Polestar 2's ‘Arctic Circle’ concept is made for icy roads

Was your EV designed to drive on a frozen lake?
 By 
Sasha Lekach
 on 
A car with a large number two on the door in the snow.
Watch Next

Swedish carmaker Polestar 2 has finally lived up to its name.

On Tuesday the Volvo spinoff company unveiled its modified EV dubbed "Arctic Circle" to show how an electric vehicle can handle icy conditions.

While the car isn't expected to go into production, the ultra-winterized Polestar 2 sedan prototype was put to the test at Polestar's winter testing site in Finland situated within the Arctic Circle at the latitude line 66 degrees north. That's where the prototype got its name.

A standard Polestar 2 dual-motor with a performance pack (which has up to 300-mile range) was raised more than an inch, given more power and torque, and outfitted with 19-inch studded winter tires. The front brakes from the performance package were kept in the wintery version.

According to a statement from Polestar 2, the company's chief chassis engineer Joakim Rydholm made it his goal to "push it in terms of performance and handling in a winter environment like a frozen lake."

Since this is a winter car, Polestar added a snow shovel and recovery strap in back. Just in case.

Mashable Image
Sasha Lekach

Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.


Latest Videos

Stephen Colbert reacts to the Artemis II moon mission
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, gesturing.


'The Daily Show' reacts to judge halting Trump's White House ballroom
Desi Lydic presents "The Daily Show" beside an image of Donald Trump.


A24's 'Mother Mary' trailer is worth it for the FKA twigs track
Anne Hathway is dressed in a red pop star outfit with religious overtones in a film still from "Mother Mary."

Jon Stewart has a brutal reaction to Trump waffling about pens
A man in a suit sitting behind a talk show desk looks angry. In the top left is an image of the president holding up a pen.

Stephen Colbert gleefully recaps the best signs at the 'No Kings' protest
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, smiling. The caption at the bottom reads, "I like that one."

Riz Ahmed is troublingly intense in new 'SNL UK' promo
A close-up of a man grinning in a slightly creepy way.


The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!