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Polestar 2

The developer perspective: Space Warp

There are apps for listening to music. There are apps for planning the best route to any given destination. There are apps for remotely raising or lowering the car’s temperature. And there are apps for defending humanity against an alien attack.

In-car display in a Polestar car showing the Space Warp game.
Space Warp is a playful step forward in engaging a wider developer community wishing to share their ideas and creations for the Polestar OS.
Dominic Kersch

The aliens’ motives are unclear. Territorial expansion? Jealousy over the Earth’s ever-expanding EV future? They’re firing gas cans in any case, so we know they’re no friends of electric mobility. What is clear is that it’s up to you, piloting a Polestar 2 equipped for the void and capable of firing bolts of electricity, to beat them back.

This is the premise of Space Warp. Developed for the Android Automotive OS of Polestar 2, Space Warp is a loving homage and deliberate throwback to the shoot ‘em up games of the 8-bit era.

Created first by developers at Humblebee, Space Warp was then adapted for the Polestar 2 OS by Developer Dominic Kersch and Software Engineer and Technical Lead Erik Grimmbråten.

The game features a local scoreboard which enables players to compete against one another, along with controls that mirror the functionality of the car’s own system. The method by which you steer the Polestar 2, for example, is a slider. And though the game had a soft launch, it’s seen an enthusiastic reception amongst followers, fans, and customers.

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A screengrab from Space Warp in Polestar 2.

Space Warp is a fun feature in Polestar 2. It’s also an example of what can be done with the system. Not every application has to focus on different functionalities in the car, nor do they need to streamline an aspect of the driving experience (though those apps are great too). Entertainment apps are both hugely popular and very welcome.

“Space Warp is a playful step forward in engaging a wider developer community wishing to share their ideas and creations for the Polestar OS,” says Kersch.

“The sky is really the limit here,” continues Grimmbråten. “If you’re a front-end developer, you can make apps for the car. Which is mind blowing.”

Whether those apps control a function, remove an unnecessary interaction, or save humankind from extra-terrestrial invasion, they’re all welcome in Polestar 2.

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