Vested interests slowing EV uptake: Polestar

The vested interests of internal combustion engine (ICE) focussed car-makers and associated services, as well as geopolitical issues, are sowing doubts about EVs and slowing consumer uptake of battery-electric vehicles.

So says Polestar’s head of sustainability, Fredrika Klarén, who claims a more collaborative approach and more transparency on EVs including the true climate credentials of their makers could accelerate global EV sales.

Speaking to carsales recently at the Sino-Swedish EV brand’s Gothenburg headquarters in Sweden, Klarén didn’t mince words and said misinformation was confusing consumers and slowing the transition to EV technology.

“So, I think that people have vested interests they are really trying to protect. We [Polestar] want to really change that through bringing in data that can show consumers in black and white the [environmental] status [of EVs].”

Polestar is one of the few auto brands that publishes Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) of the carbon footprint of its vehicles.

The company is proud of the fact that, thanks to materials and production improvements, its largest SUV – the new Polestar 3 – already has a lower LCA than the smaller and less powerful Polestar 2.

“We want to be one of those players who are very clear and inspiring towards customers,” she stated.

“The way that we work with Life Cycle Assessment data [is] to really inform customers in making a conscious decision.

“Telling them that, hey, let’s forget about this weird narrative now around if EVs are better from a climate perspective than ICE cars – they are.

“Show that data but [also] let’s start focusing on charging with renewable energy and getting the [automotive] production related emissions down.”

Klarén says Polestar doesn’t champion its LCAs to compete with other car-makers, but rather to encourage transparency.

“We don’t have any interest in saying that we’re the best or that we are the most sustainable. That’s not what we're out to convey and it would be impossible because we can’t benchmark. We [the auto industry] have too little transparency.

“You can’t compete on sustainability. I worked in the fashion industry before [Polestar] and I saw that a major factor for the industry to move forward on very important issues like living wages and child labour was that they started collaborating and made sustainability a non-competitive area. And that’s what I want for the automotive industry as well.”

It’s Klarén’s assertion that there needs to be more industry alignment around EVs.

“We’re not going to be able to get [recycling] circularity on batteries if we don’t fix the infrastructure and the business models that we have in our industry. And that is up to each and every one of us to join forces around [the change].”

Although she acknowledges that poor resale values and the lack of charging infrastructure remain key issues for EV buyers, Klarén says “it's more complex than that.”

Indeed, the Polestar sustainability boss suggests growing negative sentiment and decreasing intent to buy an EV is also significantly affected by macro issues.

“I saw a recent study showing that people choose more eco-friendly or climate-friendly options if they feel a sense of hope for the future. If they are more pessimistic about the future, they tend to stick with what they [have] and don’t make any changes.

“[But] hope for the future is a fresh commodity… It can switch from one year to another on a consumer level and I do think that is what we’re seeing now – the effects of the wars ongoing in the world, the geopolitical tension, the economic crisis. I do think that consumers are pessimistic [rather] than hopeful about the technology,” she stated.

Klarén asserts that EVs already have the potential to be “impactful” in terms of climate change.

“The train has already left the building. So for me it’s very clear that if you want to be a player that really will benefit from this transition, you inspire it, you catapult it forward, you stay on top of it.

“And I’m really worried about a lot of the actors now in the [auto] industry. Are they going to make it? How are they going to really succeed in the long run with all of their vested interests in legacy technology?

“I’m on the climate clock, so I am constantly trying to find ways to speed things up because as an industry we are not on the climate crisis time schedule right now.

“We have an impactful climate solution [in EVs] but we’re not deploying it quickly enough. So, I really want consumers and industry players to also understand how quickly things can change.

“Look at markets like Norway and what they have done to be able to make such an impactful change in just five years.”

But Klarén said environmental and sustainability concerns were shared globally, not just in Scandinavia.

“Often we think of Scandinavians as being progressive and more inclined towards sustainability, but that’s not at all the case. If you look at the global population, most of us are concerned with the environment and social issues,” she said.

“These are both emotional and a functional driver for consumers today. They really want to be a part of sustainable development in their choices and they see that they can be that, but what’s so sad is that they are not really offered the opportunities.

“That is where I think we’re seeing the discrepancy – due to the fact that as [auto] companies we are not providing them with clear solutions.

“Still our [industry’s] interests are vested in keeping the [ICE production and brand] assets and really drip-feeding the consumers with sustainable choices rather than just flooding them with it,” Klarén explained.

“I really want consumers to know there is a better solution that they should jump on.

“At the same time we have to talk about the challenge of making this a truly sustainable product and that is kind of where we are trying to balance this as a company.

“From the Polestar side saying that you can have the impact if you choose an EV over a fossil-fuel car today and it will come with a lot of benefits in terms of your lifestyle – not only from an environmental perspective but also ticking a lot of other boxes as well,” she opined.

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