Connected car technology is already well established in China, but in the European and American markets, the idea of a software-defined vehicle is still a relatively novel concept.
Polestar 3 owners are living in the future with vehicles that are able to have software updated via over-the-air (OTA) software and hardware downloads rather than mechanical or electronic switch-outs that happen at dealerships.
As of February 20, since the vehicle's launch in 2024, Polestar has implemented nine OTA software updates. Since the launch of Polestar 2 in 2020, the company has issued over 30 updates for its 2, 3 and 4 models.
"With our over-the-air updates we can continue to make our cars better over time, and with the latest updates for Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 we've done just that. Our customers asked for digital key functionality, and so we delivered, and we'll continue to add value for our customers over the lifetime of their cars," Michael Lohscheller, Polestar CEO, said in a press release.
The company is committed to upgrading its vehicles throughout their lifecycle with OTAs. Though the updates are complimentary today, in the future the automaker could choose to have owners subscribe to services to gain access to new features or upgrades, experts say.
"OTAs offer many obvious benefits to both consumers and manufacturers. However, one often overlooked advantage is their impact on remarketing. If a manufacturer can add features to an off-lease unit at little to no cost, increasing its value, it creates multiple upstream and downstream financial benefits for them in portfolio management and residual values," Tony Salerno, vice president of business development for auto analytics at J.D. Power, told Newsweek.
The latest Polestar 3 update included digital key functionality with walk-away locking. With this update, the model's owners who have linked their vehicle to the Polestar app are able to lock, unlock or start their vehicle while their phone is in their pocket rather than in their hand. It's a passive functionality that pays off when hands are full of groceries or children.
Model year 2026 Polestar 3s will come equipped with the Nvidia Drive AGX Orin processor, which will allow the car's hardware to be updated alongside the software. Polestar 3s purchased before the 2026 model year will be eligible to receive the chip as part of a complimentary upgrade, which will require a service center visit. Customers will be contacted when the upgrade is available for their SUV.
"Polestar 3, the first software-defined vehicle from Europe, gets even more brain power. The ability to upgrade the hardware of our cars when new technologies become available is the perfect demonstration of our commitment to deliver the very best ownership experience to our customers," Lohscheller said.
Hardware updates allow for the updating to physical equipment. In other words, software tells hardware what to do, and hardware makes it happen.
"Polestar's push into hardware OTA updates highlights the next frontier of over-the-air technology—moving beyond rudimentary software tweaks to real performance enhancements. As software-defined vehicles become the norm, automakers will increasingly use OTA updates to refine powertrain efficiency and driving dynamics and even to extend hardware capabilities long after production," Paul Waatti, director of industry analysis at AutoPacific, told Newsweek.