Polestar doubles R&D capacity in the UK
Despite a difficult industry environment, the current 250-strong team in the UK has more than doubled in size over the past year. This is by no means the end of the line: the company wants this location to grow to more than 500 employees in the future.
Polestar’s new facilities are located at MIRA Technology Park – a renown automotive testing and development site in the heart of the UK’s Midlands Motorsport Valley. Polestar sees the UK research and development team ideally positioned to benefit from the country’s globally recognised automotive engineering talent pool in and around the region, with diverse expertise rarely found at traditional car manufacturers.
“The shift to electric mobility is a defining moment in the history of the automobile,” says Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar. “The combination of British engineering talent and Swedish know-how will ensure our cars are among the most powerful and sustainable on the road.”
Working with the research and development team in Sweden allows the UK team to focus on innovative engineering solutions that will help Polestar achieve its goals. The BEV and PHEV manufacturer attributes a crucial role to the UK research and development team in the further development of the brand. The team is expected to focus on the development of the Polestar Precept, which was unveiled in 2020 and is scheduled for production by 2025. Polestar has assigned this product line an important function for the brand in terms of design, technology and sustainability, explains Pete Allen, Head of Polestar UK R&D.
With access to a wide range of specialist equipment on site, including sophisticated battery testing, an extensive test track network and a partner ecosystem of numerous independent companies based at the facility, MIRA Technology Park was a clear choice for the progressive Swedish brand, Polestar let it be known.
Polestar is a Swedish premium electric performance car brand founded in 2017 by Volvo Cars and Geely Holding. The JV benefits from technical and technological synergies in conjunction with Volvo Cars, resulting in significant economies of scale. The company is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and its vehicles are currently available in thirteen global markets in Europe, North America and China.
Polestar currently produces two electric cars. The Polestar 1 is a low-volume, high-performance, electric hybrid GT with a carbon fibre body, 609 hp, 1,000 Nm and an all-electric range of 124 km (WLTP). Polestar 2 is the company’s first all-electric volume model. The model range comprises three variants based on different battery sizes with a range of up to 78 kWh as well as dual motor and single motor drives with up to 300 kW / 408 hp and 660 Nm.
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