Polestar cuts emissions per car sold by 31% since 2020
Swedish EV maker Polestar reports a 31% drop in greenhouse gas emissions per car sold since 2020 with the Polestar 4 leading the charge as its lowest-carbon model.
Rob Leigh
Key takeaways
- Polestar emissions per car sold down 31% since 2020
- Polestar 4 now the brand's lowest carbon footprint model
- Net-zero Polestar 0 car target pushed from 2030 to 2035
Polestar has revealed a 31% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per car sold since 2020, according to its newly released 2025 Sustainability Report. The Swedish electric vehicle brand achieved the cut while scaling annual retail sales beyond 60,000 cars and expanding into 28 global markets.
Europe remains the brand's stronghold accounting for more than 75% of sales, whilst Australia continues to be a smaller but active market for the brand.
What is driving the Polestar emissions reduction
Three factors are doing the heavy lifting. First, increased renewable energy use across battery production and vehicle manufacturing. Second, wider adoption of low-carbon materials in the build process. Third, growing sales volumes of the Polestar 4, which the brand describes as its lowest carbon footprint car to date.
Polestar 4
Cleaner European electricity grids have also helped lower use-phase emissions since most charging happens in the brand's biggest market.
Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller
CEO Michael Lohscheller did not mince words on the strategy. "If you are not reducing emissions while growing, you are choosing not to," he said.
Polestar 0 project: net-zero car target moves to 2035
The brand's headline sustainability ambition, the Polestar 0 project, aims to build a net-zero car without offsets. That target has been pushed back from 2030 to 2035, reflecting the scale of the engineering challenge.
Research is centred at the Mission 0 House in Gothenburg, established in 2024 and formally funded with close to SEK 100 million over five years. The current consortium spans five Swedish universities and six industry partners, including SSAB on steel and TMG Automotive on textiles.
Active projects include a large-scale pilot for ultra-low-emission steel, new battery material research, bio-based textile alternatives, and technologies that convert CO2 into usable materials.
Polestar remains on track for its broader goal of becoming a climate-neutral company by 2040.
Frequently asked questions
By how much has Polestar reduced emissions per car?
Polestar has cut greenhouse gas emissions per car sold by 31% since 2020, according to its 2025 Sustainability Report.
When will Polestar build a net-zero car?
The Polestar 0 project now targets a net-zero car without offsets by 2035, revised from the original 2030 timeline.
Which Polestar model has the lowest carbon footprint?
The Polestar 4 is currently the brand's lowest carbon footprint car, helped by renewable energy use in battery production and low-carbon materials.
