2026 Polestar 3 EV gets a more powerful brain; so will 2025 models
The Polestar 3 electric SUV will get an upgraded chipset for its second model year, the automaker confirmed Thursday in a press release.
Due to arrive in showrooms later in the 2025 calendar year, the 2026 Polestar 3 is the first of the brand’s EVs to receive the Nvidia Drive AGX Orin processor, a more powerful successor to the Drive AGX Xavier processor the SUV launched with.
2026 Polestar 3 charging
In addition to being installed in newly built vehicles, the more powerful processor will be offered as a free upgrade to existing Polestar 3 owners. Parent brand Volvo earlier this week confirmed it’s doing the same thing for owners of the EX90 electric SUV, which shares the SPA2 architecture with the Polestar 3.
Overall, it’s unusual for an automaker to update hardware post-sale rather than just software.
Volvo has said the added computing power of the Drive AGX Orin, which will also be used in that brand’s upcoming ES90 electric sedan, will support AI-based features, more sophisticated safety tech, an array of onboard sensors, and a more efficient battery management system. That will likely be the case for the Polestar 3 and any future Polestar models that use this chipset as well.
2026 Polestar 3 Plug & Charge
The 2025 Polestar 3 is built in Charleston, South Carolina, and it arrived as a sportier, two-row counterpart to the three-row Volvo EX90 with which it shares a platform. All versions have a 111-kwh battery pack, with up to 350 miles of range in base single-motor rear-wheel-drive form.
Polestar hasn’t yet given a timeline for when it will update existing 2025 models, but it says it will contact customers when the new chips are available. Installation will take place at Polestar-authorized service centers which, in keeping with the brand’s hybrid business model, is handled by franchised dealerships even though Polestar doesn’t sell car cars through them.
