Polestar 2 owners will be able to purchase more performance via OTA update

Enlarge / The single-motor version of the Polestar 2 just achieved a 270-mile range rating from the EPA. (credit: Polestar)

Perhaps the most paradigm-shifting element of electric vehicles-other than their owners being able to wake up every morning to a car with a full battery-is the way automakers are improving the cars over time via over-the-air (OTA) updates.

Cynics might point out that the approach is borrowed from the tech industry's practice of releasing a "minimally viable product" and then rolling out new features when they're ready rather than completing everything first and then selling the product. But the practice proved popular enough when Tesla started doing it that it's now expected in the EV market.

Earlier this summer, Polestar bumped the range of its dual-motor Polestar 2s, increasing the EPA rating from 233 miles (375 km) to 249 miles (400 km). The Polestar 2 can now also precondition its battery if you set a charger as a navigation destination, and Sirius XM satellite radio was added via an OTA update.

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