Polestar, the Swedish electric performance car brand, has unveiled the Polestar 3, its first electric performance SUV. The company is touting the 3’s impressive performance credentials alongside a surprisingly low carbon footprint, making it a strong contender in the growing eco-conscious performance car market.
While traditionally, large SUVs are seen as gas-guzzling behemoths, Polestar has managed to achieve a cradle-to-gate footprint of just 24.7 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) for the Polestar 3. This is even lower than the footprint of the smaller Polestar 2 launched in 2020 (26.1 tCO2e), demonstrating significant progress in sustainable manufacturing practices.
Aluminium and Battery Efficiency Lead the Charge
The key to the Polestar 3’s impressive sustainability figures lies in tackling the biggest culprits of emissions during car production: material extraction and processing. The Polestar 3 LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) report reveals that a whopping 68% of the car’s cradle-to-gate footprint comes from materials like aluminium, steel, and battery components.
Polestar has focused its efforts on reducing emissions from these materials. For instance, a staggering 81% of the Polestar 3’s aluminium uses renewable electricity during production, eliminating 8.5 tCO2e of emissions. Additionally, the lithium-ion battery cell modules, anode, and cathode materials also benefit from 100% renewable energy in their production.
Transparency and Continuous Improvement
Polestar prioritizes transparency by offering a comprehensive LCA report for the Polestar 3. The report considers various factors, including three different electricity mixes used to charge the car over its estimated 200,000 km lifespan. The methodology for assessing the use phase has also been updated to reflect more realistic scenarios with increasing renewable energy adoption, as predicted by the International Energy Agency (IEA). This provides a clearer picture of the car’s potential environmental impact throughout its lifetime. Notably, the report also includes vehicle maintenance for the first time in a Polestar LCA, further enhancing transparency.
The cradle-to-grave footprint of the Polestar 3 ranges between 28.5 and 44.5 tCO2e, depending on the electricity used for charging. This highlights the significant impact of clean energy sources on reducing a car’s overall environmental footprint.
A Commitment to Sustainable Innovation
“The majority of a vehicle’s greenhouse gas emissions stem from extracting and processing materials,” says Fredrika Klarén, Head of Sustainability at Polestar. “Polestar 3 is a testament to the fact that as we accelerate the adoption of electric cars, there’s a lot we can do to reduce their production-related emissions and solidify the role of electric vehicles as a climate solution.”
The Polestar 3 LCA report is the first from the company to be reviewed by a third party, Ricardo plc, a global leader in strategic environmental and engineering consultancy. This underlines Polestar’s commitment to transparency and accountability in its sustainability efforts.
With the Polestar 3, the company has set a new standard for sustainable performance SUVs. By focusing on material efficiency, utilizing renewable energy sources, and prioritizing transparency, Polestar is proving that high-performance electric vehicles can also be environmentally responsible.
