Polestar has published a complete life cycle assessment for its four-door GT, the Polestar 5, reporting a cradle-to-gate carbon footprint of 23.8 tCO₂e. The company says it has avoided more than 14 tCO₂e per vehicle through sourcing strategies focused on recycled aluminium and renewable-powered smelters. Polestar now offers publicly available LCA data for every model in its lineup.
Highlights
- Cradle-to-gate footprint of 23.8 tCO₂e covers raw material extraction through customer delivery, with material production accounting for 60% of emissions
- 14 tCO₂e avoided per vehicle through use of recycled aluminium (13% of total) and smelters powered by renewable electricity (83% of total)
- Cradle-to-grave totals range from 27.1 to 38.1 tCO₂e depending on the electricity mix used for charging over a 200,000 km assumed lifetime
- Interior materials include flax-based composites from Bcomp, Econyl carpets from discarded fishing nets, and a mono-material PET front trunk designed for end-of-life recycling
Cradle-to-Gate Emissions Breakdown
Material production and refining accounts for the largest share of the Polestar 5’s pre-delivery footprint at 14.4 tCO₂e, or roughly 60%. This category covers aluminium, steel, copper, plastics, electronics, and rubber used throughout the vehicle, excluding the battery.
Li-ion battery modules contribute 6.9 tCO₂e, representing 29% of the total. Manufacturing and logistics account for the remaining 2.5 tCO₂e. Assembly plant operations contribute less than 1% of the total, according to Polestar, due to the use of renewable electricity at production facilities.
Logistics-related emissions vary by destination market. The 23.8 tCO₂e total reflects an average across all markets where the Polestar 5 is sold.
Decarbonization Measures
Without targeted supply chain interventions, Polestar estimates the cradle-to-gate footprint would have reached 41.5 tCO₂e. Three measures account for the 17.7 tCO₂e reduction:
- Renewable-powered aluminium smelting: −11.0 tCO₂e
- Renewable electricity in battery supply chain: −4.1 tCO₂e
- Recycled aluminium content: −2.6 tCO₂e
Fredrika Klarén, Head of Sustainability at Polestar, said: “You cannot reduce what you don’t measure. Making the carbon footprint of a car visible helps focus the industry on where emissions occur, particularly in materials and manufacturing.”
Cradle-to-Grave Footprint by Electricity Source
Over a 200,000 km lifetime spanning 15 years, total emissions vary significantly based on the electricity used for charging. Using the global average electricity mix, the use phase adds 12.0 tCO₂e, bringing the total to 38.1 tCO₂e. The European average mix reduces use-phase emissions to 3.5 tCO₂e for a total of 30.1 tCO₂e.
Charging exclusively with wind-generated electricity drops the use phase to 0.5 tCO₂e and the lifetime total to 27.1 tCO₂e. Both the global and European projections factor in grid decarbonization expected over the vehicle’s 15-year life, based on IEA STEPS scenario data.
Additional lifetime contributors include maintenance at 1.6 tCO₂e and end-of-life treatment at 1.2 tCO₂e.
Sustainable Interior Materials
The Polestar 5 uses several material innovations to reduce its environmental impact. Natural fibre composites developed with Bcomp use flax-based ampliTex, which the company says requires 50% less fossil-based material and can be up to 40% lighter than conventional plastic composites.
Recycled materials include Econyl carpets made from discarded fishing nets and recycled PET textiles. The front luggage compartment uses a mono-material PET construction that combines recycled insulation with a recycled surface layer to enable easier recycling.
LCA Methodology
The assessment follows ISO 14067 standards and uses 100-year global warming potential factors from the IPCC (2021). The functional unit is one vehicle kilometre, with energy use based on WLTP consumption figures. Ricardo PLC conducted the independent critical review.
Polestar applies a recycled content approach in its calculations. Emissions from recycled material inputs are included, but no credits are given for recycling at end-of-life.
Polestar 5 Technical Specifications
- Powertrain: Dual-motor electric, all-wheel drive
- Power: 550 kW (748 hp) standard; up to 650 kW (884 hp) available
- Torque: Up to 1,015 Nm
- WLTP range: 678 km
- Energy consumption (WLTP): 17.8–18.3 kWh/100 km
- Battery capacity: 112 kWh gross (NMC chemistry, 476 kg)
- Architecture: 800V; 350 kW DC charging (10–80% in 22 minutes)
- Vehicle weight: 2,444 kg
The full LCA report and methodology are available at polestar.com/sustainability.
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