How green are electric cars? The truth about EV environmental impact and carbon footprints

“It’s so important (to have) guarantees of origin and to get certificates; we have built up systems so we know we’re getting what we’re paying for,” said the head of sustainability. “Regardless of where we produce – and we’re now diversifying our manufacturing in the US, in Korea and we’re coming to Europe with Polestar 7 – we now have our sustainability standard and it’s my challenge to (ensure) we can meet that standard (everywhere).”

Polestar’s biggest emitter is unsurprisingly its largest SUV, the Polestar 3, which harbours a huge 111kWh battery in its 4,900mm-long body. Naturally the battery size and SUV mass contribute to a bigger, 24.9 tCO2e figure for the long-range, dual-motor model.

Lacking faith in the public charging network, EV buyers typically gravitate to variants with the biggest battery: for example Renault has just dropped the Scenic E-Tech’s smaller 60kWh (usable) battery, leaving the 87kWh pack now the sole option in the UK. And Mazda, which limited the MX-30’s battery to 35.5kWh to reduce its environmental impact, lost that argument with British buyers and removed the underperforming EV from the market.

Nonetheless shouldn’t Polestar lead by example and reduce the size of its batteries, and therefore their drain on the earth’s resources?

“We’re very happy about our 600km-plus range now and so are our customers,” responds Fredrika Klarén. “I would like to separate the question of sustainability from size, because that is where we’ve gone wrong in the past, thinking a sustainable product needs to be smaller, more boring, a bit itchy, probably beige!

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“There needs to be sustainable products of all shapes and sizes. We need to have electric SUVs being able to replace fossil-fuel ones, because the (voice) of consumers that want an SUV is a relevant cry. With Polestar’s 25 per cent reduction (in emissions per vehicle sold)… we have shown you need to focus on how it was produced rather than if it’s just smaller.”

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