Polestar 2 and Clever Lighting Execution

As today is the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere—the day with the longest night—it is reasonable to look at headlights, specifically those of the Polestar 2 electric vehicle.

After all, given that it hails from Gothenburg, Sweden, there are plenty of long, dark nights of winter there, so the designers and engineers wanted to make sure that the vehicle’s drivers would have outstanding visibility in the darkness.

Signature headlamp of the Polestar 2. (Images: Polestar)

A headlamp of a Polestar 2 consists of 84 individual LED pixels that form a matrix in the lamp. Each LED is individually controlled.

One benefit of this is that drivers can leave their high beams on, yet sensors controlling the LEDs will control them such that they are adjusted so as to shade out the light from up to five leading or oncoming vehicles.

In other words, the driver leaves the high beams on and the vehicle adjusts the LED headlamps so as to not interfere with other drivers.

Also in the Back

There are 288 LEDs forming the rear lighting for the Polestar 2. It is also adjusted according to conditions.

The LED lights in the rear of the car are also automatically adjusted depending on time of day.

During the day, the brightness of the wrap-around light bar is increased so that it is more visible. At night, the LEDs are automatically dimmed so as to not overwhelm following drivers by lumens.

Not in the U.S.

The headlamp function is not legal in the U.S. market.

However, Polestar has customers of the Polestar 2 protected in that if the regulations change and the functionality is permitted, a free over-the-air update will enable it.

“Driving a Polestar”

Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO and former senior vice president of Design at Volvo Cars, says of the lighting setup on the car, “When you drive Polestar 2, especially in the dark, you really understand how much this technology increases safety.”

The designer in him adds: “LED lighting also allows for creativity, and the light signatures we have designed are unmistakable. They are distinctive and people will know you are driving a Polestar.”