Woah, a Polestar 5 recharged from 10-80 per cent in *10 minutes*

Polestar has managed to charge one of its quickest electric cars really, really quickly. Working with fast-charging battery maker StoreDot, it juiced a 5 prototype from 10-80 per cent in just 10 minutes.

So in the time it takes to choose and purchase a cold sandwich from a service stop, the “fully driveable verification prototype” 5 was pretty much topped right back up again. The key here is consistency: it was able to charge at a constant rate of 310kW, rising to a peak of 370kW towards the end of its cycle.

Polestar said the bespoke 77kWh battery – able to be expanded to 100kWh – used silicon-dominant cells and could add 200 miles of range to a mid-sized EV in 10 mins.

Apparently the experimental ‘extreme fast charging’ tech – dubbed XFC and not to be confused with your local chicken shop – doesn’t need special cooling systems, because it’s constructed in a way that improves its “mechanical properties and cooling ability”, while maintaining (or reducing) overall weight.

“Time is one of life’s greatest luxuries, and as a manufacturer of luxury electric performance cars, we need to take the next step to address one of the biggest barriers to EV ownership – charging anxiety,” said Polestar boss Thomas Ingenlath.

“With this new technology, on longer journeys when drivers do stop they’ll be able to spend less time charging and be back on the road faster than before. In fact, that stop time will be more akin to what they experience with a petrol car today.”

StoreDot CEO Dr Doron Myersdorf added: “This breakthrough revolutionises ownership by eradicating the barrier of range and charging anxiety once and for all as drivers will be able to travel long distances with the same freedom and convenience as traditional fossil fuel-powered vehicles."

Of course, at least one iteration of the Polestar 5 is considerably more powerful than a ‘traditional fossil fuel-powered vehicle’ – there’ll be a version with an AWD, twin-motor powertrain with 872bhp and 664lb ft of torque, packaged up insider a bonded aluminium chassis that’s stiffer than a supercar.

Better choose that sandwich quick…