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Polestar 3 all-electric SUV unveiling: 379-mile WLTP range, 517 horsepower, 111 kWh battery
Polestar has unveiled its all-electric SUV, named the Polestar 3, aiming to enter a highly-competitive market and outpoint potential competitors with comparable offerings, including Tesla, Ford, Rivian, and others. Electric vehicle offerings are becoming more plentiful, and Polestar is attempting to capture a considerable portion of the market by offering a quality design, comparative performance, and a competitive range rating.
Polestar launched the Polestar 3 on Wednesday at an unveiling event held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Owned by Geely Motors and Volvo, Polestar has offered the Polestar 2 for nearly two years, with the 4, 5, and 6 vehicles all currently under development. The automaker has shared the Polestar 3 concept images on several occasions, but this is the first time people are seeing the launch of the vehicle directly from the company in a live setting.
“Polestar 3 reimagines the SUV through premium electric performance and innovative, sustainable technology. Changing the automotive landscape while keeping the environment a priority,” Polestar describes the vehicle on its website.
Built in the United States for U.S. Customers
There’s been a lot of talk about electric vehicles and production inside the United States as the Biden Administration has launched several large bills to incentivize not only domestic EV production but also the purchase of EVs by consumers. However, Polestar committed long ago to building the Polestar 3 in the United States, committing to the strategy in June 2021.
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
“We will build in America for Americans,” Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said last year. “Polestar 3 is planned to be launched in 2022 as a premium electric performance SUV that will define the look of SUVs in the electric age. It will also be the first Polestar vehicle to be built in America.”
The Polestar 3 will be built at the Volvo Cars plant in Charleson, South Carolina, and is intended to be one of the most climate-responsible cars ever built.
“Polestar 3 is a powerful electric SUV that appeals to the senses with a distinct, Scandinavian design and excellent driving dynamics,” Ingenlath, said while reaffirming Polestar’s plans to build the car in the U.S. “It takes our manufacturing footprint to the next level, bringing Polestar production to the United States. We are proud and excited to expand our portfolio as we continue our rapid growth.”
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
Next-Gen EV Architecture crafted by Volvo
The Polestar 3 has been Volvo’s introduction to the development of EV architecture. Polestar said the Polestar 3’s new, next-generation architecture has been designed from scratch for full electrification. Supported by Google’s Android Automotive OS infotainment system and featuring high-end, safety-focused autonomous driving features, Polestar intends to launch state-of-the-art and completely unique EV tech, starting with the Polestar 3 in specific.
Focusing on safety and ADAS tech in the Polestar 3
Polestar 3 offers five radar modules, five external cameras, and twelve ultrasonic sensors, enabling advanced safety features. The SmartZone and front aero wing continuously collect information through forward-facing sensors, a heated radar module, and camera. Polestar now says that this is a “signature” of the company’s design.
In the cabin, Polestar has two closed-loop driver monitoring cameras that will track the driver’s eyes to emphasize safer driving. “The cameras monitor the driver’s eyes and can trigger warning messages, sounds and even an emergency stop function when detecting a distracted, drowsy or disconnected driver,” Polestar said.
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
111 kWh battery pack, 379-mile WLTP-rated range, heat pump
Polestar 3 will pack a 111 kWh battery pack offering a generous but preliminary range rating of 379 miles rated by the WLTP. Expect this number to be lower when the EPA tests the vehicle, which has not happened quite yet, according to the agency’s Vehicle Database.
Polestar’s 111 kWh battery pack features prismatic cells housed in a protective aluminum case, reinforced by boron steel and liquid cooling. Polestar also made a heat pump standard on the Polestar 3, helping with efficiency and range degradation, especially in colder climates.
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
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- (Credit: Polestar)
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
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- Credit: Polestar
Polestar 3 Order Availability, optional Pilot Pack with LiDAR from Luminar
Polestar said the Polestar 3 will be available for order today. Polestar 3 orders with an optional Pilot Pack with LiDAR from Luminar will be available from Q2 2023. This package adds a supplemental control unit from NVIDIA, three more cameras, four ultrasonic sensors, and cleaning for both front and rear-view cameras. “This enables enhanced 3D scanning of the car’s surroundings in greater detail and helps prepare the car for autonomous driving,” Polestar said.
Production to begin in China, Q4 2023 Deliveries
Initial production will start at Volvo’s facility in Chengdu, China, in an incremental ramp-up phase, Polestar said, which is set to begin in mid-2023. Its launch price is €89,990 ($87,110). The first deliveries will take place in Q4 2023.
Volvo’s Ridgeville, South Carolina facility will build the vehicle to supply North American and other markets. Production will switch from China to the United States, and initial deliveries of units produced in South Carolina will begin in mid-2024.
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Tesla Cybercab is using a unique strategy for picking up the correct rider, which is a crucial part of ride-hailing to ensure people end up in the right place and are charged the correct price.
Cybercab will utilize an RGB strip in its front light bar that will illuminate in a variety of different colors to mark itself.
This identifying mark will also appear in the Robotaxi app, giving riders in the same location a notable distinction in an effort to avoid any confusion regarding who should get in each vehicle.
🚨 Tesla is using different light bar colors to help riders understand which vehicle is theirs
Pretty cool strategy pic.twitter.com/eGMpEMeRpc
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 27, 2026
Other ride-hailing services use similar strategies: Lyft and Uber rides are recognizable through driver identity, vehicle type and color, as well as license plate. Waymo will display the rider’s initials on top of the vehicle, letting them know that the specific vehicle for them has arrived.
Tesla’s strategy is unique and interesting, but there are some flaws. Cybercab’s main purpose is aimed toward being an autonomous ride for all, including those who have disabilities like being blind or even color blind.
Tesla will likely have something in the pipeline for those who cannot see colors or have limited vision. There will definitely be multiple ways to identify which vehicle is the one that “you” specifically ordered.
Cybercab is set to start giving public rides next Thursday, September 3, in Austin, as it announced a dedicated event last week and invited many members of the Tesla community.
Additionally, members of the public will be invited as well. Tesla has been offering employee rides in Cybercab for nearly two months.
Tesla has said goodbye to one customization option for its vehicles: the wrap service it launched several years ago.
After launching an in-house wrap service in August 2020 for the first time in China. In the U.S., it launched in October 2023. Tesla continued to expand the program and adjust it with better pricing and fewer options for the Cybertruck.
By December 2023, it was giving owners of the Model 3, Model Y, and the Cybertruck the opportunity to give their vehicle a fresh look with a vinyl wrap.
Tesla revamps in-house vinyl wrap service with better pricing
It was only available in five locations: Costa Mesa, Oceanside, Santa Clara, West Covina, all in California, and Seattle, Washington.
However, Tesla made some big adjustments to its shop, and the wrap service is officially gone:
Tesla has made a LOT of changes to its online shop recently — price increases, price cuts, new options, and several products being removed entirely.
Some of the biggest increases are wheel covers. 👀
📈 PRICE INCREASES
• 2017-2023 | Model 3 Aero Wheel Cover — Style: Refresh…— Phoenix Self-Driving 🐦🔥 (@PhoenixFSD) August 25, 2026
Wraps are very popular across the Tesla lineup, especially since the company offers relatively few colors. Many choose to wrap their Teslas with interesting colors, patterns, or even finishes, turning their cars from glossy to satin or matte.
However, Tesla’s wrap service was so limited geographically that it never really had a chance to get off the ground or compete with local shops. Every area in the United States is now overflowing with detailing shops, mobile detailers, and other automotive specialists, many of whom perform wrap services.
Tesla’s service was confined to the Pacific time zone and only spanned across two states. It was never going to be something Tesla was a major competitor in, nor was it going to disrupt the wrapping industry. Now that the program has ended, it seems pretty ideal to believe it was always going to be a short-term thing.
Along with the wrap service, Tesla removed several other products, but nothing too crazy. The Model 3 Door Pocket and Cupholder Liners, the Model S 19″ Magnetite Wheel and Winter Tire Package, Model X/Y Ski/Snowboard Carrier for Hitch Rack, Tesla’s Electric Summer Party Tee, and the Electric Summer Tee were the other items the company totally eliminated from its online shop.
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Tesla Robotaxi fleet gets a brain upgrade ahead of Cybercab launch event
Tesla’s Robotaxi service now runs longer hours nationwide as its unsupervised fleet quietly grows larger.
Tesla’s Robotaxi service just got easier to catch, with the company’s official Robotaxi account noting that rides are now available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, across its operating footprint. The account also said its unsupervised fleet is “a lot bigger” than before, though without specifics. The bigger change is what Tesla says upgraded intelligence in vehicle distribution and routing is what’s actually cutting wait times, not a new Full Self-Driving version.
While Tesla did not name the team behind the upgrade, the language points to its AI and fleet software group rather than the driving stack itself. Vehicle distribution and routing in Robotaxi has functioned mostly as a dispatch problem with the software deciding which idle car goes to which rider, and how far it has to travel to get there. “Upgraded intelligence” suggests a smarter version of that dispatch logic, likely using demand forecasting to position idle cars near where riders are about to request them rather than reacting once a request comes in. Tesla’s AI division has built similar prediction systems for other parts of the business, including the neural networks that power FSD itself, so applying that same approach to fleet logistics would be a natural extension rather than a new discipline for the team.
Robotaxi now runs 6am to 10pm, 7 days/week
Unsupervised fleet is a lot bigger
Also, upgraded intelligence in vehicle distribution & routing means you wait less pic.twitter.com/UFZ4bqg2dZ
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) August 26, 2026
Tesla is also about a week away from a separate robotaxi milestone. The company plans to launch Cybercab, its purpose built two seat robotaxi with no steering wheel or pedals, in Austin on September 3. Cybercab has been giving employees rides on public and private roads for weeks, and the September event is expected to fold those vehicles into the existing Robotaxi fleet within days of the launch.
Thank you so much @Tesla for inviting us to the Cybercab launch in Austin! 🤠 pic.twitter.com/F1rAR8zd5O
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 22, 2026
Austin previously ran Robotaxi from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. as of last September, a schedule set before the service expanded into Dallas, Houston, Miami, Tampa, Orlando and the Bay Area. Wednesday’s post did not specify whether that extended overnight window still applies in Austin specifically or whether 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. is now the standard across every market. Tesla’s post, visible on its official Robotaxi account, framed the change simply as fewer riders waiting around for a car.
Whether the wider hours hold once Cybercab enters the fleet next week is the next thing worth watching. Tesla has tended to expand Robotaxi in increments, first geofence, then hours, then fleet size, and each step so far has arrived without much advance notice.
Tesla Cybercab uses a unique strategy for picking up the right rider
Tesla ends in-house wrap service that always seemed like a short-term program
