Polestar’s UK boss said the country does “less than any country in Europe” to encourage a switch to electric vehicles, as the electric car maker announced the launch of what it says is the first car without a rear window.
The new car, the Polestar 4, is set to go on the road in August and will cost £59,990. It uses a rear camera with screens on the rear-view mirror instead of a window for the driver to see behind the vehicle.
Polestar head of UK Jonathan Goodman told the Standard: “You’ve got a very limited view from the rear window. If you add anyone to the back seat, that’s obstructed further.
“With the camera, you’ve got a much improved field of vision. It’s even better at night time because the image is clearer.”
He added that it also allowed for more freedom in how to design the car.
Maximilian Missoni, Head of Design at Polestar, says: “With Polestar Precept we previewed a stunning new occupant experience by removing the rear window and pushing the rear header, which plays an integral safety role, further back. This means that now, rear occupants can have a unique experience in our SUV coupé.”
Electric vehicle makers suffered a setback late last year when Rishi Sunak announced that the Government was pushing back the date of a ban on sales of new internal combustion engine cars. But Goodman said he did not believe it was a major blow to Polestar.
“I don’t think it was a blow to us,” said Goodman. “On the one hand there was the moving back of the target by 2030 to 2035, but on the other, the zero emissions mandate still requires 80% of new cars to be zero-emissions with a fine for every car short of the target.”.
“But the government needs to think about what it can do to help retail customers buy EVs. The UK does probably less than any country in Europe to incentivize customers to make the change. We believe they should be halving VAT on EVs for the retail customers.”
