[toscal353]

Received the following from Polestar this morning. Clarifying here is no phone key, OTA updates, pre-conditioning or App functions until next year:

Dear​ Thank you for supporting Polestar in this exciting start-up phase of our brand. Some customers have asked for more information on feature updates. We’re sorry for our lack of clear communication on this topic. New technology presents new opportunities, and should enhance the user experience. If it doesn’t, it isn’t ready yet. A few of our promised features are delayed: Digital Key, Over-The-Air update compatibility, in-car scheduling of preconditioning and the vehicle remote functions in the Polestar app. These need further development before they are entirely ready for you. Right now, we expect feature updates to be made available from the end of this year. As soon as these features are available, we will contact you with the details you need for your Polestar 2 to receive the relevant upgrade, which will happen at a Polestar authorised service point. Many of you have shared your joy of driving the first Polestar 2 models in the world and we’re so happy you’re enjoying your driving experience. We recognise that some of the very first cars we’ve delivered are experiencing teething problems and it’s our top priority to address these matters and provide solutions as quickly as possible. Should you experience any difficulties or simply have questions, please reach out to Polestar support for guidance. We want you to know that you count. We hear you and we want to improve through your experiences and feedback. Your satisfaction is our top priority.​

 

[GDank]

If it releases bug free and it's easy to get the update, then OK.

If it's released and a complete buggy mess, takes ages to do the update at the service centre, and a pain in the a*** .... then it's a PR Nightmare for them.

IMHO they should have released now with bugs, as most people would be understanding. The one feature I don't get why it's missing is the OTA updates ... seems very strange to leave this out. I wounder if it's the google interface that the problem.

 

[Guyownscar]

In the US you are charged for towing beyond 150 miles to the “space”. It will be interesting to see how they handle this software update given I live more than 150 miles from NY. There is no way I will be paying them to provide me with an update for this stuff.

 

[GDank]

My only real problem is no pre-heating in the winter is going to be a pain and defiantly going affect range this December (hopefully not January!)

 

[polerad]

In the US you are charged for towing beyond 150 miles to the “space”. It will be interesting to see how they handle this software update given I live more than 150 miles from NY. There is no way I will be paying them to provide me with an update for this stuff.

Feel like there's another call to Mike/Alane coming.....

If I were in your shoes, I'd plainly get them to say in writing that they would cover the costs of the services needed for anything that would fall within the warranty provisions and to enable OTA updates at the least, given how that's been advertised from the start.

 

[toscal353]

In the US you are charged for towing beyond 150 miles to the “space”

Why do you need to tow, not sure i follow this? Presumably if you drive to the space they will plug you in for 20 minutes to top up? Least the could do.
I wonder if Polestar will have their own version of the Tesla Ranger who can come to you, plug in the laptop for 10 minutes, and job done! (I somehow doubt it)

 

[Guyownscar]

Well that’s the issue. I’m not driving 200 miles (and then back) to get a software update. So they will need to pick it up and I am told that is only free up to 150 miles from the nearest space.

I doubt mike knows. I asked twitter dude and will see what I hear.

 

[ProfessorCook]

Why do you need to tow, not sure i follow this? Presumably if you drive to the space they will plug you in for 20 minutes to top up? Least the could do.
I wonder if Polestar will have their own version of the Tesla Ranger who can come to you, plug in the laptop for 10 minutes, and job done! (I somehow doubt it)

I wouldn't doubt it at all!

 

[whiteco3]

My only real problem is no pre-heating in the winter is going to be a pain and defiantly going affect range this December (hopefully not January!)

I assumed it meant no preconditioning from the app yet (not even an app yet!) , but setting the preconditioning from within the car with timers is possible now? If the timers work, that should be handy enough for regular commuting times, until the app comes along

 

[PolestarMG]

IMHO they should have released now with bugs, as most people would be understanding. The one feature I don't get why it's missing is the OTA updates ... seems very strange to leave this out. I wounder if it's the google interface that the problem.

With due respect to our difference of opinion on this (definitely hear you here!), I really prefer that what goes out the door is fully baked. It’s one of the reasons I’m not super keen on Tesla and chose this alternative. While it sucks to not have all the initially promised software ready at the same time as the rest of the vehicle, I think the right compromises are being made. The hardest decision a company can make is not to ship something that isn’t ready, especially if it can be patched later. It’s very tempting to check that box. But you pay for it in reputation. If these cars aren’t solid, Polestar has little chance in the marketplace. I appreciate the solution that allows customers to enjoy the (apparently excellently manufactured) car now without delaying the hardware, and improving the experience over time as features are truly ready for us. This is a design-led company, and that means they care about delivering something wonderful for us as opposed to just delivering something.

 

[GDank]

If it comes out perfect then all will be forgiven. If it still comes out a mess of bugs and issues then the wrath of facebook will it receive .

 

[thewallaby]

Yeah , i am so happy i sent a cancellation request.... it will take two weeks to confirm but all this seems to me like a pretty mess i do not want in my life right now. I just want a car that runs and i dont have to visit the service centre once a month. I am done with them. For me all this shows that Polestar, exactly like Tesla, is a 100% kick-starter company.
Good luck to you all.

 

[Steve The Techy]

If it releases bug free and it's easy to get the update, then OK.

If it's released and a complete buggy mess, takes ages to do the update at the service centre, and a pain in the a*** .... then it's a PR Nightmare for them.

IMHO they should have released now with bugs, as most people would be understanding. The one feature I don't get why it's missing is the OTA updates ... seems very strange to leave this out. I wounder if it's the google interface that the problem.

They very probably don't want alot of bricked PS² cars around. Would be very awkward if the OTA update disabled a whole set of cars. Bad enough when it occurs to a phone.

 

[thewallaby]

Yeah, give more excuses to them. Next time you buy a fridge and it is not cooling down your food and you get salmonella or something from warm chicken just say, hey i bet they will fix this at a future update... EV fans will excuse pretty much anything these days. Sorry, i did not find the 60k i will pay for the car on the street, not i got it from a bank, or my dad. I had to work my ass of and i do not accept that any stunt-company will take it, promise me a product and deliver something completely else. At this moment i am considering contacting the state customer authorities to report Polestar for false advertising. They are still advertising OTA, keyless access from phone, phone app like it is activated and working just fine on their website and then spread mails like that laughing at your face cause now you paid already.... what a scam. Please, give me more excuses like bricked cars and crap.... please. Cause i havent upgraded 100.000 devices in my life and i do not know that the chance of bricking a hardware is 0,2% about the same that current cars are sitting on the streets bricked without the OTA upgrade.

Stop with the excuses please. It is enough. I heard them all at Tesla. I did not order a Polestar for the same mumbo jumbo. At this point i am thinking that everyone that finds excuses with this absurd situation is probably employed by Polestar to calm down people in forums like this so they do not make a lot of noise.

Please. Stop. It is ridiculous at this point.

 

[polerad]

Admins, can we get emoji reactions for the forum a la Slack?
Am in need of a " " button

 

[PolestarMG]

Yeah, give more excuses to them. Next time you buy a fridge and it is not cooling down your food and you get salmonella or something from warm chicken just say, hey i bet they will fix this at a future update... EV fans will excuse pretty much anything these days. Sorry, i did not find the 60k i will pay for the car on the street, not i got it from a bank, or my dad. I had to work my ass of and i do not accept that any stunt-company will take it, promise me a product and deliver something completely else. At this moment i am considering contacting the state customer authorities to report Polestar for false advertising. They are still advertising OTA, keyless access from phone, phone app like it is activated and working just fine on their website and then spread mails like that laughing at your face cause now you paid already.... what a scam. Please, give me more excuses like bricked cars and crap.... please. Cause i havent upgraded 100.000 devices in my life and i do not know that the chance of bricking a hardware is 0,2% about the same that current cars are sitting on the streets bricked without the OTA upgrade.

Stop with the excuses please. It is enough. I heard them all at Tesla. I did not order a Polestar for the same mumbo jumbo. At this point i am thinking that everyone that finds excuses with this absurd situation is probably employed by Polestar to calm down people in forums like this so they do not make a lot of noise.

Please. Stop. It is ridiculous at this point.

OK, you’ve canceled your order and clearly feel entitled so some features that won’t be ready on Day 1. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you and hope you find transportation that fits your needs. As someone who doesn’t plan to purchase and isn’t a brand enthusiast, is your intention to now hang around this forum and troll Polestar owners? Because it’s going to get tiresome, friend-o.

 

[element927]

If it releases bug free and it's easy to get the update, then OK.

If it's released and a complete buggy mess, takes ages to do the update at the service centre, and a pain in the a*** .... then it's a PR Nightmare for them.

IMHO they should have released now with bugs, as most people would be understanding. The one feature I don't get why it's missing is the OTA updates ... seems very strange to leave this out. I wounder if it's the google interface that the problem.

OTA updates are a pain in the butt to engineer. I'm an engineer/product manager in the auto industry (1 big traditional OEM and 2 EV startups) and there is so much that could prevent OTA from being rolled out. Everything from getting sourced modules to implement the correct cybersecurity protocols, all the way to poor user experience around scheduling OTA could be the cause. So many factors to consider.

 

[thewallaby]

OK, you’ve canceled your order and clearly feel entitled so some features that won’t be ready on Day 1. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you and hope you find transportation that fits your needs. As someone who doesn’t plan to purchase and isn’t a brand enthusiast, is your intention to now hang around this forum and troll Polestar owners? Because it’s going to get tiresome, friend-o.

I will repeat: Stop with the excuses please.
Want to silence me because i do not praise Polestar after this? Wow... that's really democratic of you. Don't worry I won't be posting anymore, i do not have a Polestar like you elegantly pointed out, good friend'o.
Good luck all, with your current and future purchases.

 

[polerad]

If I might reorient us a bit....

What are the biggest bugs or missing features at the moment?
As far as I can tell looking at the forums (ordered by my own priority) :

• OTA updates
• Charging % limits not consistently (maybe issue of specific chargers?)
• App to help with preconditioning and coordinating charging
• Phone as key
• 12 V battery (solved?)
• Headlight alignment (solved?)

Anything else?
For me phone-as-key is a somewhat minor thing, a nice-to-have not need-to-have.
And the app is definitely helpful and promised, but also a matter of convenience.
OTA I see as critical, especially for the folks >150 mi from service centers in the US. Polestar should guarantee covering service calls until reliable OTA updates are made available.

It does look like Polestar is responding more regularly on twitter at least. So hopefully the 'bug' of poor communication is also getting solved!

 

[Steve The Techy]

OTA updates are a pain in the butt to engineer. I'm an engineer/product manager in the auto industry (1 big traditional OEM and 2 EV startups) and there is so much that could prevent OTA from being rolled out. Everything from getting sourced modules to implement the correct cybersecurity protocols, all the way to poor user experience around scheduling OTA could be the cause. So many factors to consider.

My feeling and I maybe I am certainly way wrong, is that the OTA updates are not available, is because Google hasn't provided reliable firmware for this yet.