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Polestar 2 gets a fresh design with sustainability and ethical sourcing in focus

Credit: Polestar

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Polestar announced today that its award-winning electric vehicle, the Polestar 2, is receiving sustainability and design updates to minimize climate impact and increase material sourcing transparency as ethical sourcing remains a primary focus of the Swedish automaker.

The Polestar 2 is receiving design updates to its interior, as well as new colors and wheel options for drivers to choose from when ordering the all-electric vehicle. Additionally, numerous improvements to vehicle range ratings will be applied to future builds of the Polestar 2 thanks to the expansion of blockchain traceability for ethical mining practices and a reduced carbon footprint due to the use of renewable energy.

“We have revisited the materials and processes that go into making Polestar 2, introducing updates that reduce climate impact and increase the material traceability of this award-winning car,” Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said. “These are important additions to how we can improve cars over their lifetime – not just with functionality and design updates but addressing sustainability and carbon footprint as well.”

The most crucial improvement to the Polestar 2 is to its batteries, thanks to a partnership with traceability leader Circulor, which now includes blockchain accountability for mica in addition to cobalt, “both of which are critical battery components of an electric car,” the automaker said. The use of blockchain technology allows Polestar to trace where its battery materials and risk materials are sourced from, ensuring they are obtained through ethical mining and manufacturing processes. One of the key arguments against the transition of electric vehicles has been how automakers and battery suppliers obtain the metals and materials necessary for the production of the cells.

Polestar 2 receives top marks in crash safety tests, living up to its Volvo roots

Companies have fought for years to alleviate the idea that EV batteries are not sustainable and that they are obtained in unethical ways. Tesla, for example, detailed in its most recent sustainability report that it uses a series of due diligence processes and randomized checks at its mines across the world to ensure the materials are mined and obtained with ethical practices.

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The use of these blockchain accountability programs also translates to better emissions ratings in the Polestar 2, the company says, as the aluminum tray carrying the battery pack will reduce carbon emissions of 1,653 pounds (750 kilograms) per car. This was made possible by purchasing only the aluminum for the tray from suppliers that utilize renewable energy. A low-carbon aluminum is also being used in the Polestar 2’s wheels to increase sustainability metrics.

“In our program updates, we want to take action on improvements that can make a positive sustainability impact quickly, rather than traditional mid-cycle facelifts,” Polestar Head of Sustainability Fredrika Klarén said. “Product optimization programs are common in the car industry, but we are taking an extended approach at Polestar, combining these with CO2e reduction programs as well. A first pilot has been rolled out, replacing the aluminum in the wheels with low-carbon aluminum that is produced using renewable energy. We expect this to result in a 1,322lb (600 kg) CO2e reduction per car for Polestar 2 in the second half of the year. Together with the improvements to aluminum in the battery tray, we’re expecting to see a total reduction of around 2,976lbs (1,350kg) per car.”

Other improvements, like the use of cruelty-free interior materials, are being added. Polestar parent company Volvo announced that it would use “vegan” leather in all of its EVs, starting with the C40 Recharge. The Polestar 2 will also have two new exterior colors, Space (Metallic Black) and Jupiter (Gold-Grey with Red Flake).

Here are each of the changes that will be applied to the Polestar 2:

  • New exterior colors: Space (metallic black) and Jupiter (gold-grey with red flake)
  • New designs for the standard 19-inch and optional 20-inch wheels
  • New Zinc grey color for ventilated Nappa leather upholstery, available with a new Light Ash deco trim
  • Removable sunshade for the panoramic glass roof (also available as an accessory for all Polestar 2 with glass roof)
  • The mechanical heat pump (included in Plus Pack) has an improved optimal temperature range, now between 20°F and 77°F (-7°C and 25°C), increasing real-world vehicle range in adverse conditions.
  • Introduction of an advanced cabin filter and upgraded interior particulate matter sensor with new in-car app that quantifies exterior air quality improvement in the cabin

Pricing, updated range ratings, and availability for the North American market will be announced in the coming weeks, Polestar said.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

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Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla snags $30B in fresh credit lines for expanding its biggest projects

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Credit: Grok

Tesla has secured $30 billion in fresh credit lines from Citibank and Wells Fargo in an effort to scale its biggest current projects.

Tesla agreed to a $20 billion three-year delayed-draw term loan facility from Citibank, it announced on Tuesday. Additionally, it signed a five-year, $8 billion revolving credit facility and a $2 billion, 364-day term credit facility with Wells Fargo.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), that it “may draw” from the $20 billion delayed-draw term “from time to time” and “no more than ten times during the 18 months following the closing date.” This loan matures on September 29, 2029.

The five-year revolving facility from Wells Fargo will also be accessed by Tesla “from time to time,” and will become due and payable on September 29, 2031. Tesla can request two separate one-year extensions.

On the $2 billion, 364-day revolving loan, it becomes due and payable on September 28, 2027. Tesla can also increase its additional commitments to an additional $4 billion across the Revolving Facilities. This would increase the total facilities to $14 billion. Tesla said it does not plan to utilize any of these loans in 2026.

Tesla plans to utilize the money to help prop up its ambitions to scale its biggest products, each of which is either in early launch phases or still in development. Of course, we’re talking about Cybercab and Semi, which have launched, and Optimus, which is still under heavy development and working toward initial release.

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All three Tesla products have one thing in common: they’ve all required Tesla to build new manufacturing lines for them.

For the Semi, Tesla built a brand new factory in Sparks, Nevada, adjacent to the Tesla Gigafactory. For Optimus, Tesla sunset Model S and X production at the Fremont Factory, which brought an end to the two flagship models, thus creating manufacturing space for the humanoid robot. Finally, Cybercab is being built at Gigafactory Texas and officially entered production earlier this year.

Tesla Cybercab fleet doubles to well over 100 units

The cash will help Tesla bolster its finances for the continuing development of these products. Tesla said that it forecasts its CapEx to be over $25 billion, up from just over $8.5 billion last year. These loans surely help with that spending.

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Elon Musk and Trump are closer than ever, and Tesla could be the big winner

Elon Musk sat beside Trump as AI leaders signed a voluntary White House safety accord.

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Elon Musk had the seat right next to President Donald Trump on Tuesday as the White House hosted the leaders of America’s biggest artificial intelligence companies for a lunch that ended with a voluntary industry accord on AI safety.

A seating chart Trump posted on Truth Social placed Musk at the president’s left in the East Room, with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on his right, according to an Associated Press reporter. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Sundar Pichai, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos also attended, along with Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

After the lunch, Trump told reporters outside the West Wing that the executives had signed “The White House Accord on Superintelligence: A Joint Commitment on Frontier SI Responsibilities.” Johnson described it as a voluntary statement of principles built on “robust internal controls and layers of internal and external review,” while Zuckerberg said company boards would independently review reports from outside auditors. Trump called the document “morally binding,” said he would name a new AI czar within days, and signed an executive order formally renaming artificial intelligence “super intelligence,” CNBC reported.

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Musk was not in the room for Tesla alone. Since SpaceX absorbed xAI, he runs the company behind Grok and one of the largest AI training operations anywhere. On September 25, he said another 220,000 Nvidia GB300 chips would come online at Colossus 2 within a week, with more expected in November and December.

SpaceX confirms third massive compute deal at Colossus data center

 

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Musk also used the trip to restate his energy ambitions. “SpaceX is aiming together with Tesla to do 200 gigawatts of solar production per year,” he said at an event in Washington. It is the same combined target he laid out that feeds directly into Terafab, the Tesla and SpaceX chip venture that will need enormous amounts of power.

The showing between Musk and Trump has come a long way, since the two had the very public split in mid 2025 after Musk opposed the “Big Beautiful Bill” and left DOGE. They reconciled at Charlie Kirk’s memorial that September, and Trump later called their relationship “good”. Since then, Musk has joined Trump’s China delegation in May and attended last week’s White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping.

For Tesla, that access to government official could pay dividends. As Teslarati noted in January, federal autonomy rules, NHTSA oversight and a single national standard for driverless vehicles all run through an administration Musk can more easily reach directly as Tesla works to scale Robotaxi and Cybercab beyond Texas.

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Tesla Roadster’s new patent preps white-knuckle speeds, keeping it grounded

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Credit: @BLKMDL3/Twitter

Ahead of its highly anticipated unveiling, Tesla’s upcoming Roadster received a new patent that aims to keep it grounded while enabling white-knuckle speeds.

The patent, which was granted on September 29, is titled “Electric Car Fan,” bluntly stating its design but not its purpose, which is further detailed in the text of the application. Interestingly, it comes two weeks before the Roadster event, which was delayed due to unfavorable weather on Thursday, which could cause issues, as Tesla revealed the event must be held outdoors.

The purpose is to solve a problem that is relatively unique to high-performance electric cars. Instant motor torque is useless if the tires cannot plant that force, and conventional wings and underbody tunnels generate downforce only when air is already rushing past the car. At launch, in slow corners, and under hard braking from modest speed, passive aerodynamic additions contribute essentially very little to downforce.

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Tesla’s filing says that its fans can produce the downforce needed, independent of vehicle velocity, then ease off so the same hardware does not pile on drag at highway speeds, an issue that can come from excessive body modifications.

The hardware outlined in the patent is a ducted-fan package that is placed into the rear of the vehicle. An underbody inlet between the rear wheels feeds a duct that rises to a wide outlet in the diffuser. In that outlet are four axial fans, which are divided by vertical strakes. They will pull air from under the floor and press the chassis onto the pavement.

The language in the patent claims it can cut drag rather than add to it while simultaneously increasing downforce.

Tesla Roadster event requires restricted airspace, and the FAA obliges

The fans run from the high-voltage battery and a vehicle control system, so output can be modulated rather than left on as a fixed penalty.

There are additional strengths that can come from this design, like extra tire load at low speed, which can contribute to even more face-melting acceleration rates, decrease stopping distance, and sharper turn-in before a wing has air to work with. Adjustable fan speed lets the car add grip only when needed, so it can be catered to the force of a turn or acceleration.

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These designs were previously used, and banned, in some competitive settings. The Brabham BT46B was banned in F1 competition for using a similar fan design and being labeled as too effective.

Tesla still lists the Roadster as having a sub-two-second 0-60 MPH time and a 250-plus-MPH top speed, and there are expectations for a SpaceX cold-gas thruster package that could not only increase acceleration but potentially cause the vehicle to hover.

It is important to note that a patent is not a production part, and packaging four fans in a rear diffuser, managing noise, and potential debris are all things Tesla must consider. With that being said, the patent being granted shows Tesla is designing the Roadster to go fast, but it is also attempting to use unique strategies to combat any issues it might have at those speeds.

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