Tesla made headlines when it announced it engineered the Cybertruck windows to stop bullets from a small-caliber gun. But it’s a Polestar driver who took to Reddit last week claiming his window stopped a bullet. The incident has inspired an interesting discussion on just how strong and “overbuilt” Polestars are.
Did someone shoot a bullet at a Polestar 2 EV driver?
New Polestar owner “CptMerica29” posted pictures of spiderweb cracks across his driver’s side window. “Someone shot at me!” he wrote. “I believe it was a .22 caliber!”
The St. Louis driver later specified: “Did not see person. Was enjoying the Harmon Kardon system in the far right lane. Window shattered and I had no idea what happened. It was right before my work exit and I pulled into work to assess the damage. That’s when I noticed the point of impact. I have no idea. Wish I did. Really confused, angry, and sad.”
The driver added an intriguing detail: “I was looking at the area and there is a gun range right beside where it occurred but it was on the passenger side and not the driver side.” So if the damage was caused by a stray bullet from the range, it would have had to complete an unlikely ricochet off another vehicle.
His statement that he was “confused, angry, and sad” suggests he thinks it was an intentional shooting, the gun aimed at him. When commenters asked about possible motives, he added: “Driving like a Saint right now for [insurance] discount. No idea.”
Some commenters suggested an airsoft gun or BB gun. Others insisted the impact was from a bit of stone, thrown into the air by a nearby vehicle. Without better forensic analysis, we may never know what actually happened. I will say I’ve seen stray gravel smash through car windows. Even if this was just a rock chip that cracked the window, it’s impressive the glass held.
How tough is the Polestar 2?
In a world of hastily assembled EV prototypes, the Polestar 2 stands out. It is based on vehicles designed by its parent company: Volvo.
One commenter joked: “While other brands have frames quite literally ripping in half, the Polestar 2 is sturdy AND America-proofed. Such a knockout!”
Jo Borrás offered a more technical explanation on the Electrek website: “The OG Polestar 1 and Polestar 2 were little more than hot electric versions of Volvo cars – and Volvo cars are known throughout the world for their secure, planted feel on the road and absolutely bananas high-tensile steel safety cages. As such, it should come as no surprise that the Polestar 2 is one of the safest sedans on the road today.”
