Electric Polestar 2 gets Vivaldi browser so you can shop and browse on the go

Polestar rolls out the Vivaldi web browser on the Polestar 2, allowing owners to access a full-scale web browser on the go.

Cars are rapidly changing into mobile computers, with buyers seemingly more interested in what technology is available than the ‘drive’. And, it seems, despite having a mobile phone in their pockets – or resting on a wireless pad in the car – drivers want mobile technology built into their car’s infotainment.

That means, according to Polestar, that owners have been asking for a full-scale web browser to be part of the Android infotainment in the Polestar 2. And they’ve now delivered just that, but instead of doing what you might expect by adding the Google Chrome browser to the Google Android-based infotainment, they’ve chosen to add the Vivaldi browser instead.

In case you don’t know, the Vivaldi browser is a very good web browser, developed by one of the co-founders of Opera, which delivers more than Chrome does but without gobbling up resources and tracking every breath you take. So it’s a good choice (if you haven’t tried Vivaldi, you should – it’s very good).

Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner, Vivaldi CEO, said:

We are really proud to introduce our browser to a car for the first time, and specifically with a brand like Polestar. Our technological and sustainability ambitions are well aligned. We value transparency, privacy and responsible innovation – including the fact that we have our servers in Iceland, one of Polestar’s newest markets

The Vivaldi browser for the Polestar 2 is now available in the UK, Europe, North America and some Asia Pacific countries.