Polestar is continuing to double down on electric cars and has just refreshed the Polestar 3, its flagship SUV. The updates bring an 800 V electrical architecture, a notable power increase and upgrades to the central computer.
Although this is officially a facelift, Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller says it is “so extensive that it’s almost an entirely new car”.
“We continue to deliver on our commitment to add value for customers through over-the-air (OTA) software and hardware updates,” he added.
800 V electrical architecture
A headline change in this update is the switch to a new 800 V electrical architecture - previously it was 400 V. In real terms, this enables faster charging, with up to 310 kW and 350 kW on DC rapid charging for the entry-level and range-topping versions, respectively.
As a result, it now takes just 22 minutes to take the battery from 10% to 80% - a 25% improvement compared with the predecessor.
And while the earlier version was offered with only one battery (111 kWh), the new electrical system supports two battery packs: 92 kWh for the entry version and 106 kWh for the others.
Range, however, has taken a hit. Compared with the 706 km (WLTP) of the pre-facelift version, the updated Polestar 3 now claims up to 635 km between charges. The minimum range, though, improves from 567 km (WLTP) to 593 km, helped by the architecture’s additional 6% efficiency.
The SUV also gains a new NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin processor, replacing the Xavier unit. This lifts processing capability from 30 to 254 billion operations per second, allowing it to handle active safety systems, battery-performance management and sensor data more quickly.
More power and performance
The changes do not stop with the new electrical architecture. The updated Polestar 3 now features a new rear permanent-magnet synchronous motor which, together with the front asynchronous motor, delivers up to 500 kW (680 hp) in the Performance version.
Top speed has also been revised: on the entry version it rises from 180 km/h to 210 km/h, while on the other versions it increases from 210 km/h to 230 km/h.
The Polestar 3 will now be sold in three variants - Rear Motor, Dual Motor and Performance - replacing the previous naming and creating a clearer separation between trim levels. Here are the differences:
When is it coming?
The Polestar 3 will launch first in the United Kingdom, driven by strong demand and because the MY25 version is sold out. Arrival dates for other markets have not yet been confirmed, and official pricing has not been announced.
For comparison, in Portugal the current Polestar 3 starts from €84,000.
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