An engine for Polestar's ambitions: Powertrains

In addition to launching three models in the next three years, Swedish electric automaker Polestar also has bold plans for powertrains.

CEO Thomas Ingenlath said that could mean supplying an electric powertrain to other automakers.

In an investor presentation posted on its website last week, Polestar revealed that it is developing a 603-hp e-motor and an 800-volt bidirectional battery pack.

The "P10" rear motor puts out 450 kilowatts, besting the Porsche Taycan's 300-kW rear motor, Polestar noted. Combined with a front motor, the P10 delivers a max output of 650 kW, Polestar claimed.

"A top-of-the-line powertrain is simply part of our performance brand," Ingenlath told Automotive News last week. "There [isn't], at least not to my knowledge, any electric motor with that power density on the market yet. I'm not talking about super exotic vehicles, but about mass-produced cars."

Polestar also is developing a lightweight aluminum architecture for its Precept luxury sedan, expected to enter production in 2024.

Guidehouse Insights principal analyst Sam Abuelsamid said the EV maker could be positioning itself as a "center of excellence" for electric propulsion systems within Zhejiang Geely Holding, whose chairman is a major shareholder in Polestar.

The P10 will debut in the Polestar 3, "but not from day one," Ingenlath said. "This is a highlight that we will save for a little later than the start of production."

Ingenlath left open the door to supplying powertrains and licensing technology to other automakers. It's "a possibility which we would not exclude — absolutely," he said, noting that it would "open a stream for earnings" for Polestar.

Supplying drivetrains to other automakers would help Polestar recoup some of its R&D investment, according to Abuelsamid.

"You want to get as much scale and as much return on your investment as you can," he said.

Ingenlath sees Polestar's powertrain and other technology research benefiting Geely's other brands, including Volvo Cars.

"The whole history of Polestar is very much about not being totally locked into your own brand, but having collaborations, partnerships, working across brands and being a bit more open as it used to be in the car industry in the old days," he said.