What does it mean to flash Polestar on a Volvo?

[VanessaMarie]

Polestar is Volvo's performance brand, and Polestar offers factory power upgrade programs. Flashing Polestar essentially means installing Polestar's performance software. After the software is flashed, the engine's power will increase, but fuel consumption will also rise accordingly, which is normal. Note that only turbocharged engines can have their power increased by flashing software. Additional information: 1. Turbocharged engines: Turbocharged engines can increase power by adjusting turbo pressure and fuel injection volume. Higher turbo pressure leads to increased air intake in the engine. Naturally aspirated engines cannot increase air intake through software but can adjust fuel injection. However, increasing only fuel injection without adjusting air intake would result in an overly rich air-fuel mixture, affecting engine performance. Thus, naturally aspirated engines cannot gain power by flashing software. 2. Twincharged engines: Twincharged engines can switch between different boosting methods under varying conditions, improving both power and efficiency. They can deliver higher output with lower displacement and fuel consumption. However, only high-end Volvo models are equipped with twincharged engines.