A new frontier: Polestar 2’s infotainment system

Nothing compares with the excitement of exploration. The urge to see what’s out there is what propels mountain climbers to the peaks. It causes scientists to send remote vehicles to Challenger Deep. Whenever a new frontier opens up, physical or virtual, there’s no shortage of curious people eager to explore it to the very edges.

Which is where the infotainment system of the Polestar 2 comes in.

Polestar 2 is the first car in the world to feature a native Android Automotive system, featuring a suite of Google and third-party apps optimised for the in-car experience. From an app development perspective, this is the Wild West: a sprawling, unexplored land ripe with possibilities. A place where ideas can grow. A place of experimentation. A place without limits (almost).

To that end, we’ve built a Polestar 2 emulator for Android Studio which features full implementation of Google Automotive Services: Google Maps for navigation, Google Assistant for voice control, and Google Play store for downloading and installation. This functionality means that developers can test their apps in the same way as users in the Polestar 2 will, meaning full optimisation and usability from the beginning.

The Polestar 2 infotainment system is an entirely new frontier. Time to get excited about exploring it.

Related

White slopes and green goals: How Laax became one of Switzerland's greenest ski resorts

Our partnership with Weisse Arena Group who manages the ski resort of Laax in the Swiss alps is in its second year so we caught up with their Sustainability Officer, Reto Fry to talk green goals and how to keep our slopes white in the face of climate change.

Remote actions: Polestar and Google

Time spent in the car doesn’t have to be time spent away from other things.

An overhead view of a building made of snow, with four Polestar cars nearby.

When in Rovaniemi

Do as the locals do. Words of wisdom that any seasoned traveller is familiar with. They don’t just govern behavior, however. They speak to the importance of having an open mind, embracing new customs, and adapting to one’s surroundings. There are equivalents in all languages. In English, one is told that “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”. It counts for the Italian capital, just as it counts for northern Finland. Which is exactly where we headed this winter.