Polestar has revealed its first last-mile delivery vehicle at the 2021 Munich auto show. Called the Polestar Re: Move, this working prototype is the result of a collaboration by a consortium of companies focusing on design, mobility, and sustainability answering the call for surging home delivery demands. Announced in early 2021, this project is codeveloped with celebrated industrial designer Konstantin Grcic. It eventually became the start of a new initiative for a vehicle to serve in last-mile delivery.
“The passion and expertise our partners have brought to this project show the power of great design,” said Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar. “Electrifying vehicles is the start point, not the end game. Our engineers have proved that this kind of open collaboration will accelerate innovation and the shift to truly sustainable mobility.”
At 29 inches wide, the Polestar Re: Move is ideal for space-constrained areas and can carry up to 400 pounds of payload. The chassis is made of aluminum with minimal carbon content and has an electric tilt function that enables it to lean into turns for better stability and maneuverability. Its frame uses composite covers instead of plastic or flax-based ones. This also reduces its turning circle to less than 23 feet. It features disc brakes and a dampened rear swing arm to reduce fatigue and improve rider comfort. The Re: Move also features always-on lighting for improved forward visibility while brake lights and optional indicators and horn ensure that the vehicle is visible in traffic and to pedestrians.
“Good design is inherently sustainable design. Everyone involved in this distinctive project shares the belief that purity can be a driver for sustainability,” says Konstantin Grcic, Designer of the Re: Move. “Over the last year we have worked together, engineers and designers, to create a versatile solution that has never lost sight of its purpose. Ultimately, its design is all the better for it.”
The Re: Move features a 2.2-kWh battery pack and electric motor sourced from CAKE and a top speed of 15 mph, which is in line with the average e-bike. It is built specifically to replace delivery vans in the city to improve traffic flow and to bring cargo to rural areas that don’t have a fully developed infrastructure. Bjørn Kjetil Mauritzen, Head of Sustainability at Hydro, notes that we should be striving to minimize the number of vehicles running on fossil fuels on the streets to reduce harmful emissions and particulates in the air.
Since the Re: Move was developed during a pandemic, Polestar and its partners, which included CAKE, Hydro, and Grcic, worked virtually. All contributors used online tools extensively to keep the program on track. The result is a fully recyclable vehicle made with renewable energy.
Polestar and its partners hope that the Re: Move starts a new discussion with regards to mobility and the urban infrastructure. The company is already aiming to build a carbon-neutral vehicle by 2030 through its Polestar 0 project. It recently revealed that it will add sustainability declarations that disclose a vehicle’s carbon footprint and trace risk materials. Those statements, which can be found on the brand’s website, will expand with new details later on as it moves closer to its goal. Polestar currently builds its vehicles in facilities powered by sustainable energy. The Polestar 2 interior consists solely of plant-based and recycled materials.
