Polestar 3 gets 800v upgrade (yes, already)

Polestar has already made extensive hardware upgrades to its recently-launched flagship SUV, the Polestar 3. Overall performance improves significantly thanks to a new 800 Volt electrical architecture with an increase in power, faster charging, and greater core computer processing power.

The 2026 model year 3 mirrors the same upgrades to the Volvo EX90 announced last month, as the two cars share their underpinnings. 

The 800 Volt upgrade enables significantly faster DC charging with a peak rate of up to 350 kW, meaning that the 10–80% battery charge benchmark can take 22 minutes - 25% faster than before.

The new architecture also brings enhanced efficiency, up to 6% according to the WLTP cycle, and supports the integration of new lithium-ion batteries from supplier CATL: a 92 kWh battery pack for the rear motor version and a 106 kWh battery pack for the dual motor and Performance variants. 

All versions of the Polestar 3 will also now benefit from a new rear motor with higher output. The front motor now features automatic disconnect functionality when not needed, just as on Dual motor versions of Polestar 2, improving efficiency and range during everyday driving. 

The new rear motor also means the power balance has shifted to a greater rear bias than before. Combined with updated anti-roll bars and extensive software refinement for the steering, the result is said to be a more direct and engaging driving experience across all model variants.

There is also an upgrade to its core computing system, with a NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin processor replacing the previous Xavier unit, increasing processing power from 30 to 254 trillion operations per second (TOPS). This leap with more than eight times increase in computing power enables faster, more intelligent management of active safety systems, battery performance, and sensor data.

In line with Polestar’s commitment to continuous improvement, this hardware upgrade will also be offered as a complimentary retrofit to all existing Polestar 3 customers, with upgrades of customer cars planned to start in the beginning of 2026.

The upgraded Polestar 3 will go on sale first in the UK due to high demand. 

A better processor speeds up the on board systems