Polestar, the pure-play electric performance car brand, revealed the Polestar O₂ concept car, a hard-top convertible roadster. The driving experience in the Polestar O₂ is designed to be lively, light and full of confidence. Tight body control, high rigidity and intuitive dynamics are inherent benefits of the bespoke bonded aluminum platform which is adapted from the Polestar 5, developed in-house by Polestar’s R&D team in the UK.

Polestar O₂ is the hero car for our brand. It opens the door to our secret chamber of future potential. This is a taste of what we can design and engineer with the talent and technology we have in-house. It looks incredible, and being able to lower the roof and not hear an engine promises a superb sensation.

—Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO

The high quality and rigidity of the bonded aluminum platform are geared towards heightened dynamic response. Handling dynamics are taut due also to small roll angles and high roll damping, and the agile, direct steering feel is linear, with great steering torque build-up.

Clearly related to the Polestar Precept concept car but with its own distinct character, the look of Polestar O₂ shows how Polestar’s evolving design language can be adapted to different body styles with a strong family resemblance.

The low and wide body with an assertive stance, compact 2+2 cabin design, minimal overhangs and a long wheelbase, embody classic sports car proportions but with a clearly modern, electric feel.

Aerodynamics are manipulated to maximize range with disguised design features such as integrated ducts that improve laminar air flow over the wheels and body sides, and the rear lights that function as air blades to reduce turbulence behind the car.

Sustainability and technology. Polestar O₂ also showcases advances in sustainability and technology. A new thermoplastic mono-material features extensively in the interior. The term “mono-material” describes the use of a single base material to manufacture different components.

In Polestar O₂, recycled polyester is the sole material used for all the soft components of the interior: foam, adhesive, 3D knit fibres and non-woven lamination. This simplifies recycling and is a significant step towards greater circularity, while also reducing weight and waste.

Polestar sustainability teams believe that materials should be recycled, not downcycled. In Polestar O₂, they have integrated a new method of controlling recycled content and improving circularity of metal components. Different grades of aluminum used throughout the chassis are labelled, allowing them to be recycled more effectively and for their properties to be retained.

High-grade aluminum remains high grade, while other grades maintain their varied characteristics, allowing for greater material efficiency and a lower requirement for virgin aluminum.

Innovation. In a world increasingly driven by social media, the Polestar O₂ features an autonomous cinematic drone integrated behind the rear seats. Developed in collaboration with Aerofugia’s consumer electronics brand Hoco Flow, the concept drone can be deployed while the car is moving, to record the perfect driving sequence.

Polestar engineers have developed a specialized aerofoil that raises behind the rear seats to create a calm area of negative pressure that allows the drone to take off when the car is on the move. The drone operates autonomously, automatically following the car at speeds up to 90 km/h, and the driver can choose between an atmospheric sequence—great for a coastline cruise—or a more action-filled sequence with a sportier expression. After filming, the drone can autonomously return to the car.

Video clips can be edited and shared directly from the 15-inch cenrte display when the car is parked.

Polestar plans to launch three new cars over the coming three years, starting in 2022, each of which has potential gradually to realize some of the ideas presented by these concept cars.