still waiting for anyone besides Tesla to seriously consider this issue as a critical part of the EV ecosystem.
Most car makers choose to NOT solve this issue like Tesla does: building a proprietary charging network. Instead they choose to rely on standard CCS charging stations that are already spreading all over Europe. So far there aren't many CCS fast charging stations (at 175 - 350 kW) comparable to Tesla's chargers in Europe, but the number is growing: over here there's already almost as many of them as there are Tesla chargers.
The future is clearly a fast charging network relying on 1 or 2 standards, supporting - and open to - all auto brands. The Tesla stations over here are already fitted with CCS leads but are not available to non-Tesla drivers. This is an issue that will solve itself; Tesla is considering opening up those stations to other brands, and in some countries they may be forced to by law when operating in public areas, especially on highways. BWM would never get the permits to build gas stations exclusively for BWM drivers, and while Tesla was considered to be a special case being a pioneer with proprietary charging tech, that privilege will end at some point.
Tesla clearly led the charge and built the new infrastructure needed for their cars from scratch, an admirable effort. But it is beyond silly at this stage to expect other auto makers to do the same.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
I've gotten Google as much out of my life as I possibly can. No way I'm going to buy a car that's literally integrated with Google as a "feature".