Polestar, Volvo’s performance and skunk works division, revealed more information and pics of its Precept concept vehicle. The Precept aims to showcase the Swedish and Chinese company’s ambition to work toward sustainability in vehicles. Those aren’t my words, but those of Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath.
What’s ‘Vegan’ About the Precept?
According to Polestar, the sustainability quotient in the Precept will manifest itself inside the cabin. Instead of using plastic, the company is trying out a flax-based natural composite to replace 80% of the plastic normally used in the car’s cabin. Not only is this stuff vegan, but it’s also lighter, reducing the overall weight of the interior’s components by 50%. The same composite shows up on the front spoiler, side sills and rear valance.
For the upholstery, the covers are knitted together using 100% recycled PET plastic bottles. Same goes for the cloth headliner. Recycled cork helps fill out the seat bolsters and head rests. Carpet spun from recycled fishing nets goes underfoot.
Polestar’s Digital Tech Feast
The vegan fabrics deliver some nice warm and fuzzies, but I think the driver’s experience with the car’s tech will provide more dazzle. To wit:
- A 15-inch touchscreen will automatically serve up an individual’s preferences based on car key held by the driver.
- Streaming video will be available when the vehicle is parked or charging.
- A 9-inch screen above the steering wheel uses eye-tracking to sense when the driver is looking at the screen or not. When he or she is looking directly at it, the font shrinks and more information is displayed. When the driver’s looking at the road, the font enlarges and only critical info. is displayed such as the speedometer.
- A roof-mounted LIDAR pod hints at an autonomous-driving capability, although Polestar doesn’t say that explicitly.
But is the Precept Going to Be Fast?
It’s electric, so that’s pretty likely! The Precept is an evolution from the Polestar 1, a hybrid GT, with 609 total hp and the ability to go 77 miles in electric-only mode. At the time, 2017, it featured the longest EV range of any hybrid. The Polestar 2 crossover, the brand’s first EV for the masses, was scheduled to start production in China last month. It claims a reported 275-miles of range and more than 400 hp and 400 lbs-ft. torque. Plenty of whomp! to produce an estimated 0-60 time under 5 seconds. It’s too soon to tell whether the Precept is a pure EV concept or one that will eventually reach showrooms. It was scheduled to be introduced at the cancelled Geneva Auto Show last March, though, which makes the possibility of a variant of the Precept coming to fruition less of a fantasy. Stay tuned.
