Growing sales but not emissions – Polestar reduces CO2 intensity by 8% during a record year
Swedish EV maker Polestar released its third annual sustainability report showing it had reduced relative CO2 emissions by 8% per car sold – during a year of record growth in 2022.
Polestar cuts CO2 emissions during record growth
Polestar delivered 51,491 vehicles in 2022, up 80% from 2021 and beating its 50,000 annual global volume target.
Despite the impressive growth, Polestar managed to reduce relative CO2 emissions for each vehicle sold by 8% compared to 2021 levels.
Due to scaling operations (nearly doubling), Polestar’s absolute emissions did increase, but this is to be expected as a rapid growth company expands its network.
Absolute emissions include the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) a company emits compared to a specific base year. In contrast, relative emissions include those tied to a unit of production – in Polestar’s case, each vehicle.
While absolute emissions have risen, Polestar has reduced its relative emissions on a per-vehicle basis by 13% since 2020, an impressive feat for a company that has scaled from just over 10,000 EV sales to over 51,000.
The EV maker says it has cut emissions by reducing average transport, having high sales in markets with more renewable energy on the grids (Norway, Sweden, Australia, etc.), and vehicle updates using over-the-air (OTA) tech.
For example, Polestar says it changed the supplier providing aluminum for the wheels and battery trays for the Polestar 2, where a “change to a hydro-powered smelter resulted in a 1.2-ton reduction per car.”
Other contributing factors to the reduction include the factory where the Polestar 2 is built now running on 100% renewable energy and a larger share of single motor vehicles, which have low energy demand.
Fredrika Klarén, head of sustainability at Polestar, said:
We wear our emissions on our sleeve – measuring and scrutinizing every detail ensures we keep our eye on the ball.
Polestar is best known for its sleek minimalist designed vehicles that bring out the best in EVs, but what you may not know is that the Swedish EV maker is on a mission to improve sustainability in the auto industry, not just through its vehicles but with transparent tracking and reporting.
Electrification is not enough
Polestar is one of the automakers that’s actively working to advance zero-emission technology, not against it. The Swedish EV maker aims to build a completely climate-neutral EV by 2030 with the Polestar 0 project.
Klarén explains:
Electrification alone is not enough and pure EV-makers like Polestar have a lot of work ahead of us. Our focus remains unchanged as we double down on cutting emissions in our supply chain.
In addition to reducing emissions from its vehicle lineup, Polestar aims to be completely transparent by disclosing where the minerals (cobalt, mica, lithium, nickel, leather, and wool) they use are sourced from and the supply chains they use, as well as reporting back the results to provide valuable insights to push the industry ahead.
Earlier this year, Klarén called out automakers, saying anyone focusing on anything but EVs are taking the wrong approach, adding there is no place for mass-produced non-EV models after 2030.
She says Polestar is basing its assessments on science rather than locked in business plans like many other automakers, claiming:
From our standpoint, our climate strategy is based on the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). It’s a top-down approach. We’ve said that we need to be climate neutral by 2040 as a company and we need to halve emissions by 2030, and that’s not what we can do – that is what the climate scientists are telling us we need to do as companies.
Klarén turned her attention toward Toyota and its stance on hybrid vehicles, saying:
To me, you’re still putting gasoline in the car, so don’t focus on that technology at all. If you keep focussing [and] having that in your business plan, you’re not going to level up in the way you need to do in terms of this new technology.
If we continue down the path we are headed, Klarén explains, we only have seven more years until we hit 1.5 degrees global warming, so anything after 2030, Polestar is not interested.
Electrek’s Take
The fact that Polestar has been able to grow as rapidly as it has and still managed to reduce relative CO2 emissions is an important one. It shows it can be done.
Another important thing to note here is this just includes manufacturing emissions, which is nothing compared to emissions from operation. Information from the EPA shows 74% (some estimates say +90%) of gas car emissions over their lifetime are from operation, while EVs emit zero GHGs while driving.
Polestar is leading the charge toward a sustainable auto industry, but it’s still only a fraction of the total market.
Other automakers need to get on board, and it starts with ending gas-powered vehicle production ASAP. We cannot afford to continue on the path we are on. Global CO2 emissions hit a new record in 2022, and if something isn’t done, it could mean more extreme weather events that destroy communities and the food supply.
Atmospheric CO2 levels are just over 420 ppm, according to the NOAA’s Mauna Loa Baseline Observatory’s latest readings.
For us to get back to the 300 to 360 ppm range that it has been over the past several millenniums, the transportation industry, one of the largest contributors to emissions, needs to modernize – and quickly.
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Nexamp just pulled off something that could speed up clean energy deployment across the US – and potentially lower costs for everyone. The Boston-based solar developer just finished building three new solar farms in Maine and Massachusetts. But instead of waiting on the utility to handle all the grid hookup work, Nexamp did it themselves.
That might not sound groundbreaking at first, but in the world of renewable energy, it’s a pretty big deal. Normally, utilities are in charge of any grid upgrades and interconnection work needed before a new solar project can start sending power to homes and businesses. That process can be very slow and expensive.
Nexamp’s new approach, called “self-performance,” flips the script. It lets developers take on some of that work, like ordering and installing equipment, so they don’t have to sit around waiting for the utility to schedule it. That means solar farms can get online faster, which gets clean power to the grid sooner and keeps project costs in check.
The three projects that kicked off this self-performance effort are:
- Hartland Solar – 1.2 MW DC in Hartland, ME
- Barre Road Solar – 1.3 MW DC in New Braintree, MA
- Summit Farm Solar – 2.6 MW DC, also in New Braintree
Nexamp didn’t go rogue – they worked closely with Central Maine Power and National Grid on the interconnection designs, safety standards, and technical specs. But by handling the actual procurement and construction, Nexamp had way more control over cost, timing, and supply chain headaches.
“Self-performance lets us take much greater control over interconnection procurement and construction,” said Daniel Passarello, Nexamp’s lead consulting engineer for grid integration. “We can move much of the interconnection work forward at the same time as the solar farm build instead of treating them as separate. That helps us bring projects online faster and stay closer to budget.”
It also helps that Nexamp already has solid relationships with suppliers. Instead of going through multiple layers of utility procurement, they can go straight to the source, fast.
That kind of streamlining is exactly what the solar industry needs right now. Community solar is booming – as of the end of 2024, nearly 8 gigawatts of it have been installed across the US, according to the the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), and that number is expected to almost double by 2030. But bottlenecks in the interconnection process slow things down.
Sara Birmingham, VP of state affairs at SEIA, called Nexamp’s move a step in the right direction. “We must modernize and streamline the interconnection process to keep pace with fast-growing demand,” she said. “Self-performance is one of several innovative approaches that can accelerate project timelines and lower costs, which benefits all ratepayers.”
Read more: Walmart and Nexamp are rolling out 31 solar farms in 5 states
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When Genesis first previewed its full-size electric SUV, the coach doors were one of the biggest highlights. It looks like it will actually make its way into the production vehicle. A Genesis GV90 model was spotted in the US for the first time with coach doors, offering a glimpse of the upcoming ultra-luxury SUV.
Genesis GV90 spotted with coach doors in California
We got our first look at the full-size luxury SUV after Genesis unveiled the Neolun concept at the NY Auto Show last March.
Genesis said the concept was its “ultra-luxe vision of luxury SUVs,” and it wasn’t kidding. When it arrives, it will be sold as the GV90 as the brand’s new flagship vehicle.
The GV90 is not just a pretty-looking luxury SUV. It’s also loaded with Hyundai’s most advanced software and tech. According to Luc Donckerwolke, Genesis’ head of creative design, “it’s the epitome of timeless design and sophisticated craftsmanship.
Last month, we got a sneak peek of the interior after a production-ready GV90 was caught in California. Although somewhat toned down from the original concept, the cabin still featured many of the same elements.
Another Genesis GV90 was recently spotted in California, with actual coach doors. The new images from KindelAuto (via TheKoreanCarBlog) show a camouflaged vehicle with a hinge at the rear, where the coach doors will open.
Genesis said that B-pillarless coach doors are now feasible in production vehicles, like the GV90. However, don’t expect it to come standard on all models.
The feature will likely be reserved for higher-priced trims. We’ve seen other variants, featuring traditional doors, that are being tested in the US and Korea.
Genesis is expected to launch the GV90 in mid-2026. We will learn prices and final specs closer to launch, but the flagship electric SUV is set to debut on Hyundai’s new eM platform.
Hyundai said the platform is designed for EVs across all segments and will “provide a 50 percent improvement in driving range” compared to current EVs. It will also support Level 3 or higher autonomous driving capabilities and OTA software updates.
Source: KindelAuto, TheKoreanCarBlog
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Elon Musk has finally confirmed that Tesla’s new ‘affordable’ electric car is just going to be the Model Y in a cheaper format.
Musk has ended months of speculations and misinformation, which he partly created, about Tesla’s upcoming cheaper electric vehicle model.
Since last year, Tesla has guided “launching new affordable models” in the first half of 2025.
We are past the first half of 2025, but Tesla confirmed yesterday that the “first build” of the new model was produced in June, and it will launch later this year.
During the shareholders’ call following the earnings results yesterday, Tesla was asked about what the new affordable model would look like. Tesla’s CFO, Vaibhav Taneja, initially stated that they wouldn’t disclose details about the design, but then Musk interrupted him and said, “It’s a Model Y.”
It’s hard to hear exactly on the call because he talked over Taneja, but he said, “the cat is out of the bag” and confirmed that the new vehicle is simply a Model Y.
Electrek has been reporting on this fact all year. We have known for months that Tesla’s upcoming “new affordable models” are Model 3 and Model Y with a stripped-down interior with fewer features, like no rear screen, and cheaper materials:
However, this fact was not accepted in the Tesla community because CEO Elon Musk falsely denied a report last year about Tesla’s “$25,000” EV model being canceled.
The facts are that Musk canceled two cheaper vehicles that Tesla was working on, commonly referred as “the $25,000 Tesla” in early 2024. Those vehicles were codenamed NV91 and NV92, and they were based on the new vehicle platform that Tesla is now reserving for the Cybercab.
Instead, Musk noticed that Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y production lines were starting to be underutilized as the Company faced demand issues. Therefore, Tesla canceled the vehicle programs based on the new platform and decided to build new vehicles on Model 3/Y platform using the same production lines.
Now, only the new Cybercab is going to be based on the new unboxed platform.
During the conference call last night, Musk stated that the primary goal of the more affordable Model Y is to expand the market by making the vehicle more accessible to a broader audience. He suggested that it will go on sale in Q4.
Electrek’s Take
Finally, we can put this to rest. I think we can expect something similar to what Tesla did with the Model 3 in Mexico.
I think we can expect changes, such as using cloth materials instead of vegan leather, no rear display, no ambient lighting, and a lesser audio system.
In the case of the Model Y, Tesla may consider dropping some exterior lighting features, such as the light bars.
I wouldn’t be surprised also to see some powertrain changes. Maybe a less powerful RWD motor.
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