When the Polestar Precept concept from Volvo’s electrified sister company first debuted last month, I didn’t think there was a lot of specifications and details to really get excited about yet, as it was just a vague concept. And that’s still true! But it turns out the interior is actually interesting.
The big point of the concept car at its reveal last month was the compact redesigned sensor suite packaged in the nose of the car for the self-driving and driver assistance hardware. But now Polestar has revealed some more info on the car, and the interior sounds like a preview for a future that benefits everybody.
Polestar claims the recycled materials used for most of the interior are not just better for the planet, but they also reduced the weight of the interior materials on the car by half, compared to traditional plastic.
The automaker worked with a company called Bcomp on the interior using a flax-based natural composite, managing to reduce virgin plastic in the car by 80 per cent. The companies also claim that the material and its unique leaf-like spine support structure “can reduce vibrations by up to 250% and perform better during an impact.”
Reclaimed plastic from PET plastic bottles is also 3D-knit into the seats, formed true to size in production with no trimming necessary, so there’s supposedly no waste. Plastic from bottles is also used for the entire roof liner.
While the design is mostly good (I hate the headlights), and the hardware packaging is indeed special, I find the recycled interior to be the most interesting aspect of the Precept. We can save the planet and still improve performance.
Lotus’ Colin Chapman wouldn’t like the complexity of the materials, but he’d sure appreciate the weight savings when he saw how much mass these battery cars have.