Polestar Cuts Carbon Footprint Per EV by 25% in Just Four Years

Image Credit: Polestar

Swedish electric vehicle pioneer Polestar has revealed an impressive 24.7% reduction in the carbon footprint of every electric car sold, a milestone that underscores its commitment to sustainable innovation. This achievement is part of the company’s broader ambition to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chain and production processes, with the audacious goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2040.

Polestar’s ongoing environmental journey is documented in its annual sustainability reports, and the latest edition, unveiled this week, showcases the company's progress. Since 2020, the company has successfully reduced the cradle-to-grave carbon footprint of its flagship vehicle, the Polestar 2, from 26.1 tons of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e) per unit to 23.1 tCO₂e for the 2024 model.

But Polestar isn't stopping there. The lessons learned from reducing the carbon footprint of the Polestar 2 have directly informed the design and production of the newer models – the Polestar 3 and 4. For instance, the Polestar 3’s launch saw an impressive 1.4-ton reduction in its cradle-to-gate footprint compared to the Polestar 2, coming in at 24.7 tCO₂e. However, this number has slightly shifted to 24.9 tCO₂e and 25.9 tCO₂e, depending on the vehicle's production location.

Even more striking is the Polestar 4 Long Range Dual Motor model, which, despite being nearly 250kg heavier and housing a battery 18kWh larger than the Polestar 2, boasts a cradle-to-gate carbon footprint of just 21.3 tCO₂e. This marks a staggering 1.8 tons less CO₂ emissions compared to the 2024 Polestar 2 and 4.8 tons lower than the launch edition of the Polestar 2.

“Polestar has shown that it is possible to decouple growth from climate impact,” said Michael Lohscheller, Polestar CEO.

“In simple terms, we aim to continue to cut emissions as we accelerate sales. Even though much in the world seems to be going in the wrong direction, we are doubling down on our commitments. When the world zigs, Polestar zags.”