Polestar 5 receives 56-centimetre-long cells from SK On
SK On and Polestar announced that these will be exceptionally large cells with a length of 56 centimetres, which SK On will supply. The start of production of the Polestar 5 is scheduled for 2025. Earlier reports mentioned 2024, meaning the launch has been pushed back.
The Polestar 5 will be the new flagship of the Swedish-Chinese car brand. It is a luxurious four-door GT model (Grand Tourer) with up to 650 kW of power and 900 Nm of torque. The chassis is being designed in England and is made of bonded aluminium, which saves weight.
SK On will begin delivering battery modules in 2025 – the year of the planned production debut. According to the South Koreans, the high-nickel batteries, which are more than half a metre long, are “boasting high energy density” and have “demonstrated superb safety credentials by successfully passing stringent conditions in Thermal Propagation (TP) tests.”
Fifty-six centimetres is indeed extremely long. For comparison, round cells in the 4680, 4695 and 46120 formats often mentioned in connection with Tesla or BMW, for example, have a diameter of 4.6 centimetres and are 8, 9.5 or 12 centimetres long, respectively.
Incidentally, the partners did not provide information on the diameter and other form factors of the ultra-long cells for the Polestar 5. Polestar remains very general in its announcement: “SK On was chosen by Polestar due to their superior battery cell technology that offers high-performing chemistry, fast charging, efficient discharging and superior driving range,” it says.
Instead, the CEOs of both companies emphasise the importance of the cooperation: “We are delighted to collaborate with Polestar on its top-tier EV model,” says Jee Dong-seob, CEO of SK On. “We will solidify our partnership with Polestar and create new opportunities through this agreement.”
Ingenlath here refers to an investment that the SK Group made in Polestar in 2021. The two companies also signed a letter of intent at the time to strengthen their collaboration in the electric vehicle sector.
The Swedes unveiled the series design for the Polestar 5 in November 2021. It is based on the Precept study, but has undergone some usual changes on the way to series production – such as dispensing with doors that open in opposite directions. However, Polestar continually reaffirmed its goal of bringing as many elements of the Precept as possible into series production.
The brand plans to have five electric vehicles on the market by 2026. The Polestar 2 – an electric performance fastback – has been available since 2019, while the Polestar 3 SUV was supposed to hit the road in 2022 but will probably not go into production until early 2024 due to software problems. The Polestar 4 SUV coupé is also in the pipeline and should launch before the Polestar 5 and the Polestar 6, which will be a roadster.
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