Norwegian Polestar buyers demand a reduction in the price
The Norwegian Automobile Association (NAF) wants Swedish Polestar to pay back around 210 million Norwegian kroner to Norwegians who bought the company's electric car because the marketing is accused of excessive optimism. – The actual range is about a third shorter, says Vigdis Svennungsen at NAF to TT.
TT 
Polestar 2 is an all-electric car manufactured by Polestar with headquarters in Gothenburg. Stock Photography.Picture: Pontus Lundahl/TT The car manufacturer Polestar, which is co-owned by Volvo Cars and Chinese Geely, launched its first all-electric car, Polestar 2, at the end of last year. The car is manufactured in China and sold just like many other all-electric vehicles with a higher price tag than conventional petrol- and diesel-powered counterparts. Companies that manufacture all-electric cars have long been tempted to improve range – that is, how far they can be driven before the batteries have to be recharged. The range is used not least as a selling point in car advertising. The Norwegian Automobile Association – Norway's equivalent to M Sweden (formerly Motormännens riksförbund) – demands that Polestar repay SEK 70,000 to around 3,000 Norwegians who bought Polestar 2. This means around NOK 210 million (equivalent 212 million Swedish kronor). Consumers bought their car for a period last winter when Polestar advertised that “you can drive from Oslo to Hemsedal and home again by a good margin”. This means just over 400 km, which Vi Bilägare has noticed. – The actual range is about a third shorter, says Vigdis Svennungsen, head of NAF's legal department, to TT. – Everyone knows that the range varies based on season, speed and driving style, but there has been such a big difference here, and I do not think the car can handle that range regardless, she says. Svennungsen states that a forced stop to charge on the road is of great importance for an Oslo resident with a cabin in Hemsedal, not least because it often is a queue at the charging stations. – First they marketed with Oslo – Hemsedal, then they changed to Oslo – Norefjell which is a very much shorter distance. And the car manages that well, but now they have removed the promises completely. Maybe they were a little too optimistic, and the advertising agency has come up with a proposal that no one thought could be a problem, says Svennungsen. She describes the case as “untested land” because electric car manufacturers have not previously been held accountable to such an extent in either Norway or Sweden for lack of range, and says that it can have consequences for other manufacturers as well. – Car manufacturers always refer to the WLTP standard to describe the range, but I do not think the average consumer knows the measuring system because it is quite complicated. I think it may be important for other cases in the future. Brent Ellis at Polestar's press service writes in an email to TT that the company disputes the claim for repayment. ”Polestar has been contacted by NAF regarding demands for price reductions where they stated that they help one of their members. We strongly dispute this demand. All electric cars sold in Europe measure their range according to the WLTP test method, which gives the consumer an opportunity to compare the range of electric cars “, writes Ellis. Polestar further writes in the email that” WLTP is a test method performed according to established criteria and under the supervision of an authorized third party The Swedish dispute financing company Kapatens is organizing a similar group claim against Polestar, with the goal that those who bought a Polestar 2 during the current time period will get up to 15 percent of the purchase price back, as Dagens Industri reported at the end of April. However, NAF and Kapatens have no cooperation in the matter, according to Svennungsen. Facts
Polestar
Car manufacturers co-owned by Chinese Geely and Volvo Cars (owned by Geely).
Headquartered in Gothenburg, but manufactured in Chengdu, Sichuan Province in southwest China.
Manufactures a charging hybrid (Polestar 1) and an all-electric car (Polestar 2).
Polestar 2 has a specified range of 44-54 miles depending on equipment level (WLTP measurement standard).
Source: Polestar