Polestar began sending out a major software update to its vehicles, bringing Google Gemini into the cabin. It replaces the older Google Assistant with a much smarter artificial intelligence. Starting in the United States, drivers no longer have to talk to their cars like they are barking orders at a robot.

Until recently, using voice commands in a car was quite clunky. You had to memorize specific phrases. If you wanted to find a store, you had to say exactly the right words. If you stumbled over a sentence, the car would get confused. Polestar and Google are now ending that era. With the new Gemini system, drivers can use “free-flowing conversation.” This means you can talk to your car just like you would talk to another person sitting in the seat next to you.

The update arrives through an “over-the-air” or OTA update. Owners of eligible electric cars will see a message pop up on the large screen in the middle of their dashboard. They can choose to accept the new AI or keep the old system for a while. However, Polestar says that over time, Gemini will completely take over. Currently, the update is available for drivers in the US who use American English, but the company plans to add more languages and countries very soon.

Most of the brand’s lineup will get the update. This includes the popular Polestar 2, the large Polestar 3 SUV, and the sleek Polestar 4. Even the upcoming Polestar 5 grand tourer is part of the update. In fact, Polestar used the Polestar 5 to show off the technology at an event in Finland recently. The only model missing out is the Polestar 1. Because that car was a low-volume hybrid and not a mass-produced EV, it does not have the hardware needed for this specific update.

One of the best things about this change is how the car understands complicated thoughts. In the past, you might say, “Hey Google, find a supermarket.” Now, you can be much more specific. You can say, “Hey Google, let’s find a store on the way home, and tell my friend Joe I am coming.” The car understands that you have two different goals. It finds the best route and sends a text message at the same time. You do not have to start a new search if you forget a small detail. The AI remembers what you were talking about and can answer follow-up questions.

There is also a new tool called Gemini Live. You can start it by saying, “Hey Google, let’s talk.” This is a hands-free way to get help with daily life while you drive. If you are stuck in traffic and need a dinner recipe or ideas for a birthday present, you can brainstorm with the car. It listens and responds in a way that feels natural, helping drivers keep their eyes on the road instead of looking at their phones for help. The AI also helps break down language barriers. The system can now translate messages instantly. For example, a driver can speak a message in English and tell the car to translate it into Swedish before sending it.

The update is part of a long partnership between Polestar and Google that started in 2018. In 2020, the Polestar 2 became the very first car in the world to launch with Google’s car software built in. Other companies like Tesla try to build all their own software from scratch, but Polestar decided to work with Google, allowing them to get new features faster. One recent example is “Live Lane Guidance” for the Polestar 4. This feature uses the car’s cameras to help drivers stay in the correct lane on busy highways. It requires software version 4.2.9 or 4.2.10.

Hans Bleckert, a top manager at Polestar, says this is a huge shift in how people use their EVs. He believes that this is just the beginning of what AI can do for drivers. Michael Lohscheller, who leads the Polestar brand, is also pushing for these digital upgrades to make their electric cars feel more modern. By focusing on how humans actually speak, Polestar is making the car feel less like a tool and more like a helpful partner.

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A SURVEY conducted by Polestar in Australia has found that EV owners can save nearly $100 per month on fuel compared to internal combustion vehicle drivers and that most motorists do not take journeys long enough to warrant genuine range anxiety concerns based on the average WLTP range of its model line-up.

 

Data was collected from 1015 Australian motorists via an online survey between 22 December 2025 and 20 January 2026. This included 810 ICE vehicle owners and 205 EV owners.

 

Crucially, Polestar noted in a media release that the survey took place prior to recent fuel price spikes caused by conflict in the Middle East.

 

The survey found that 62 per cent of EV owners are spending under $100 per month on recharging their vehicles, with a median monthly recharging cost of $60.

 

Meanwhile, petrol, diesel, and hybrid vehicle owners had a median monthly refuelling cost of $150.

 

Following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, these savings are likely to be even more significant, with national average retail petrol prices sitting at 240.1 cents per litre as of 5 April compared to 171 cents per litre on 22 February, according to data from the Australian Institute of Petroleum.

 

The data also revealed that 84 per cent of motorists drive up to 300km per week, with a median driving distance of 158km per week. The longest journey taken by most respondents within the previous year (72 per cent) was under 500km.

 

For reference, the average WLTP driving range of Polestar’s Australian model line-up is 605km. The shortest quoted WLTP range for any Polestar model offered locally is the Polestar 5 Performance at 558km while its standard Dual motor sibling is the portfolio range-leader at 678km.

 

Of course, not all Australian EV owners enjoy driving distances in-excess of 550km.

 

The BYD Atto 1 Essential model – the cheapest battery electric vehicle offered locally with a price tag of $23,990 before on-road costs – has a WLTP driving range of 220km. However, this is still significantly further than the 158km weekly median driving distance and 73.3 per cent of 300km weekly driving distance of most respondents.

 

“High oil prices are not the problem; they are the reality of a volatile system. Electric cars change that. The cost base is lower, more stable and increasingly local,” said Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller.

 

“What used to be range anxiety is quickly becoming pump anxiety. People are moving away from unpredictable fuel costs to predictable electricity.”

 

Polestar will soon offer even greater choice for consumers looking to make the switch away from internal combustion power into an electric vehicle.

 

Earlier this year, Polestar announced a four-model expansion of its global portfolio within three years, with these new vehicles also slated for Australia.

 

These models include the Polestar 5 sedan, a new Polestar 4 SUV variant, the second-generation Polestar 2 liftback, and the yet-to-be-unveiled Polestar 7 compact SUV.

 

Australian deliveries of the Polestar 5 are expected to commence later this year, followed by the new Polestar 4 variant and the second-gen Polestar 2 in 2027, and the Polestar 7 in 2028.

 

Swedish electric carmaker Polestar has once again delivered on its commitment to publish the full carbon footprint of every vehicle in its lineup, and says the cradle-to-gate carbon footprint of its Polestar 5 four-door GT measured in at 23.8 tonnes of CO2-equivalent.

Polestar is the first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to publish the full carbon footprint of every vehicle in its lineup, part of the company’s efforts to provide customers with greater transparency about the climate impact of the cars that they drive.

The Polestar 5 four-door GT – soon to be released in Australia – boasts a range of up to 678 kilometres (WLTP) and, in its dual-motor variant, up to 650kW of power and acceleration from 0-100km/h of just 3.2 seconds.

But it’s the car’s manufacturing process in the spotlight here, boasting a cradle-to-grave carbon footprint of 23.8 tonnes of CO2-equivalent (tCO2e).

According to Polestar’s analysis, 60 per cent of the cradle-to-gate climate impact is due to the materials used in the vehicle’s production, which excludes the battery modules. A smidge over 50 per cent of the materials emissions comes from aluminium, with steel and iron accounting for another 17 per cent.

The lithium-ion battery modules accounted for 29 per cent of a single car’s emissions, with logistics (10 per cent) and manufacturing rounding out the list.

In Polestar’s estimation, the climate impact of the battery is relatively low due to the use of 100 per cent renewable electricity in the production of the anode and cathode active materials and in the cell production of the battery modules.

Importantly, to account for the huge impact aluminium has on the car’s emissions during production, 13 per cent of the aluminium used is recycled and 83 per cent comes from smelters powered by renewable electricity.

As a result, Polestar has been able to avoid 14 tCO2e per car compared with conventional aluminium sourcing.

Other emissions savings were made with the use of innovative materials in the car’s interior, such as natural fibre composites and recycled materials.

The full vehicle life cycle, which includes cradle-to-gate and then a further 200,000 kilometres driving plus end-of-life treatment, works out to 28.5 tCO₂e using the European electricity mix, but skyrockets to 38.6 tCO2e if manufacturing were to rely on the global electricity mix.

“You cannot reduce what you don’t measure,” said Fredrika Klarén, head of sustainability at Polestar.

“Making the carbon footprint of a car visible helps focus the industry on where emissions occur, particularly in materials and manufacturing. That transparency is essential if we want to scale the low-carbon materials, renewable energy and circular solutions needed to reduce the climate impact of cars.”

The full Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) for the Polestar 5, available in full here, is based on the 2026 model year, the car’s first model year, and has been critically reviewed by British engineering services firm Ricardo.

The Polestar 5 is currently available in Australia with a hefty price tag in excess of $185,000, and up to nearly $210,000 for the Performance – Launch edition.

POLESTAR has clarified its financial position following a recent report suggesting $A900m in funds from parent company Geely were offered as a lifeline.

 

Speaking at the launch of the MY26 Polestar 2 in Melbourne this week, Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard told GoAuto the sum was offered as an investment in the company’s future, and will be used to support ongoing business operations, as well as further engineering, research and development.

 

“Any brand that starts from scratch and takes on a global footprint would not be expected to make money in its first five years, neither should ours, and neither will ours,” he said.

 

“I think our expectations on profitability and returns need to be realistic, and I think that’s one of the changes that have been implemented by Michael Lohscheller (Polestar’s new CEO) in statements to the market and how that should be set up.

 

“Of course, that has created some changes that need to be responded to, and I think we (Polestar) have responded to it well.

 

“That investment made by Geely is just that, an investment. It’s not a lifeline but rather finance pushed into the Polestar brand.

 

“There has been debt that has been turned into equity, and that investment has been secured by the brand, not to ensure its survival, but rather to give it cash flow to continue growing, to invest in R&D, and to invest in all of the things that are required to make the company grow.

 

While Mr Maynard’s comments suggest part of the $A900m Geely loan would be used to bolster research and development for the brand, it is noted that Polestar recently closed its final UK R&D facility, taking with it 130 full-time jobs.

 

Mr Maynard said that particular closure was part of a planned strategy related solely to development of the forthcoming Polestar 5, and that European research and development would continue to remain a part of the brand’s evolution.

 

“That (closure of the UK R&D facility) really does need to be held in context,” he stated.

 

“The R&D team that was assembled in the UK were assembled strictly for one purpose only, and that was the very special project of Polestar 5.

 

“The Polestar 5 sits on a platform all of its own. It’s got in-house developed motors, and it’s completely unique to anything that’s been done before by Polestar – and it is not a platform that will find its way into any other car in the range.

 

“With that work done, and the car now in production, there’s simply not a need for that (UK) facility, and so by necessity, that facility has been closed out.

 

When pressed as to whether ongoing research and development of Polestar models would continue in Europe or be carried out by Geely in China, Mr Maynard told GoAuto that Sweden will remain as part of what he described as an expanded global footprint.

 

“There is a really strong R&D team based in Sweden that will run (that portion of the business) for Europe,” he clarified.

 

“We also saw some of the work done on our Polestar 5 here in Australia … so we’ll still draw engineering resources from across the world.

 

“We’ve got an expanded manufacturing footprint that now sees us building cars in Busan in South Korea, and our Polestar 7 will be built in Europe, so that will come with the facility to have engineering and R&D resources in those spots.

 

“And we’ll continue to draw on the R&D might of the Geely group and some of the platform development we have there – but those cars will still be fine-tuned and finessed in Sweden.

 

Mr Maynard said that he “did not have visibility” on when Polestar was expected to turn a profit, both he and head office were pleased with the brand’s performance in the Australian market.

 

“Among a 27-market network, Australia sits inside the top 10,” he stated.

 

“Australia is punching above its weight in comparison to most manufacturers … so, we’re in a really good spot with our global partners – they like us.

 

Visit GoAuto again soon to read our Australian launch review of the 2026 Polestar 2 range.

 

POLESTAR Australia says it has already received several purchase offers for its New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) credits, but that any proceeds from such a transaction will be coordinated and held globally.

 

The NVES model allows the trading of CO2 credits between high emitting OEMs (such as those with a diesel-only range) and low emitting OEMs (including EV-only importers such as Polestar) to assist the former in reducing its Final Emissions Value, thereby avoiding, or at least minimising, any penalty that might be accrued.

 

With fleet-wide penalties of up to $100 per gram per kilometre of CO2 enforced against a predetermined cap (which becomes more stringent annually), there are several vehicle importers that could benefit from Polestar’s credits, including the likes of Ford and Isuzu that offer diesel-centric line-ups.

 

Speaking at the launch of the MY26 Polestar 2 in Melbourne this week, Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard said that while a number of importers had offered to purchase Polestar’s NVES credits, the decision on where these will be sold – and how the proceeds will be allocated – rests largely with head office in Sweden.

 

“We have had a couple offers (and) there is certainly interest in our credits and our ability to pass them through,” he outlined.

 

“There are a couple of brands that we are actively in conversation with that we would be happy to transact with … but a decision has not been taken on that yet.

 

“We haven’t got a final call on whether that would be disclosed,” he said in relation to which OEMs have shown interest in purchasing Polestar NVES credits.

 

“The coordination of NVES credits will be managed globally. It will still be attributed as a market earning – so (the funds) will be attributed to the Australian market – but it will be coordinated and held globally.

 

Mr Maynard said that while Polestar Australia could use its input to decide which OEM is deemed worthy of the receipt of its NVES credits, that the final say will again fall to Polestar head office.

 

“Locally, we will have input, we will have an opinion, but the final say will go to global,” he stated.

 

“That’s because there will be certain global partnerships that they will be coordinating, and I would expect to be asked to respect some of those, if it’s the right business that they want to work with.

 

The NVES came into effect on 1 January 2025 with a six-month grace period meaning OEMs were not fined until 1 July last year. From that point, emissions were penalised at a rate of $100 for every gram per kilometre of CO2 each vehicle sold is over the mandated limit.

 

Those fines are passed onto new car buyers in most cases via the increase of a vehicle’s list price, while others work to strike a deal with importers of ‘greener’ vehicles who are issued CO2 credits that may be sold on to higher-emitting marques.

 

Visit GoAuto again soon to read our Australian launch review of the 2026 Polestar 2 range.