This car from Polestar has a vegan interior

Polestar, an arm of Volvo, aims to revolutionise the way the automobile world sees sustainability with its Precept concept car. Polestar says it created the Precept to showcase three key areas for the Swedish brand: sustainability, digital technology and design.

The concept was first shown digitally in February, but the company has revealed more details now. “People ask me all the time, ‘what is the future of Polestar?’, and of course we are not showing our future models just yet,” comments Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO. “But Precept shows you where we will be heading – our design direction, our ambitions about sustainability and the great digital user experience we will bring with those future cars. Precept showcases our future, not as a fancy dream or something out of a sci-fi movie. This is our reality, to come.”

Precept interior shows how high-tech, sustainable materials used together in the right combination can create a new luxury design language. The ‘vegan’ interior has high levels of recycled content, building on the vegan foundations presented by Polestar 2.

Large 15-inch digital interface recognises the driver upon approach, with settings and personal content authenticated by the Polestar Digital Key. Google Assistant features advanced speech technology in more languages with better local dialect interpretation and more personalised experiences. Video streaming services will become available when parked or charging.

Polestar works together with Bcomp to integrate flax-based natural composite which has been used extensively to replace many virgin plastics. Composite material reduces interior component weight by 50 per cent with an 80 per cent reduction in plastic. Leaf veins, offering rigidity with low weight, apparently inspire the proprietary PowerRibs technology from Bcomp.

The composite material is strengthened by the PowerRibs to create strong and rigid componentry which can reduce vibrations by up to 250 per cent and perform better during an impact, says Polestar. The seat covers are 3D-knitted from 100 per cent recycled PET bottles in a single thread – made exactly to size with no waste or off-cuts. Recycled plastic bottles are also used for the 100 per cent recycled headlining textile.

The Precept’s proximity sensors adjust what is shown on the screen depending on where the user’s hand is placed – display brightness and screen content adjusts according to movements and the need for more or less information depending on what the user is doing.

It features SmartZone up front, with elements required for Pilot Assist including long- and mid-range radar units, ultrasonic sensors and a high-definition wide-angle camera. Additional SmartZones on either side of the car house additional driving assistance sensors. Roof-mounted LIDAR pod positioned for superior visibility for future advanced driving technology.