Volvo’s Polestar 2 with Google is actually on its way, unlike most new EVs

There’s finally something the coronavirus pandemic hasn’t canceled: the release of the Polestar 2, Volvo’s all-electric sedan with a Google infotainment system.

Deliveries for the Chinese-owned Swedish car company’s first ever electric vehicle will start in the U.S. this summer. The original Polestar 1, a plug-in hybrid sports car, came out in 2019 and costs more than $156,000 as a luxury ride. The hybrid was meant to show what was possible with electric before Volvo brought out the Polestar 2. Before any tax incentives and electric vehicle subsidy programs, the new four-door EV, the first car to have Google Maps, Google Assistant, and the Google Play Store built into the vehicle, starts at $59,900. The newest EV will also start deliveries in Canada later this summer.

The 275-mile range EV is unique not just because of its connectivity, but also because it’s actually arriving on time amid the outbreak. 

There’s a long list of delayed EV projects.

Chevy’s next-generation Bolt EV was pushed back, along with General Motors’ revamped GMC Hummer EV unveiling and Cadillac’s first all-electric SUV Lyriq debut. Rivian’s all-electric truck, the R1T, won’t hit its 2020 timeline. It’s expected to belatedly arrive in 2021 along with the EV startup’s all-electric SUV. Same goes for another electric truck from Lordstown Motors.

Lucid, with another luxury sedan EV, the Air, was supposed to start production by the end of this year. That’s not happening at that pace.

The Polestar 2 will really stand out, mostly because it’s the only new EV out there.

Even Swedish electric motorcycle brand CAKE is confident in Polestar’s timeline. On Tuesday, the company announced that its battery-powered bikes will be on display at all European Polestar showrooms.