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Feds Killed Polestar and Spared Volvo. That Should Terrify You (www.thedrive.com)
submitted 2 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 38 points 2 months ago* (2 children)

Yeah, it's extremely frustrating here. The EV market actively sucks with limited options and inflated prices. I also bought a used Polestar 2 last year, so now I'm extra frustrated.

My guess, however, is that PS just didn't care to deal with obtaining the waiver- the brand has sold poorly here in the US and they've been posturing to exit the market for a few years.

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  • [–] 13 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    For some reason Polestar doesn't seem to be doing as well as it deserves in many markets.
    I hope you can have yours maintained as long as is required even if they leave the market.

    It was a runner up when we bought our EV.

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  • [–] 14 points 2 months ago* (3 children)

    If they're priced the same as the US models, it's little wonder they're not selling well. MSRP for the P2 was ~70k USD which is a non-starter for most folks.

    I got mine used at 4 years old with 74k miles on it (fortunately EVs generally tend to last towards 200k miles barring any other issues) for 20k, it's the only reason I could afford to buy it. Otherwise I was probably going to go with an ID.4 which was at a similar price point. What did you end up going with?

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  • [–] 14 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Here in Denmark a Polestar 2 is just below $50,000 excluding VAT but including all other taxes.
    Competition in USA is absolutely destroyed by crazy tariffs.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    That’s still ridiculously high for a car. When my wife and I bought a new car a couple years ago we really stretched the bank to make a $35,000 car work.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago (1 child)

    That’s still ridiculously high for a car.

    Yes it is a expensive, it used to be way cheaper, in 2022 it was "only" $43,000 IDK why the price has increased, I suppose they have made improvements.

    Here $35,000 ex vat is a bit below average, which is probably more like $40,000 USD. Which is the starting price of the ID.4 here in Denmark.

    Our 4 year old VW ID.4 cost $32,000 IDK including VAT or $26,000 excluding VAT.

    So here we have nearly a similar hit for a 4 year used car! I hope you got a nice car. 😀

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  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago (1 child)

    I’m not sure how VAT equivocates to tax tag and title here in the US, but for $35,000 car it should still be less than $1000. I pay a bit less than the average person because I’m Native and I go through my tribe instead of the state I live in, but I don’t think the rate I get is less than like half the state rate. A few years ago the same car would’ve been in the $29,000 range. At the time we got the car things were so crazy in the used market that it actually was about $100 less per month for us to get the new car then to get a four year-old used car of the same model.

    Thank you, we got a Mazda CX-50. It’s a lot nicer than my 2004 Chrysler Sebring was with 280k miles (~450600km)! I’m not the primary driver so as long as my wife is happy with it I’m happy.

    Hopefully wages will start reflecting prices someday.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago

    VAT is a sales tax, and traditionally prices in USA are stated without that, sales tax in USA is local to the state you are in.
    Companies deduct sales tax, so for them it's irrelevant except of course for their sales.

    The new electric Mazda models we get here are mostly made in China, but being in USA, I bet yours isn't.
    I like Mazda and have had a couple many years ago.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 months ago* (2 children)

    We ended up with a 4 year old ID.4, 😋
    We could have had a more powerful Polestar cheaper, except my wife didn't want anything Chinese, and insurance was more than 50% more expensive on the faster Polestar.
    But we got a nice ID.4 77 kWh battery, and with literally all the options included.
    One of our neighbors however went with the Volvo, which is also very nice.

    Driving electric is really nice IMO, it feels absolutely super luxury compared to a similar ICE car.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Absolutely agreed, I can't imagine going back to an ICE car for my daily driver unless I absolutely have to.

    I periodically have to rent a car for work (I travel a lot) and never realized how much noise engines make until it was conspicuously missing from car. The PS is also just super comfortable and feels great on the road, while my rentals rarely are/do.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago* (1 child)

    The PS is also just super comfortable and feels great on the road,

    If the seats are as good as in the Volvo, they are absolutely stellar. We have luxury seats in our ID.4, but the ones in our neighbors Volvo are even better.
    We always had European style cars with very good driving capabilities, but I'm still impressed that the ID.4 as a CUV is able to match them, it is a good deal higher than what we are used to, but the low weight balance because of the batteries, makes it way better in road capability than it looks. 👍
    One of the things I really can still enjoy, is when turning into a bigger road, that smooth quiet confident way the car handles.
    But not having a manual gear is also a first for us with this car, so that is part of it, probably not much of a factor in USA.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Yeah, the seats are fantastic. I also know exactly what you mean about turning into the road with confidence- the ID.4 was the first EV I test drove and that feeling absolutely sold me on electric!

    I never had the opportunity to drive a manual, so I don't really know what I'm missing I guess. Automatic transmission is the de facto standard here. I don't love the little gear shift on the PS and find having a separate parking button unintuitive, but it's still miles ahead of the cars with weird buttons or dials for shifting. I didn't mind the shifter on the ID.4 either, I learned to drive on a truck with a stalk gear shift like that.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    When I borrowed a car recently for a few days, it had a manual stick. It was kind of a nostalgic feeling, and I understand Americans better now that enjoy driving manual ( To us Europeans it was the default before the EV ) . It's hard to describe, but I guess it's a bit like when people like Vinyl records to play music. It somehow feels like you are more in contact with it, and you are more in control.
    Still the automatic is superior for comfort and convenience.

    Regarding the park thing, I've been using that button on our ID.4 for more than half a year now, and only recently I found out I don't even have to, it goes to park automatically when I open the door. 😋

    I like how they placed the gear knob on the ID.4, I only have to move my hand a few centimeters to use it. But somehow I feel like they could have made it even better, so I didn't have to move my hand behind the steering wheel, but a bit more flux to it.
    But maybe that's to avoid accidental gearshifts?
    With all the automatics in this car, I'm sometimes flustered a bit that it can't figure out to change into forward by itself after I've backed out of the garage. And why the door doesn't open when I approach the car.
    Some of the new Chinese cars open the door for you. 😎

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Haha I feel that, nostalgia is more oowerful than we give it credit for imo.

    I always use the park button even though my car will also put itself in park when I get up, I just don't trust it. I wouldn't mind if the door would open for me, though my trunk has one of those foot sensors which is pretty convenient.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    When I open the door, the seats also slide back a little, so it's a bit easier to get in and out, and then it slides back into position when the car is put in drive. 🤣🤣 Maybe it's a bit silly, I find it mostly kind of cute.
    But I too absolutely love the foot sensor for opening the trunk. It was also one of the first things I tested before we bought the car.
    And the close button on the hatch is actually also surprisingly convenient.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago

    Driving electric is really nice IMO, it feels absolutely super luxury compared to a similar ICE car.

    Even better for those of us who can charge at home or work. It’s so nice never having to go to a local gas station

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    The price point for electric cars in America is 25-30k. 70K is mentally ill

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  • [–] 7 points 2 months ago

    The average price for a new EV in the US is much closer to $40-50k with a range from $25k to >$100k per this US News article. Most EVs are well outside any dream of affordability for the average American, but it makes sense given the ICE market is also increasingly more expensive every year.

    Polestar isn't an entry level or budget brand- they make luxury vehicles and price them as such. It doesn't make the MSRP less insane and I question why anyone would pay that, but there's clearly a market for luxury vehicles here given the popularity of BMW, Audi, and other luxury brands that sell ICE cars.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    The price point for electric cars in America is 25-30k. 70K is mentally ill

    Chevy Bolt MSRP is $28,995.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    I wasn’t even aware they were selling in the US. I used to pay attention since they seemed to have compelling vehicles, but never here and never affordable

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago*

    Yeah I absolutely love my P2, but they sold terribly in the US. Compared to a Tesla model 3 (which are unfortunately still super popular despite Musk), it was nicer but with les range and around twice the stocker price. Polestar struggled to really position themselves here successfully, imo, but they aren't a particularly high volume brand in other places either.

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