By Chris Ward, June 23, 2022
The 2022 Goodwood moving motorshow is where Volvo decided to pitch the Polestar 5, a ridiculously powerful pure electric Volvo super sedan. But here’s the thing, by focusing on performance, has Volvo neglected the Elephant in the room? The Elephant in this case is… range. That is to say, how many miles does the Volvo Polestar 5 do before requiring recharge? Even Sherlock Holmes would be flummoxed with the prospect of trying to solve such an uncompromising mystery.
So here’s what we do know. The Volvo Polestar 5 is a prototype development mule, a 4-door high-performance GT. Think Audi eTron GT or Porsche Taycan. Details of the Volvo Polestar 5’s powertrains was revealed as it raced up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The vehicle is built on an 800-volt electric architecture which houses a dual electric motor capable of delivering 870bhp (650 kilowatts/884PS) and 900 NM of torque. Apparently, Volvo has designed a brand new electric motor, they claim it’s superior to all others in every way.
Volvo doesn’t do boasting, they quietly get on with the job. For the company to chest-beat and brag about the Polestar 5’s performance is very revealing indeed. What Volvo failed to reveal is how much range the Polestar 5 will achieve on a single charge. Which is very revealing indeed.
We do know the Volvo Polestar 5 will have a 103 kWh battery pack, 3 more than the Tesla Model S. The Model S is the benchmark, it does superior performance and efficiency better than any other electric car currently on the market.
So why has Volvo not revealed the Polestar 5’s range? The demonstration run at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed is a publicity stunt, a way to generate interest and get the conversation flowing. Any performance car, by defintion uses more energy be it gasoline or electric.
If the Polestar 5 had briliant range converging with superior performance Volvo would be the first to let everyone about it, they would ring church bells in perfect synchronization up and down the land. They have not for a reason.
