It’s not everyday that a carmaker can claim that they’ve re-invented the side view mirror, but that’s exactly what happened with Volvo’s performance-oriented all-electric brand, Polestar.
Despite all the advancements in automotive tech, side view mirrors have remained largely the same for quite some time. Sure, some carmakers have started tinkering by replacing the mirrors with outboard cameras, but because this is still largely untested tech, some countries still haven’t certified them.
Enter Polestar’s compromise: the frameless side view mirror. Part of Polestar’s signature design features that include pixel LED headlights and an illuminated logo reflected on the panoramic glass roof, this new kind of side view mirror happens to meet not just worldwide regulatory requirements, but they also help improve fuel efficiency and reduce wind noise.
Polestar explains that their frameless side view mirrors are 30 percent smaller (in terms of volume) compared to the standard side view mirror, but keeps the available field of vision (and even tech like auto dimming and blind spot indicators) intact.
The carmaker explains that they were able to achieve this signature look by changing the way the side view mirrors move. In a conventional setup, the mirror moves within a fixed enclosure. In the Polestar though, the entire enclosure moves as one!
Currently, this technology is available exclusively on the Polestar 1 and Polestar 2, but it’s highly likely that it’ll migrate to Volvo, and perhaps even the Lynk & Co and Geely brands in the very near future.
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