EV Chronicles #56 - Polestar App Overview (as of 4/13/25)

Before taking delivery of my Polestar 3, I downloaded their App, but without a vehicle to add to my account, I really couldn't explore the features and functions that were going to be available in the App. I thought I would take some screenshots from the App and give you my thoughts on it from the prospective of a Tesla owner. I recognize that there are still few cars these days that come with this level of control via an App, but I am now tainted after seeing what is possible with an App from what Tesla has done.

The main menu in the Polestar App shows the current vehicle State of Charge (SOC) at the very top of the main menu and if you click on the SOC value, it converts that over to range (which I am not completely sure yet what that is based upon. I think it might be based on recent driving). It also has 4 main feature areas just below the SOC value:

• Exterior - Lock status of the vehicle - click this button to lock and unlock the vehicle

  • Tesla also gives the owner the ability to open the Frunk and Tailgate from their App

• Climate - click this button to turn Climate on (using defaults)/off

  • Click the ... icon in the corner, and you can change the overall temperature of the vehicle and seat and steering wheel heating levels as well as configured scheduled temperature settings for morning departures to work for example.

  • Tesla has the ability to vent windows and they have a cabin overheat protection function which is outstanding. Going to miss that one for sure.

• Charge - Charging Status

  • Clicking this block changes the set SOC limit

  • Clicking the ... icon in the corner opens up a menu to schedule charging session and to set the max AMP value the car should pull (for a L2 charging session). The max capability of the vehicle is 48 Amps.

• Location

  • Clicking this block gives you the option to open the current vehicle location in a map App of your choice. Good for walking to your vehicle I guess if you lost it

  • Clicking the ... icon in the corner opens a map in the App showing the location of the car any your location (based on your phone's location)

  • Tesla has added the functionality to actually plan your trips right in the App in the exact way you would using the in-car navigation. Early in my Tesla ownership, they at least allowed the driver to use the map to find a destination and send that destination to your car for your next drive. This might be the one feature I will really miss from the Tesla App.

Exterior

Not much to say about this panel. Gives you a button at the bottom to lock/unlock the car.

Climate

From this panel, the driver can set the temperature of the vehicle as well as the heating level of the steering wheel and 4 of the seats in the vehicle (2 front and 2 rear). I do not see any options for setting the front and rear defrost which I think is a miss by Polestar here. At least the back window at a minimum should be there. There are also options here for adding multiple planned/scheduled HVAC events. In the Tesla App, these were also location specific which was a nice added feature. I do not believe these are location based in the Polestar App.

Charge

From this panel, the driver is able to check the current SOC of the vehicle as well as set the max Amps of a charging session. The driver can also setup scheduled charging sessions, which many people do to avoid peak electric rates or to just avoid times of day when your home might be using peak electricity.

I have only charged the vehicle twice and I do not believe that this menu gives the user the ability to start and stop charging sessions directly with a single button click. I found that if you enable or disable a charging scheduled session, that this action interrupts the current charging state. The charging schedule does appear to be location specific.

Location

Nothing to see here other than a map of my current home with address, that I am not going to share...

In addition to these 4 main panels on in the App, there are 4 additional icons (5 total) at the bottom of the main window in the App. The first icon takes you to the 4 panel display I just described. The next icon (car), provides the driver with some statistics about recent drives, trip counter, etc (see below). The third/middle icon takes the driver to a page that has some news and articles from Polestar. The fourth icon provides the driver with several methods to contact Polestar. The final icon provides the driver with some account information and settings.

I have to admit that at first, I thought I was going to be underwhelmed by the Polestar App and its functionality. After getting over the differences from the Tesla App, I have found it to be good but not as good as the Tesla App. I have not had many experience with other vehicle/brand Apps. I have the Mazda App for a 2020 and 2015 CX-5. The Mazda App is a glorified webpage to get quick access to user manuals and to schedule service at a dealership. I also had the Hyundai and Toyota Apps for older (gas) vehicles and they were much like the Mazda App. My brother owns an ID.4, and the App for that vehicle is not good at all. He can set the Climate and start/stop charging. He can also see if doors or open/closed, locked/unlocked, but that is about it. He can't even lock or unlock the car from the App. He also has a Chevy Bolt which he says is a little better, although I have read many complaints online about the GM/Chevy app.

I believe companies building the next generation of EVs like Rivian, Polestar, and Tesla are setting the bar for the level of functionality owners are going to come to expect from their Apps. Not just for EVs, but all vehicles should have an associated App to perform the most basic of functions remotely via a phone App. Phone as a key which I never mentioned in this post (because it is basic functionality that is becoming common place) and unlocking and locking the car need to be bare minimums honestly. Remote starting and then HVAC controls are then highly valued options (although I would be concerned with accidentally starting a gas vehicle in an inclosed space remotely). It will be interesting to see where the future is going with vehicle Apps for sure. I hope the Polestar App improves over time but from what I have experienced so far, it isn't bad. I am certain it will change at least.