More power for the electric car without a subscription
Some modern e‑cars can be easily tuned using the software. But the car manufacturers usually want to see a lot of money for it. Polestar is no exception, but at least saves customers the subscription trap – a declaration of war on Mercedes, BMW and Co.
After Mercedes and BMW: Polestar tunes electric cars via software
Anyone who likes to drive with a little more power under the hood now has completely new possibilities with electric cars and their software. Some models can be pimped by software. But the manufacturers usually want to see a lot of money for it. At Polestar it’s only slightly different. The Swedish brand waived namely in contrast to others on a subscription for more performance.
Instead, the Polestar 2 gives owners of the corresponding model a boost of 50 kW on the output of the double motor. costs are in the USA $1,195 (Source: The Verge). That’s almost exactly the price that Mercedes asks overseas for its performance upgrade – albeit per year. At Polestar, customers pay one one-time price.
There is just the power increase for the electric motor and an increase in torque. Nothing changes in the maximum speed, but there is stronger acceleration. With the upgrade, it goes to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds.
The power boost is only available for one version of the Polestar 2 in the USA: the long-distance version with a dual motor. Since the software upgrade is installed “over the air”, no visit to the workshop is necessary after payment.
Polestar says goodbye to the usual sedan with the new electric car:
BMW and Mercedes can learn something from Polestar
By foregoing a subscription model, Polestar, a joint venture between Volvo and the Chinese manufacturer Geely, is taking a path that is currently rare in the automotive industry. As mentioned above, Mercedes recently launched a similar offer in the US for some top models, just as a subscription. Accordingly, the customer comes performance boost is expensive. The Stuttgart-based company also offers its German customers many other additional features as part of a software subscription.
BMW also works with subscriptions: In the summer, the Bavarians caused an outcry, among other things, with their seat heating for 17 euros per month. But BMW takes a middle ground: You offer customers to decide. For a correspondingly higher price, many upgrades can also be purchased permanently instead of having to choose a subscription.
