Joakim Rydholm on finding the Polestar DNA
In theory
you could build a perfect car virtually by just feeding a machine numbers and
calculations. But we’re not making cars for virtual customers. We’re making
cars for real people.
Joakim
Rydholm
In the
press he has jokingly been called "the father of Polestar 1". He
might not endorse this title himself, but it shows of the level of his
involvement in the development of the car. Joakim Rydholm is a well-known name
in the industry. Some of you may have seen him on the racetracks, helmet on,
test driving Polestar 1 or Polestar 2, fine-tuning the characteristics and
driving experience of the cars. As Chief Development Engineer, he plays an
important role in developing the Polestar DNA. However, Joakim is keen to
emphasise that it’s all about teamwork.
“A car is a
very complex thing and certainly not a one-man show. It’s a massive collective
effort and one of my main assignments is to hold the team together, ensuring
that there is good communication between all parties so that we can make
well-informed decisions. Of course, there are a lot of different opinions from
a lot of people - that’s where I need to step in and decide which direction
we’re going to take and make the final call. But at the end of the day, we
always arrive at something that everyone can stand behind and agree on as a
team. That’s very important”, Joakim states.
Joakim
estimates that he spends 60% of his time test-driving the cars. A car is very
much a physical product, and the process of building one might seem quite
straightforward. Joakim argues, however, that you can measure and calculate a
lot of things in the hopes of building the “perfect” car, but it all comes down
to the driving experience and finding the right feeling.
“In theory
you could build a perfect car virtually by just feeding a machine numbers and
calculations. But we’re not making cars for virtual customers. We’re making
cars for real people. And people have ears that are far more sensitive than any
virtual measurements can express. People have hands that, if they put them on
the steering wheel, pick up information about the road through tiny vibrations.
We do all those things subconsciously and it affects how we experience the car
and how we drive it. You can’t simulate that. At Polestar we believe that in
order to make a great car you have to spend a lot of time in it. That’s why
I’ve spent three years inside the Polestar 1.”
With the
first cars leaving the assembly line, Joakim says he’s pleased to know that
everyone will soon get the chance to see all of the teams’ hard work up close.
“The
Polestar experience can’t be captured in words. It has to be felt”, Joakim
summarises.
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