Going Electric for 2022 - June 2022

New Addition at the House

We recently added seven panels to our roof solar generation system for a total of 15 panels. The original system was fine for general household needs, but wasn't enough to generate power for an electric vehicle. With the current price per gallon reaching over $6, we figured it was time to reduce our carbon footprint and gasoline expenses - and sell the hybrid.

Our search for an electric vehicle was quite an eye-opener. I started by looking at an Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. I quickly learned that many California auto dealers are adding a $10,000 "market adjustment" over MSRP for new vehicles. There were a couple of central valley Hyundai dealers that only had a $3,000 market adjustment for electric vehicles. Regardless, no dealer had existing stock for these vehicles. With current gas prices so high, many drivers are understandably looking to abandon their gas cars. 

Unwilling to pay such high add-on fees, we expanded our search to a Polestar 2. A nearby neighbor recently leased a Polestar 2 and we were able to take a closer look at this option. This electric vehicle is designed in Sweden and manufactured by Volvo and Geeley. Initially, Polestar was the performance division of Volvo. Polestar vehicles are ordered online and the prices are not subject to market adjustments. However, the few locations in California that deliver Polestar vehicles don't have existing stock, so you're left to order and wait several months for delivery. The last of the model year 2022 Polestar 2s are now reaching port and 2023 models are expected to start delivery by the end of 2022. 

We placed our 2023 order a couple of weeks ago. Two days ago, we just happened to learn that a pre-configured 2022 Polestar 2, similar to our 2023 order, reached the port of Los Angeles without a confirmed purchaser - this opportunity is somewhat rare.  We quickly put a deposit on it and we hope to take delivery of this electric vehicle in about two weeks. Once we see the transaction fully completed, we'll cancel our 2023 order. The 2022 model is more powerful than what we originally wanted, with dual motors and 408HP.

Quite a bit of research and decisions over a short period of time. We ordered a home EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) but it won't be delivered until early July. The electrician has been scheduled for the installation and we now have our building permit for the electrical work. 

If you're wondering where Polestars are serviced, there are some Volvo service departments that are authorized by Polestar to perform repairs. 

We're looking forward to our Polestar 2 ownership experience.