POLESTAR CLADRUS CONCEPT CAR BY HARSHULL VERMA
The Polestar Cladrus concept car is a visionary design study by Harshul Verma that imagines the next evolution of Nordic electric mobility: a solar-powered, Level 5 autonomous vehicle built around graphene battery technology and a Scandinavian-inspired interior philosophy. While not an official Polestar factory project, the Cladrus captures the direction in which luxury electric car design is heading, and it does so with remarkable clarity.
Who Designed the Polestar Cladrus?
Harshul Verma is an automotive designer and visualization artist currently working with Mahindra Advanced Design Europe. The Cladrus project was conceived as an independent design exploration, using Polestar's established visual vocabulary (clean lines, Nordic restraint, performance-focused proportions) as a starting point, then extrapolating forward to imagine what a fully autonomous, solar-integrated Polestar could look like in the near future. As covered by Yanko Design, the Cladrus balances delicate form with dynamic volume in a way that feels entirely contemporary.
Graphene Battery and Solar Integration: How It Works
The Cladrus concept is built around a graphene-based battery system, a significant departure from conventional lithium-ion packs. Graphene enables far higher energy density and faster charge rates, and in Verma's design it also allows the roof-mounted solar panels to route their energy directly into the drivetrain rather than cycling through the main battery, improving efficiency. The solar panels passively charge the vehicle during drives and while parked, meaning the Cladrus is designed to reduce or eliminate charging dependency for urban daily driving cycles. This places the Cladrus firmly in the same design conversation as real-world solar EV projects, making it a useful lens for understanding where the industry is heading.
Level 5 Autonomy: The Waymo-Inspired Sensor Hub
The Cladrus concept is conceived for Level 5 full autonomy. A sensor hub mounted on the roof draws direct inspiration from Waymo's autonomous vehicle architecture, housing the LIDAR, radar, and camera arrays required for a vehicle to navigate without any human input. In a Level 5 autonomous vehicle, the driver's seat and steering wheel become optional, which is reflected in the Cladrus interior: a lounge-first space designed around the passenger experience rather than the driving experience.
Interior: Nordic Luxury Reimagined for Autonomous Travel
The Cladrus interior reflects Polestar's Scandinavian design language taken to its logical autonomous extreme. The cabin is spacious, minimal, and oriented toward comfort rather than driver engagement. Panoramic windows frame the exterior environment, passengers can recline, socialise, or simply watch the world pass. It is the kind of interior that makes sense only once the car no longer requires human supervision, and Verma has designed it accordingly.
Discover Electric Vehicles at TheArsenale
TheArsenale is the destination for those who want the most forward-thinking electric vehicles on the planet. Browse the TheArsenale Electric and Renewable Energy Vehicles collection for vehicles that share the Cladrus's vision of clean, high-performance mobility. For electric performance available today, the Nitid Trinity Electric Hypercar and the RAESR Tachyon Speed represent the current state of the art in electric car engineering, while the TheArsenale Cars Collection spans the full spectrum from coachbuilt exotics to autonomous urban concepts.
Photo: Harshul Verma
