In its five years as a standalone automaker, Polestar has placed into production two vehicles and announced the delivery schedule of four additional vehicles. The latest, the Polestar 6, is an electric roadster that’s due to hit the road in 2026. It’s an impressive pace for a new company. 

While some of that success can be credited to the design and performance of the vehicles, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath understands the company will have to offer more than beautiful metal on four wheels. These days, automated driving technology, bidirectional charging and other features are on his mind.

Speaking on the sidelines of the annual Quail automotive gathering held during Monterey Car Week, Ingenlath told TechCrunch that design has always been an important part of the brand. (and it should, Ingenlath was an automotive designer before taking the helm of Polestar.) For instance, the success of the latest generation Volvo XC90 and XC40 (Volvo is a parent company of Polestar), showed that Scandinavian design could succeed.

Today, the company is looking far beyond aesthetics as it plots its aggressive rollout. 

The Polestar 6 roadster EV shown at Quail automotive gathering held during Monterey Car Week.  Image Credits: Roberto Baldwin

Energy solutions

For Ingenlath, the vehicles are more than just a way to get around town.

“The mobility question is people are far too fixated on using their car. I mean, that is to say, people of course have to become much more flexible,” Ingenlath said. 

Using other modes of transportation to get around town might make more sense but it does lead to the dreaded stationary vehicle. Mobility startups have long lamented the wasted time and money spent on vehicles that just sit around. 

Ingenlath doesn’t see it that way. He sees value in the parked EV. 

“The battery that we have in there will be a crucial part of the energy solution for the future because you need it as a buffer,” he noted, pointing to the Polestar O2 Concept that will eventually become the Polestar 6 Roadster.