Polestar is using hydro-powered aluminum smelters to slash the Polestar 5’s production emissions

The electric vehicle manufacturer Polestar has publicly released a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for its upcoming Polestar 5, a four-door electric GT. The company has stated the vehicle’s “cradle-to-gate” carbon footprint is 23.8 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e). This figure encompasses greenhouse gas emissions from the extraction of raw materials, the manufacturing process, and delivery to the customer. Polestar has been publishing these assessments for its vehicles since 2020 to increase transparency into the environmental impact of vehicle production.

A Life Cycle Assessment is a method used to evaluate a product’s potential environmental impacts throughout its lifespan. The cradle-to-gate analysis is a subset of a full LCA that focuses on the production phase, ending when the vehicle leaves the factory. This is distinct from a “cradle-to-grave” analysis, which would also include emissions from the vehicle’s use phase (charging), maintenance, and end-of-life processing, such as recycling and disposal. In a separate disclosure, Polestar noted that the full life-cycle footprint of the Polestar 5, assuming 200,000 kilometers of driving on a European electricity mix, is estimated at 28.5 tCO2e.

A significant portion of the emissions associated with producing the Polestar 5, and any modern vehicle, is related to the sourcing and processing of materials, with aluminum being particularly carbon-intensive. The production of primary aluminum from bauxite ore is an energy-intensive process, with the smelting stage accounting for the largest share of its carbon footprint. The source of electricity used for smelting dramatically affects the final emissions tally; smelters powered by coal can result in a carbon footprint several times higher than those powered by hydroelectricity.

To address this, Polestar reports that its sourcing strategy for the Polestar 5’s aluminum involves two key measures. Firstly, 13% of the aluminum used in the vehicle is recycled. Using recycled, or secondary, aluminum requires significantly less energy than producing primary aluminum, thereby avoiding the high emissions associated with mining, refining, and smelting. Secondly, 83% of the primary aluminum is sourced from smelters that operate on renewable electricity. According to Polestar, this combined approach to aluminum sourcing avoids an estimated 14 tonnes of CO2e per vehicle compared to conventional aluminum sourcing methods that rely on fossil-fuel-based energy.

The company also reports that the manufacturing and assembly facilities for the Polestar 5, as well as the plants producing the battery cells and modules, operate on renewable electricity. This directly reduces the carbon footprint associated with the vehicle’s manufacturing phase, a critical component of the cradle-to-gate assessment.

Beyond the vehicle’s structure and powertrain, Polestar has detailed the use of several alternative and recycled materials in the interior to further reduce its environmental impact. The interior will feature natural fiber composites developed with Bcomp, a Swiss company specializing in sustainable lightweighting materials. These composites use a flax-based fabric called ampliTex, a bio-based alternative to conventional materials such as carbon fiber. Polestar states this material uses 50% less fossil-based material and can be up to 40% lighter than traditional plastic composites.

Other interior components specified include carpets made from Econyl, a regenerated nylon yarn produced by Aquafil. The Econyl manufacturing process utilizes post-consumer waste, such as discarded fishing nets, fabric scraps, and old carpets, which are depolymerized and then transformed into nylon yarn of the same quality as virgin nylon. The interior also incorporates recycled PET textiles. For the front luggage compartment, a mono-material PET construction is used, simplifying recycling at the vehicle’s end of life. For customers who choose leather upholstery, the company offers a chrome-free Nappa leather from Bridge of Weir, described as an animal-welfare-secured byproduct of the food industry.

The Polestar 5 is positioned as a high-performance vehicle. The company states the four-door GT will offer up to 650 kW (equivalent to 884 horsepower) and 664 lb-ft of torque. The vehicle is built on an 800-volt electrical architecture. This higher-voltage system enables faster charging by delivering the same power with lower electrical current, reducing thermal losses. Polestar specifies a 350 kW DC fast charging capability, which it claims can charge the battery from 10% to 80% in approximately 22 minutes. The vehicle’s targeted range is up to 678 km under the WLTP test cycle.

The release of the Polestar 5’s carbon footprint is part of a broader company initiative toward environmental transparency and long-term emission reduction. Polestar’s stated climate targets include halving greenhouse gas emissions per vehicle sold by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality across its entire value chain by 2040. The Polestar 5 joins the Polestar 2, 3, and 4 in the company’s lineup, with a Polestar 7 compact SUV and a Polestar 6 roadster planned for future release.