Polestar Pledges to Build BEV Without Carbon Offset

Premium battery-electric vehicle brand Polestar promises to build its first Project 0 climate-neutral car, created without any carbon offset, by the end of the decade.

Its CEO, Thomas Ingenlath, used the announcement to attack the use of carbon offset, such as investing in planting forests to offset the carbon emissions during vehicle production, as a “cop-out.” Polestar’s pledge is part of its first annual review, published today.

The automaker, owned by Volvo Cars, backs warnings by environmental experts that offsetting is not sustainable in the long term.

They question the long-term viability of carbon-storage capacity of forests and soils because of the risk of future logging or the increased instances of forest fires related to advancing global warming.

In a company statement, Polestar says sustainability declarations, such as those issued by the food and fashion industries, will be applied to all future Polestar models.

Starting with Polestar 2 models and initially disclosing carbon footprint and traced risk materials, labeling will appear on the company website and in Polestar Spaces showrooms. Reflecting continuous sustainability updates, additional details and information will be added over time.

Ingenlath, says: “Offsetting is a cop-out. By pushing ourselves to create a completely climate-neutral car, we are forced to reach beyond what is possible today. We will have to question everything, innovate and look to exponential technologies as we design towards zero.

“Consumers are a huge driving force in the shift to a sustainable economy. They need to be given the right tools to make informed and ethical decisions. This makes things very clear. Today, Polestar 2 leaves the factory gates with a carbon footprint. In 2030 we want to present a car that does not.”