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2026 Polestar 3 Gets 800V Architecture, 500 kW Power, and Faster 350 kW Charging

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3.6K views 78 replies 27 participants last post by  sp12  
#1 ·
Swedish electric carmaker Polestar has introduced extensive hardware upgrades to its flagship Polestar 3 SUV for the 2026 model year, including a new 800-volt electrical system, faster charging, increased power, and upgraded core computing capabilities.

“The upgrades to Polestar 3 are so extensive, it’s like an entirely new car. With this upgrade we continue to deliver on our commitment to add value for our customers through over-the-air software and hardware updates. The already amazing Polestar 3 is now better than ever,” Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller said.

Source: 2026 Polestar 3 Gets 800V Architecture, 500 kW Power, and Faster 350 kW Charging
 
#2 ·
Sounds pretty tasty. I sure hope the software will be up to the task. Plus fixes for the AC, wire harness water ingress and the GHCA/OBC. If they could do those plus get a bit more feel in the steering, like Porsche, then I feel they will be steps ahead of Porsche since Porsche vehicle packaging is terribly inefficient and they struggle with OTA's.
 
#5 ·
I question whether that's true or not, or if the person (or AI) that created that article misunderstood which motor disconnects on the P3 (and EX90).

If that is true, it also probably means they abandoned the torque vectoring rear end. Also, the rear motor is the bigger of the two, so from that perspective it would be an efficiency loss, compared to allowing the smaller front motor to manage cruising speed.
 
#7 ·
Seems correct, this is the original Polestar newsroom article:

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN – 1 October 2025. Polestar, the Swedish electric performance car brand, makes extensive hardware upgrades to its flagship SUV, Polestar 3, for the 2026 model year. Overall performance improves significantly thanks to a new 800 Volt electrical architecture with substantial increase in power, faster charging, and greater core computer processing power.

Michael Lohscheller, Polestar’s CEO, says: “The upgrades to Polestar 3 are so extensive, it’s like an entirely new car. With this upgrade we continue to deliver on our commitment to add value for our customers through over-the-air software and hardware updates. The already amazing Polestar 3 is now better than ever.”

New 800 Volt electrical architecture

The 2026 model year marks a major technological leap for Polestar 3 and its SPA2 platform with the introduction of an 800 Volt electrical architecture. This upgrade enables significantly faster DC charging with a peak rate of up to 350 kW, meaning that the 10–80% battery charge benchmark can take as little as 22 minutes, which is more than 25% faster than before.

The new architecture also brings enhanced efficiency, up to 6% according to the WLTP cycle, and supports the integration of new lithium-ion batteries from supplier CATL: a 92 kWh battery pack for the Rear motor version and a 106 kWh battery pack for the Dual motor and Performance variants. Combined, the faster DC charging and increased efficiency further improve the already capable long-distance driving abilities of the Polestar 3.

Upgraded powertrain with increased performance

All versions of Polestar 3 now benefit from a new in-house developed permanent magnet synchronous rear motor that delivers higher output. Paired with an asynchronous front motor, the new configuration delivers up to 500 kW of total power in the Performance variant.

The front motor now features automatic disconnect functionality when not needed, just as on Dual motor versions of Polestar 2, improving efficiency and range during everyday driving. The new rear motor also means the power balance has shifted to a greater rear bias than before. Combined with updated anti-roll bars and extensive software refinement for the steering, the result is an even more direct and engaging driving experience across all model variants.

Greater computing power

Polestar 3 continues to lead the way as the first European software-defined vehicle, now with a major upgrade to its core computing system that is the foundation. The NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin processor replaces the previous Xavier unit, increasing processing power from 30 to 254 trillion operations per second (TOPS). This leap with more than eight times increase in computing power enables faster, more intelligent management of active safety systems, battery performance, and sensor data.

In line with Polestar’s commitment to continuous improvement, this hardware upgrade will also be offered as a complimentary retrofit to all existing Polestar 3 customers, with upgrades of customer cars planned to start in the beginning of 2026.

Options and pack structure

The 2026 model year introduces a new trim level structure: Polestar 3 Rear motor, Dual motor, and Performance—replacing the previous naming convention and making a clearer distinction between versions. Part of the set-up is an optimised battery size for the entry level Rear motor and active air suspension now becoming optional for the Dual motor, while remaining as standard on the Performance variant. These trim levels will also be expressed through the seatbelt design, with solid black for Rear motor, black with Swedish gold stripe for Dual motor, and belts in full Swedish gold for the Performance version, reinforcing its position as the most powerful expression of Polestar 3.

A revised pack and options strategy make it easier for customers to tailor their car. The new Climate pack includes heated rear seats, steering wheel, and front wiper blades. The new Prime pack option bundles together Pilot, Plus, and Climate packs in combination with rear privacy glass. Audio system Bowers & Wilkins for Polestar, with headrest speakers and active road noise cancellation, is now offered both as a single option and as part of the Plus pack.

Design is updated with the new exterior colour option Storm, a dark grey metallic that replaces Thunder, and the door text graphics are updated to now include model variant and a larger font for the Polestar 3 name. Inside, the standard upholstery is upgraded to Bio-attributed Microtech in Charcoal with repurposed aluminium deco that previously was an optional extra.

The upgraded Polestar 3 will go on sale first in the UK due to high demand and the previous model year being sold out in that market. Other markets will follow at a later date.
 
#11 · (Edited)
damn. so I wonder what that does to the 10-80% time on a 400V charger?

it's disappointing that they went with a DC-to-DC converter here, rather than a split pack design. and I wonder if the same will be true for the next-generation SPA3 cars.

edit: and it occurs to me that this makes the MY25 cars a somewhat better value - for US buyers anyway - because they can DC charge faster! irl. simply because most of the dependable infrastructure we've got is 400V.
 
#32 ·
i must say i like Polestar's philosophy of extensive tech improvement while keeping continuity with a well result in design.
i feel it's a more substantial approach than the usual "facelift" with the crome detail or the tinted spoiler.

anyway, i still don't understand why in dual motor versions it's not possible for the user to switch either motor.
why can't i choose if i want a low power but easy and efficient FWD, a sporty and tail happy RWD, or a safe and full trust 4WD?
why don't they give us a simple button on the display?
 
#36 ·
Because the one motor is permanent magnet and cannot be disconnected or disengaged (without a mechanical clutch) because the magnets are always exerting magnetic force in opposition to rotation when not powered. And the other is asynchronous meaning it doesn’t have electromagnetic drag when not powered.
 
#57 ·
measured in 1/32 of an inch :) Or the height of Abe Lincoln’s forehead on a penny
yes, but how many football fields?
🤣


designers often prefer feet and inches over meters. which makes sense if you have ever tried to lay something out on paper. even European naval architects, for example, still turn out boats measured in "feet". hint: it has to do with divisibility.
well, this may be a problem as A&W learned the hard way. 😄

the great advantage of metric system is that everything is connected.
1 kg is 1 liter of water, 1 liter is 1 dm3 of volume... etc.

aside from Americans i haven't seen a single designer that prefer inches over meters.
many engineers even prefer base 100 for time measurements instead of the base 60.
with some reason i'd say, since Babylonians are quite dead...
(here, Breitling keeping the base 100 measure scale on their Chronomat:
Image

)

boats length is a traditional way of defining it in a very specific environment (but everywhere in boat spec sheet is reported the metric length), as is for aeronautics where we still measure altitude in feet (except in Russia). but anything else is metric, from runway length to fuel loads.
then there's miles. nautical ones. not those decided by a king.
ironically the "connection" thing is the reason why nautical miles are still used instead of metric: 1 nautical mile is 1' of latitude, which comes handy while navigating a round thing.
 
#59 ·
Bit miffed the 26 has way more HP and looks a better proposition than the original. May ask what I need to do to swap out in the scheme I am in.
wait 2 years?

one thing I noticed for the first time. Polestar now offers a "loyalty discount" on new leases.

aside from Americans i haven't seen a single designer that prefer inches over meters.
it was actually a British yacht designer who told me different. A special case I suppose, but it's telling which way somebody goes when they can freely choose either standard.

and. like I said. it makes complete sense to me. it's a pita to try and divide 10 by 3 (well nigh impossible, in fact). but likely it's more than that, the units of feet and inches are of a "human" standard. ergonomics are key for yachts - they are all about the human environment. and why I think arguments for degrees F also make intuitive sense, they were originated to human scale.

so. yeah. you bring up engineers. sure. scientists as well. certainly. degrees K, all the way. ;-)
 
#61 ·
it's a pita to try and divide 10 by 3 (well nigh impossible, in fact).
well, just divide it by 2 then... 😂
seriously, why dividing by 3 should be more important than dividing by 5, for example.

but likely it's more than that, the units of feet and inches are of a "human" standard. ergonomics are key for yachts - they are all about the human environment. and why I think arguments for degrees F also make intuitive sense, they were originated to human scale.
which is exactly the reason behind the birth of IS.
"human" standards are volatile and variable. my foot is not your foot, my inch is not your inch.
and even if it's exactly the same dimension, how should it be measured? starting from the nail, from the skin, from the bone?
the roman base feet was not even measured on a feet but on a step.
in almost every European middle age church is carved the set of "human standard measures" that were to be used in the market gathered in that single square every week.

i really can't understand how is this still debatable in 2025, haven't we lost enough space probes for this nonsense?
😊
 
#62 · (Edited)
of course the step up to the 2026 with 800V seems like a big one. And I suppose it is. but I guess that's just the nature of things.

It was interesting, and more than a bit puzzling, a couple months ago when Lohsheller blurted out something about a 900V Polestar 7. Which was hard to understand, given it will be built on the 800V SPA3 platform. But here is a 900V (Geely sibling) car. with very impressive specs and packing industry leading battery technology. Although will it still be leading edge in 2028? maybe not so much, but probably good enough!

"The entire series comes standard with a 900V platform, compared to the previous 800V platform.
  • RWD: a 370 kW (489 hp) electric motor, 103 kWh CATL Qilin Battery, 810 km CLTC range, 6C fast charging rate, 10 minutes to recharge battery from 10% to 80%, 4.98 seconds of 0 to 100 km/h acceleration time
  • AWD: an additional 310 kW (416 hp) front electric motor, 680 kW (912 hp) system power, 95 kWh Golden Brick Battery or 103 kWh CATL Qilin Battery, 710 km or 762 km CLTC range
The 95 kWh capacity variant supports 12C fast charging, and takes 7 minutes to recharge the battery from 10% to 80%. "