Polestar invests in fast-charging battery development

Electric vehicle maker Polestar has announced it is investing in the Israel-based StoreDot, a start-up developing silicon-dominant fast-charging batteries.

For Polestar, the promise of being able to utilise batteries which can be charged for an additional 160 kilometres of driving range in five minutes would be a game-changer – a goal which StoreDot hopes to achieve by 2024.

Sweden-based, but Chinese-owned, EV manufacturer Polestar will collaborate with StoreDot by adapting and applying the technology to its cars, having already implemented the battery tech in proof-of-concept vehicles before potentially rolling them out for customers in the coming years.

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“Polestar can help shape the development of new battery technology for the automotive industry and provide invaluable insights from the perspective of a brand focused on performance and sustainability,” said Polestar CEO, Thomas Ingenlath.

“Charging and [driving] range anxiety are common concerns holding owners of combustion engine cars back from making the switch to EVs. StoreDot’s advanced battery technology potentially provides real solutions to these obstacles.

"If our current pilot projects with StoreDot are successful, we could see these solutions being implemented in Polestar cars by 2026."

Polestar is now an EV-only manufacturer, having launched the Polestar 2 internationally last year, while the Polestar 3 SUV and Polestar 5 sedan are yet to be officially launched.

The Polestar 2 is the carmaker's sole offering in Australia, having been introduced to the local market at the start of the year and jumping to third place in the April sales charts.