CNH237E drives a Polestar 2 Plus RWD 79kWh 2024
This is CNH237E’s first EV and they’ve owned the Polestar 2 less than a year. They drive 30,000-40,000 miles annually and the current mileage of the car is between 10,000-15,000 miles. They achieve 250 miles range on average, from an 80% charge. The car also had a panoramic roof.
Why did you choose this car?
It was allocated to me as a company car. I had no choice on make, model, spec or colour as it was going spare in the fleet.
Positives
It was a half decent looking car. Better than the vast majority of EVs.
Negatives
- The range
- Inaccuracy of the range
- Excessive time it takes to recharge
- Excessive costs incurred with charging it at public chargers (it was actually MORE expensive to recharge it)
- Inability to communicate with chargers
- Additional 60+ mins it added to each of my 2 x 300 mile one way trips I made every week
- The fact I was now dictated to as to where I could stop on those 300 mile trips because of the need to recharge, as the car was incapable of making the trip without a charge. Gone was the rustic farm shop café with relaxing rolling countryside views from its patio area and in came 60 mins waiting at Cambridge or Peterborough Services car park with mostly only junk food on offer.
- Frequency it would stop charging mid charge for zero reason
- Colour – flat primer grey (hideously, mind numbingly boring)
- Was very uncomfortable to drive for 2 reasons:
- 1. The width of the centre console unit and material it was made out of made my knee hurt
- 2. The driver’s seat could not go back far enough resulting in severe pain in my left hip. It’s taken 6 months for that pain to go away.
- It was impossible to play music stored on my phone through the infotainment system, despite the phone being paired with the car and capable of sending/receiving calls
- Cost of replacement tyres, one failed catastrophically after only 10k miles of use and it cost more to replace than 5 on one of my ICE vehicles.
Compared to when you first bought the car, does your battery still charge at the same rate & do you still get the same range?
Terrible. In 4 months of use, 100% battery dropped from 340 (indicated) miles to only 310 (indicated) miles. Actual achievable mileage was only approx. 260-270 in reality, so it ‘lost’ 70 miles for zero reason.
Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?
Flat tyre, horrific price to replace. Dealer took 5 days to repair, as it was recovered to my local Volvo dealer.
What are the standout technological features of the car?
Remote central locking. That and whilst I wasted my life waiting for the thing to recharge multiple times a week, I could watch Amazon Prime Video on the infotainment system.
Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about your Polestar 2
It can be extremely uncomfortable to drive for those 6ft+ tall.
What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?
None, the Polestar has already gone. I will not be acquiring another EV until I have both lost the will to live and no longer gain any enjoyment from driving.
Home charging unit
Pod Point – plug and charge, no issues.
Electricity supplier & tariff
EDF Pod Point EV tariff – No issues and their app is great, 7 hours cheap rate, it’s the best.
Insurance
Admiral – no issues.
What public charging networks would you recommend to others and why?
IONITY seems to be good(ish) but using this 100% of the time does mean it’s more expensive to recharge than it is to refuel an ICE that can achieve approx. 60mpg. Also, IONITY locations can be sparse in certain areas of the country, forcing the use of Gridserve or Osprey, both of which are a total rip off. IONITY chargers can be unreliable, too.
Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running a Polestar 2
No, it cost me approx. £7-10 MORE per 200 miles driven to ‘refuel’ than its ICE predecessor. The associated BIK tax is less than an ICE, so a saving could be made there, I suppose. What was most expensive was the excessive amount of my personal time it consumed to keep it going whilst I was away from home, which was 5-6 days out of every 7. Having an EV immediately made a 5.5-6 hour trip into a 7 hour trip (which I made 2 x week).
