Polestar Announces a Truly Zero Carbon Car

By 2030, Swedish car marque Polestar plans to launch a truly zero-carbon car: the Polestar 0.

Polestar 0: The Quest to Create The First Truly Carbon Neutral Car

Swedish car marque Polestar has been leading the way in electric vehicle technology since 2017, when the Volvo-parented company decided to focus solely on making electric cars.

Six years later, Polestar is pushing the boundaries of EV manufacturing even further with the announcement of Polestar 0, a project that will allow the marque to create a truly zero-carbon car by 2030. The car maker will do this not by offsetting, but by reducing emissions throughout its supply chain and production processes – and, in doing so, change the way that all cars are made in the future.

In a recent launch event and panel talk at Polestar’s Battersea Power Station showroom, the project leader (the marque’s Head of Research and Development and Electric Propulsion Strategy, Hans Pehrson) shared his hopes that the end result would be as globally impactful as the three-point seatbelt that was created in 1959 by Volvo’s Nils Bohlin.

The launch event at Battersea Power Station

Polestar 0 is a hugely ambitious project given the complexity of the manufacturing process and the materials needed to make everything from the car batteries to the seat covers. It’s been estimated by the Carbon Disclosure Project that nearly a fifth of a car’s emissions over its lifetime come from its supply chain.

It’s a route that involves not just Polestar making the decision to reduce its carbon footprint to zero, but all of its suppliers, hauliers, and contractors, too – many of whom are currently entirely dependent on fossil fuels.

Hans Pehrson has so far has made two calls for collaborators to join the Polestar 0 project. In particular, he’s looking for partners within mining, bio-based materials, and high-end man-made materials who are willing to tackle their fossil fuel reliance and clean up their own complex supply chains.

Polestar 0 project leader, Hans Pehrson

‘Throughout this process of finding collaborators, my belief in the success of this project has repeatedly been reaffirmed. It’s become clear that there is immense potential to tap into around the globe,’ says Hans. ‘And if we come together to focus our efforts on our common challenges, the solutions are bound to bear significance beyond the car industry.’

Where solutions can’t be found, his team is also focussing on creating entirely new ways of manufacturing EVs, to create a truly zero-carbon end product.

‘If processes can be re-invented to become completely free from greenhouse gas emissions, we should seek to transform them,’ says Hans. ‘Processes that cannot, at this point, be transformed to become emissions free will require more focused research, while processes that cannot be transformed must simply be left behind. We’re in the business of zero and nothing else.’

Find out more about Polestar 0 at polestar.com