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Polestar 2 gets improved charge curve, still lags behind rivals like Tesla

Polestar 2 charging curve being tested. (Credit: Reddit)

In a recent test following an OTA update, the Polestar 2’s new charging curve was revealed. But while the all-electric car’s charging speed has improved tremendously since its release, it still lags behind rivals.

Polestar, the EV sibling to the Volvo brand, has updated the Polestar 2’s charging curve. A graph and accompanying video posted by a Reddit user shows significant improvement since earlier software. Upon release, the Polestar was only able to charge at a rate of 120 kW, however, the vehicle now charges at a maximum rate of 150 kW. The cumulative updates the company has rolled out since the launch of the Polestar 2 now allow the vehicle to charge from 10%-70% in just over 25 minutes and charge from 30%-70% in roughly 17 minutes.

The Polestar 2’s charging curve. (Credit: Reddit)

The Polestar 2, while only reaching 150 kW, can hold that charging rate for quite a long time. The graph posted by the user shows that the car was charging at roughly 150 kW from 10% to almost 35%. Even when the car was plugged in with a starting percentage of roughly 25% or 35%, the Polestar 2 still started charging at 150 kW, quickly giving the vehicle 10% of battery before starting to decrease in rate.

It is unclear what variables are determining the starting charging rate of the vehicle, but some likely suspects could be battery temperature, outside temperature, time since the last charge, or starting percentage (a number that seemed to determine how long 150 kW was maintained).

The Polestar’s charging rate shows that while high charging wattages are not the only factors determining how fast a vehicle will charge, the added power can certainly be helpful. In a test done on the State of Charge YouTube channel, Tom Moloughney was able to charge from close to 0% to 70% in roughly 26 minutes, showing that the now 3-year-old 2019 Model 3 was able to gain an additional 10% of charge in roughly a minute more of time. Further, the testing showed that the Tesla was able to charge from roughly 0% to 80% in 31 minutes, adding 20% of battery in just over 6 more minutes compared to the Polestar.

For now, Polestar still lags behind rivals, however, their success with 150 kW, only being a couple of minutes off of Tesla despite a 100 kW difference in charging speed, shows that they likely have a bright future. The Polestar 5 covered only weeks ago will be launching with an 800-volt architecture that may allow it to beat Tesla’s charging speed.

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Polestar 2 gets improved charge curve, still lags behind rivals like Tesla
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