Polestar has revealed its next-generation Polestar 2 sedan, which comes with a series of significant upgrades and some minor design changes.
Polestar is an innovative Swedish EV brand that has quickly gained a cult following in North America and Europe for its sleek and modern design, relentless dedication to sustainable manufacturing, and premium interior offerings which have clearly benefitted from the company’s relation to Volvo. Now, the company has released the next generation of its trendy Polestar 2 sedan, and with some significant performance upgrades, the vehicle has only become a more enticing offering.
Foremost in the company’s press release is the sad passing of the front-wheel-drive model; it will be missed. But in its place, Polestar has followed in the footsteps of Tesla and made rear-wheel-drive the standard drive for its vehicles. Along with the change in orientation, Polestar has designed an all-new drivetrain that means the RWD model could be pretty squirrely.
With Polestar’s new permanent magnet motor design, the single motor, RWD, standard range sedan comes with 300 horsepower (220kW), 361 pound-feet of torque, and a (while not blistering) respectable 0-60 of 6.2 seconds. Compared to the current generation sedan, this is an increase of over 60 horsepower and roughly 120 pound-feet of torque.
Luckily, this massive boost in power doesn’t come at the detriment of range. With the standard 69kWh battery, the RWD Polestar 2 achieves a range of 322 miles (518km), and with the optional 82kWh long-range battery, the sedan is capable of a staggering 395 miles (635km) of range. However, it should be noted that with the smaller standard-range battery, drivers are limited to a charging speed of 135kW instead of the 205kW the long-range battery is capable of.
Now, don’t hold your breath if you are like me and think this new upgrade has you ready to buy. Polestar will not sell the standard range sedan in North America, meaning that the base model vehicle’s price will likely rapidly increase in the next generation.
For those who are more interested in the higher performance trims, Polestar has not left you hanging. The dual-motor AWD variant of the Polestar 2, which is only available with the longer-range battery, receives an equally massive bump in power. A rear-biased system produces 422 horsepower (310kW) and 545 pound-feet of torque, rocketing the sport sedan to 60 in just 4.5 seconds. And if that isn’t enough, Polestar also sells an optional Performance Pack, which increases power to 476 horsepower and lowers the 0-60 to just 4.2 seconds.
Other upgrades to the next-gen vehicle focus on its driving tech and sustainability. Foremost, Polestar will include the “Smart Zone” on the vehicle, a panel of radar sensors, and cameras on the front of the car to aid in autonomous driving applications. While this sensor array was first displayed on the upcoming Polestar 3 SUV, it’s clear that the company will introduce it to more products as it continues to improve its autonomous driving offering.
The upgrade in sustainability is also quite significant, as Polestar has cut the carbon emissions per car produced by over a ton, equating to a far better lifecycle carbon footprint than the current generation.
Pricing has not yet been made available by Polestar for markets outside of Europe. Still, the Standard Range RWD model will be available for 50,190 euros (not available in North America), with the top-of-the-line Long Range AWD Performance model going for 64,690 euros ($70,315). The base model that will be available in North America, the Long-Range RWD, coming in March of this year, sells for 53,890 euros ($58,569).
Following Tesla’s recent price cuts, the Polestar 2, despite its unique upgrades, comes off as quite the premium offering and may face some significant backlash for not following Tesla’s steps and lowering prices. And while the company may receive some help if it can assemble the vehicle at Volvo’s South Carolina facility, allowing it to qualify for the US Federal EV incentive, it would still be priced a full $10,000 more than the base Tesla Model 3. It remains unclear if the focus on sustainability and the more premium interior will attract customers from the EV juggernaut in North America or globally.
What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!
Elon Musk
California snubs Tesla in its newly passed EV incentive that favors Rivian and Lucid
California passed a $135 million EV incentive that rewards Rivian and Lucid while sidelining Tesla
California just drew a line in the EV incentive sand to put Tesla on the wrong side of it. The state recently passed a $135 million program offering first-time electric vehicle buyers a direct incentive with no application required, but the rules were written in a way that leaves Tesla at a structural disadvantage compared to Rivian and Lucid.
The program caps eligible vehicles at $50,000 for new EVs and $25,000 for used ones. That pricing threshold rules out a significant portion of Tesla’s lineup, though some lower-priced Model 3 and Model Y configurations would still qualify. California-based automakers are exempt from the price cap entirely, regardless of what their vehicles cost. Rivian, headquartered in Irvine, and Lucid, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, both benefit from that exemption. Rivian’s R2 starts at roughly $45,000 but has versions above the cap. Lucid’s Air and Gravity start at $70,990 and $79,990 respectively, well above any threshold a non-California company would face.
California hits Tesla Cybercab and Robotaxi driverless cars with new law
Tesla built its reputation and a significant portion of its early market share in California, where EV adoption has consistently led the nation. The company operates its original factory in Fremont, California, and the state was home to Tesla’s headquarters for most of its existence. That changed in 2021 when Tesla moved its corporate headquarters to Austin, Texas. Since then, the relationship between the company and California Governor Gavin Newsom has been openly adversarial, with Musk and Newsom trading public criticism on multiple occasions.
California’s EV incentive landscape has shifted repeatedly in recent years, and Tesla has previously lost eligibility for state-level programs as its vehicles exceeded income-adjusted price thresholds. The federal $7,500 EV tax credit, which Tesla models have qualified for and lost depending on policy cycles, is no longer available after it expired without renewal, making state-level programs more meaningful to buyers than they have been in years.
The practical impact for buyers is more nuanced than the headline suggests. California residents purchasing a Tesla under $50,000 for the first time can still access the incentive. But the exemption written for California-based manufacturers is a structural advantage that rewards where a company plants its headquarters flag rather than where it builds its products, and Tesla moved that flag to Texas.
Elon Musk
SpaceX’s newest logo confirms everything about what it’s become
SpaceX officially absorbed xAI under the SpaceXAI brand, completing the largest private merger in history.
SpaceX made its corporate transformation official in May 2026 when Elon Musk posted on X that xAI would cease to exist as a standalone company. “xAI will be dissolved as a separate company, so it will just be SpaceXAI, the AI products from SpaceX,” he wrote.
A new SpaceXAI logo was announced today, visually embedding the xAI letters inside the SpaceX identity, which can be seen as a deliberate design choice that signals the merger is not a partnership but a full absorption and XAi a core function of the same company. The same way Starlink is not a separate brand but a SpaceX product. The announcement closed the loop on a process that began February 2, 2026, when SpaceX acquired xAI in the largest private merger in history, valued at $1.25 trillion. SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion.
We are now @SpaceXAI. pic.twitter.com/ema66xDWC9
— SpaceXAI (@SpaceXAI) July 6, 2026
The reason SpaceX bought xAI was stated plainly by Musk at the time of the deal: to build orbital data centers. SpaceX had simultaneously filed with the FCC to launch up to one million satellites designed to function as AI compute nodes in low Earth orbit, escaping what Musk described as the energy constraints limiting AI development on Earth.
xAI provided the AI software stack, with Grok, the X platform, and the Colossus supercomputer infrastructure in Memphis with over 220,000 NVIDIA GPUs, while SpaceX provided the rockets, Starlink, and the capital base to fund it. The two companies needed each other. xAI was burning $2.5 billion in losses on $250 million in revenue. SpaceX was generating an estimated $8 billion in profit on $15 billion in revenue and needed an AI narrative to command the valuation it was targeting for its IPO.
What SpaceX has done, regardless of how the orbital AI vision ultimately plays out, is walk into a public market as something no company has been before: a rocket manufacturer, satellite internet provider, AI software company, social media platform, and supercomputer operator under one ticker. Whether that combination is worth $2 trillion depends entirely on which of those businesses you believe in most.
Tesla brought its innovative Cybercab robotaxi to the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Annual Convention in Austin, Texas, on July 3 at the JW Marriott Austin.
The hands-on demonstration highlighted the vehicle’s thoughtful design for blind and visually impaired users, underscoring Tesla’s commitment to inclusive autonomous mobility. Attendees, many using white canes or accompanied by service dogs, experienced the steering-wheel-free Cybercab firsthand.
Cybercab at the National Federation of the Blind’s Annual Convention in Austin for a hands-on experience of its accessibility features for blind or visually impaired customers⁰⁰For example:⁰– Braille lettering on physical controls
– Space for service animals & assistive… pic.twitter.com/8wrJcDHkw7— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) July 6, 2026
The showcase emphasized practical features tailored to the needs of the blind community. Braille lettering appears on physical controls, including door releases and emergency buttons, allowing users to navigate interfaces independently through touch. Generous interior space accommodates service animals and assistive devices such as canes, guide dogs, or mobility aids without compromising comfort.
Wheelchair-height seating facilitates easier transfers for users with additional mobility challenges. Photos from the event captured blind attendees approaching the vehicle confidently, service dogs relaxing inside, and hands exploring Braille-equipped handles.
Tesla Robotaxi’s official account detailed these elements, noting the Cybercab’s focus on accessibility, especially noting the Braille lettering and additional space for service animals.
How Tesla Will Transform Mobility for the Blind
Autonomous vehicles like the Cybercab promise revolutionary independence for the roughly 2.2 million visually impaired Americans. Traditional barriers—reliance on sighted drivers, costly paratransit, or limited public transit—often restrict spontaneous travel. Tesla Full Self-Driving aims to eliminate the need for a human operator, enabling on-demand, door-to-door rides via simple app hailing with voice guidance.
Users gain freedom to work, socialize, shop, or attend events anytime without scheduling hassles or safety concerns. This reduces isolation, boosts employment opportunities, and enhances quality of life, turning mobility from a dependency into true personal autonomy.
The NFB demonstration not only gathered valuable feedback but also generated excitement about a future where technology levels the playing field. By prioritizing inclusive design, Tesla advances a vision of transportation that serves everyone, potentially reshaping daily life for blind individuals and setting a standard for the autonomous industry.
As Cybercab deployment scales, these accessibility innovations could mark a significant step toward equitable mobility.
California snubs Tesla in its newly passed EV incentive that favors Rivian and Lucid
SpaceX’s newest logo confirms everything about what it’s become
