We already think that Polestar is pretty cool. Yet to arrive in the Irish market, the electric car start-up, spun off from Volvo, makes really good-looking cars with interesting engineering solutions. And in the future, they might become more interesting still...
That's because Polestar has announced the winners of its first Design Contest, a competition that seeks to spark innovation in the minds of both professional and aspiring designers.
Autonomous pod with flexible interior
The winner of the Professional Category in the contest is Konrad Cholewka from Poland, who entered his "Polestar MMXL" design. Looking a little like Darth Vader's delivery van, the MMXL is an autonomous Polestar pod, which comes with "a flexible interior design, pure in its combination of two geometric shapes."
You enter the pod through the big rear hatch, and inside the 'furniture' (seats, if you prefer) is laid out more like that of a living room than a car. While the exterior is relatively simple - a rectangular box with an inset sphere - Cholewka has added little details, such as the design of the lights and the camera sensors, which reference Polestar's Precept concept car.
Futuristic airship
The winner in the Student Category, Siddhesh Bhogale from India, has designed a remarkable future aviation project - a modern-day airship, designed to run on batteries charged by either geothermal or solar power. The design is driven by: "the desire to experience journeys and undertake research in remote locations such as the Arctic, with the development of drone-type propulsion systems, and with some regions having little transport infrastructure, airships may see a resurgence."
The lighter-than-aircraft design combines vertical take-off and landing with the ability to find power in remote, off-the-grid locations.
High-speed electric boat
Finally, there's an honourable mention for Arthur Martins from Brazil for his "Spänning" electric yacht. The Polestar judges said that the design "shows how the pure, progressive performance values of Polestar could translate into the boating world" - a world into which rivals such as Lexus and Aston Martin have already become involved. "Such a silent and pure craft would offer a unique travel experience. The inclusions of sensors would enable autonomous piloting to enhance safety and route guidance, and the monochrome colour palette and the bow side nameplate are classic Polestar design cues," said the judges.
"We received an overwhelming amount of enthusiastic attention from inspired designers all over the world," says Juan-Pablo Bernal, Senior Design Manager for Polestar, curator of the @polestardesigncommunity Instagram account and the founder of the contest. "The designers produced very high-quality material, and we saw a very consistent expression of the Polestar design language."