Polestar 4 ranks as brand’s greenest car to date
Swedish EV maker Polestar just released its first Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the brand’s SUV crossover Polestar 4, which the company says emits as little as 19.4 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Made in China, the model ranks as having the smallest carbon footprint in the company’s four-vehicle lineup.
This latest assessment measures all the carbon emissions from the life cycle of the vehicle, from the production of its many components, to transport, manufacturing, and distribution, creating a figure dubbed “the most efficient model.” While the Polestar 4 will debut in China this year before expanding to other markets, the European Union has turned a sharp eye to these kinds of assessments in evaluating whether or not a car meets government EV incentives – Chinese-made models don’t usually make the cut.
However, Polestar has been putting a ton of work into slashing its carbon emissions over the years – with its ambitious goal to create a “truly climate-neutral” production car by 2030. (By comparison, the Polestar 2 from 2021 emitted 26.2 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.)
To start, the Polestar 4, is produced in Geely’s SEA factory in Hangzhou Bay, a factory that runs on 100% renewable energy, including carrying the I-RED hydro power certificate and featuring photovoltaic panels on its rooftop. Polestar says it also cut emissions on the Polestar 4 by using aluminum that has either been recycled or smelted via hydroelectric electricity to reduce pollution.
Putting it all together, Polestars says that the aluminum accounts for about 23-24% of the Polestar 4’s carbon footprint, with 20% of emissions coming from steel and iron in the car. The battery is the most pollution-emitting part of the vehicle at 36-40% of total carbon emissions.
“To support our net zero goal, we set carbon budgets for all our cars,” says Fredrika Klarén, head of sustainability at Polestar. “Throughout the product development of Polestar 4, its carbon budget has influenced everything from material choices to factory energy sources. Sharing the LCA enables us to show that we can strive for net zero – one ton of CO2e at a time.”
Polestar unveiled the Polestar 4 in April, dubbing it “an electric performance SUV coupé” and the second SUV in the brand’s lineup. The fastest production car the brand has on offer, it can sprint from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 second, with maximum power output at 400 kW (544 hp).
Both dual- and single motor versions will be available, but the single motor variant earned the top score as greenest version, while the dual motor version emits 21.4 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Both versions feature a hefty 102 kWh battery that gives a range up to 373 miles (600 km) per charge.
Polestar 4 will launch first in China, with a full-scale rollout in other markets, including in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific, planned for early 2024. Indicative launch pricing is from €60,000/$60,000.
Polestar plans to have a lineup of five performance EVs by 2026. Polestar 2, the electric performance fastback, launched in 2019, with the Polestar 3 in late 2022. Polestar 5, an electric four-door GT and Polestar 6, an electric roadster, are in the works.
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Tesla reported three more crashes involving its Robotaxis in Austin, Texas – now bringing the total to 7 incidents despite low mileage and in-car supervisors preventing more accidents.
Since the launch of the ‘Robotaxi’ service in Austin, Texas, where Tesla moved the supervisor from the driver’s seat to the passenger seat, it now has to report crashes to NHTSA.
In the first month of operation in July, Tesla reported three crashes with its Robotaxi service.
The automaker reported one more Robotaxi crash last month, and this one was interesting because it coincided with Tesla announcing that the Robotaxi fleet had traveled 250,000 miles from its launch in late June to early November.
It revealed Tesla’s current Robotaxi crash rate, which is about 2x higher than Waymo’s, despite in-car supervisors that prevent an unknown number of crashes.
Now, Tesla has reported to NHTSA three more incidents that happened with the Robotaxi fleet in Austin in September:
| Report ID | Incident Date | Incident Time (24:00) | City State | Crash With | Highest Injury | Severity | Alleged SV | Pre-Crash Movement | CP Pre-Crash Movement | Narrative |
| 13781-1178 | 7 SEP-2025 | 13:08 | Austin TX | Animal | No Injured | Reported | Stopped | NM Crossing Roadway | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] | |
| 13781-1178 | 6 SEP-2025 | 03:43 | Austin TX | Non-Motorist: Cyclist | Property Damage. | No Injured | Reported | Stopped | Moving Alongside Roadway | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] |
| 13781-1178 | 4 SEP-2025 | 20:42 | Austin TX | Passenger Car | Property Damage. | No Injured | Reported | Proceeding Straight | Backing | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] |
| 13781-1168 | 7 SEP-2025 | 01:25 | Austin TX | Other Fixed Object | Property Damage. | No Injured | Reported | Making Left Turn | NaN | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] |
| 13781-1150 | 7 JUL-2025 | 03:45 | Austin TX | SUV | Property Damage. | No Injured | Reported | Stopped | Proceeding Straight | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] |
| 13781-1145 | 9 JUL-2025 | 12:20 | Austin TX | Other Fixed Object | Minor | W/O Hospit | alization | Other, see Narrative | NaN | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] |
| 13781-1137 | 5 JUL-2025 | 15:15 | Austin TX | SUV | Property Damage. | No Injured | Reported | Making Right Turn | Making Right Turn | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] |
Unlike other companies reporting to NHTSA, Tesla abuses the right to redact data reported through the system. The automaker redacts the “narrative” for each reported crash, preventing the public from knowing how the crashes happened and who is responsible.
Based on the limited information in Tesla’s reports, we know that one of the new crashes involved a Robotaxi driving into a car backing up, another involved a cyclist, and the last one involved an unknown animal.
Electrek’s Take
My favorite thing about reporting on those is the messages from Tesla fans who say: You don’t know how many of those Robotaxi are responsible for?
It’s funny because I agree, but whose fault is that? Tesla could do like every other company and report the narratives.
Waymo does, and it’s clear that it isn’t responsible for many of the crashes they are involved in. I am sure that’s the case with some of those Tesla Robotaxi crashes.
However, Waymo has hundreds of millions of rider-only autonomous miles, and Tesla has a few hundred thousand, all with a supervisor on board, a finger on a killswitch, ready to prevent further crashes. Who knows how many more crashes Tesla would have had without them?
I expect a few because humans generally have a crash, whether they are at fault or not, every 700,000 miles. Tesla has 7 in probably ~300,000 miles, which should be worrying to anyone, whether the Robotaxis were responsible or not.
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Hyundai is bringing “something big” to the LA Auto Show this week, and the teaser points to a slick new off-road electric SUV. Here’s our first look.
What is this off-road Hyundai SUV?
The LA Auto Show is just days away, and Hyundai is gearing up to steal the spotlight once again. Last year, it was the IONIQ 9, Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV. What will it be this year?
Hyundai gave us a sneak peek of a new “extreme off-road show vehicle,” the Crater Concept, ahead of its upcoming debut.
Although details are still pretty slim at this point, the sketch shows a high-riding, rugged SUV, clearly designed for off-roading with massive tires and aggressive wheel arches.
Hyundai didn’t say what powertrain the off-road SUV will use, but given the closed-off grille and no visible tailpipes, all signs point to it being electric in some way. It could be a battery-electric (EV) or even a fuel-cell-electric vehicle (FCEV).
The Crater Concept looks a bit like the new Nexo, Hyundai’s dedicated hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. The updated Nexo introduces Hyundai’s new “Art of Steel” design language, which was first shown on the Concept THREE electric hot hatch in September.
Hyundai said the design theme “combines resilience with artistic form,” which exudes strength and sophistication.
The dour dot lamps on the Crater Concept look about the same as Hyundai’s new “HTWO” lamps, exclusive to its FCEVs.
Hyundai said the Crater Concept has been “crafted to amplify the same spirit and robustness found in Hyundai’s XRT production vehicles,” like the IONIQ 5 XRT, Santa Cruz XRT, and new Pallisade XRT Pro.
The design team at Hyundai Design North America also introduced its new design and ideation studio on Monday, codenamed “The Sandbox” internally.
Hyundai’s new creative hub is exclusively dedicated to creating new outdoor adventure vehicles and rugged Xtreme Rugged Terrain (XRT) gear.
Will the Nexo be next? It sure looks like it. Hyundai will reveal the Crater Concept during a livestream press conference at the LA Auto Show on November 20 at 9:45 am PT. Check back for updates.
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Terawatt Infrastructure has switched on its newest commercial EV charging hub in Rialto, California, giving electric truck fleets a new high-speed charging stop along one of the US’s busiest freight routes.
The hub is situated on the eastbound side of I-10 and is designed for heavy-duty fleet use, particularly for trucks traveling from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach through Southern California’s industrial centers.
Neha Palmer, Terawatt CEO and cofounder, said, “Our network enables companies to reduce emissions and run a variety of routes across a number of vehicle classes with the confidence of a dependable charging solution. EV fleets can now travel further, more cleanly, without slowing down their operations.”
The Rialto site is built with high‑speed charging, security, and amenities that support daily freight operations. Here’s what it offers:
- 18 pull‑through 350 kW DC fast‑charging stalls
- 55 bobtail parking stalls for overnight or shift‑based parking
- A driver lounge with wifi, climate control, and restrooms
- License plate recognition for quick entry
- Solar canopies and 100% renewable‑powered charging
- 24/7 security with cameras and gated access
Terawatt’s first medium- and heavy-duty electric truck charging stop in California, Rancho Dominguez, opened in April.
In September 2024, Terawatt joined some of the world’s largest shippers and carriers to launch the I-10 Consortium heavy-duty EV operations pilot, described as the first-ever US over-the-road electrified corridor. As part of that effort, Terawatt is providing charging infrastructure, including software, operations, and maintenance support, at six of its owned charging hubs along the I-10 corridor.
Read more: Maersk, PepsiCo, others to pilot a heavy-duty EV charging corridor between LA and El Paso
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