Polestar has published a report detailing the carbon footprint of its Polestar 2 range and has called for greater transparency on the environmental impact of car production.

The Swedish EV-maker believes the car industry should be a driving force in the shift to sustainable mobility, and that transparency is a key enabler.

Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) consider a range of factors in a car’s life cycle, from supply to manufacture to recycling, and summarise this climate impact in one number.

Polestar says “this enables consumers to make quick and educated decisions when buying a car”.

The brand already displays the CO2e footprint and traced risk materials of the launch version of Polestar 2 through its Product Sustainability Declaration (CO2e accounts for carbon dioxide and all the other gases as well: methane, nitrous oxide, and others).

The declaration will now be updated to include the new single motor versions of Polestar 2, making it easier for consumers to consider the climate impact of different variants, along with price and range.

Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar chief executive, said: “Carmakers need to take full responsibility. 

“Every week, we see a new announcement that an automaker is changing direction towards electrification. But going electric alone is not enough. Making cars electric is not the end game, it is a starting point. We need to be honest and transparent.”

Polestar’s own research shows one in four consumers trust car manufacturers to be transparent and to operate in the best interests of society. It also showed that over half of consumers demand more transparency and the ability to compare CO2 footprints between cars.

The brand believes the adoption of an industry-wide standard could be the key to creating greater transparency.

How many tonnes of CO2?

The new LCA has found that the new Polestar 2 variants – Long range Single motor and Standard range Single motor – leave the factory with carbon footprints ranging between 24 and 25 tonnes of CO2e, a number that remains flat during the use phase if the car is charged with green energy.

The existing Long range Dual motor’s footprint was previously declared to be 26,2 tonnes of CO2e in 2020.

Fredrika Klarén, head of sustainability at Polestar, said: “We are working towards net zero production emissions, but our LCA shows that Polestar 2 is already a climate solution.

“EV technology provides a car with less than half the carbon impact of an equivalent petrol car if charged with green energy."

Polestar announced earlier this year it plans to build a car that is truly carbon neutral by the end of the decade.

The Polestar 0 project will eliminate emissions generated during the production of the car, as well as during its use.