Polestar 4 at Gotland Ring, Sweden. Foto: Polestar
Polestar has published the first life cycle analysis (LCA) for the Polestar 4. The LCA shows that the Polestar 4 has the lowest carbon footprint of any Polestar vehicle to date – at launch, this was only 19.4 tons of CO2e.
The Polestar 4 is manufactured at Geely Holdings’ SEA factory in Hangzhou Bay, China. The plant combines green electricity, which has been awarded the I-REC hydropower certificate, with photovoltaic power from the plant’s roof. The increased use of low-carbon aluminum, whose smelting process is powered by hydropower, helps to further reduce climate impact. In addition, data on the proportion of recycled aluminum was included in the assessment for the first time.
The Polestar 4 Standard Range Single Motor variant, initially available in China, has a CO2 footprint of 19.4 tCO2e. The Long Range Single Motor variant has a CO2 footprint of 19.9 tCO2e, while the Long Range Dual Motor variant has a CO2 footprint of 21.4 tCO2e. Aluminum accounts for 23 to 24 percent of the CO2 footprint, while steel and iron account for 20 percent and battery modules for 36 to 40 percent, the largest share of the CO2 footprint of material production and refinement.
Fredrika Klarén, Head of Sustainability at Polestar: “To support our net zero target, we set CO2 budgets for all our vehicles. Throughout the Polestar 4’s product development, its carbon budget has influenced everything from material selection to energy sources in the factory. By publishing the LCA, we can illustrate that we can aim for net zero – one ton of CO2e at a time.”
Polestar discloses detailed information on the carbon footprint of all its models. The Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer is convinced that the automotive industry should be a driving force in the transition to sustainable mobility and that transparency is a key factor in this. The LCA reports published by Polestar since 2020 take into account a number of factors in the life cycle of a car, from delivery to manufacturing to recycling, and summarize the climate impact in an easy-to-understand figure. This enables consumers to make quick and informed decisions when buying a car. The LCA figures mentioned in this press release disclose the CO2 footprint of the vehicle “cradle-to-gate”. This includes the purchase of materials during production, but not the use phase of the vehicle and the end of the product life cycle.
