Photo: Polestar
It’s been a month since the first examples of the Polestar 2 made their way to Europe from distant China, and the carmaker is gearing up for the full start of deliveries. While we wait, it released a few more details about the Android Automotive OS that’s going to power its interaction with the human driver.
But first lets get some things straight. Android Automotive OS is not Android Auto. Android Auto as it exists today is just an infotainment system, while the OS is just that, an operating system. That would be a native version of the system that powers our phones, only specifically developed for cars.
The Polestar 2 is the first car in the world to get it – in the meantime, GM announced it would adopt the OS too – so expect a lot of things to be not quite right. But for what it’s worth, this is a huge step forward to what may become an universally-accepted operating system, one which could significantly increase a car’s capabilities in terms of communication with everything around it.
Just like in the phones it powers, Android for cars comes with a wealth of features, ranging from the popular apps to voice recognition.
And this week, Polestar announced the first few apps (aside for the native ones) confirmed for the system: podcast apps Castbox and Pocket Casts, library app Libby, radio apps iHeartRadio, Swedish Radio Play and NRK Radio, Bauer Media Audio’s Magic Radio and Radioplayer apps, and of course Spotify.
More will probably follow, as the carmaker and the software provider are working to facilitate further developments.
The Polestar 2, already available in some parts of Europe (Sweden and Norway should get them by the end of August, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK to follow shortly after) is powered by a 78 kWh battery pack that offers a range of 470 km and all-wheel-spinning electric motors good for 402 hp and 660 Nm of torque.
For the European market, pricing varies from €58,800 in Germany to £49,900 in the UK. In the U.S. it sells from $59,900
The Polestar 2 is the first car in the world to get it – in the meantime, GM announced it would adopt the OS too – so expect a lot of things to be not quite right. But for what it’s worth, this is a huge step forward to what may become an universally-accepted operating system, one which could significantly increase a car’s capabilities in terms of communication with everything around it.
Just like in the phones it powers, Android for cars comes with a wealth of features, ranging from the popular apps to voice recognition.
And this week, Polestar announced the first few apps (aside for the native ones) confirmed for the system: podcast apps Castbox and Pocket Casts, library app Libby, radio apps iHeartRadio, Swedish Radio Play and NRK Radio, Bauer Media Audio’s Magic Radio and Radioplayer apps, and of course Spotify.
More will probably follow, as the carmaker and the software provider are working to facilitate further developments.
The Polestar 2, already available in some parts of Europe (Sweden and Norway should get them by the end of August, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK to follow shortly after) is powered by a 78 kWh battery pack that offers a range of 470 km and all-wheel-spinning electric motors good for 402 hp and 660 Nm of torque.
For the European market, pricing varies from €58,800 in Germany to £49,900 in the UK. In the U.S. it sells from $59,900
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