Earlier this year, Fisker Inc. announced plans of "reinventing the SUV" with a 300-mile (483-km) electric utility vehicle priced at a reasonable US$40,000, promising more details to follow before year's end. Henrik Fisker's latest venture makes good on its promise, revealing that the "world's most sustainable vehicle," an e-SUV by the name of Ocean, will make a proper debut in about two months as a near-production prototype. The new model will be offered through an app-based flex-leasing program, and reservations will open in November ... for those who want to lock down an SUV they haven't seen in person from a new brand that has yet to get a production car on the road.
Perhaps realizing that years of teaser pics and show cars thin people's attention span to nil, Fisker intends to forego a pretty concept car this time around, revealing a fully engineered working prototype at a private event on January 4. The company doesn't mention where the event will be held, but that date is the day before the first media day of CES 2020. Fisker revealed the EMotion at CES 2018, so perhaps it will return to Vegas. Or maybe it'll stay home in California. Wherever the event is held, those who can't make it will be able to catch it via live stream.
"For the past two years, we have been working quietly on an emotionally appealing and affordable luxury electric vehicle that will serve as a flagship for driving positive global change – from the most sustainable materials possible across the supply chain to practicality that will change the perception of what an EV can be," founder and CEO Henrik Fisker pronounces.
It may be the "flagship for driving positive global change," but it'll sit well down market from the $130,000 EMotion. Fisker previously estimated pricing around $40,000, though its latest release is less forthcoming, saying only that pricing will be revealed on November 27, when early reservations open. Fisker will offer the Ocean through a new app-based lease program that rolls car payment, maintenance and service into a flexible short-term contract. It hopes this new direct-to-consumer platform will encourage wider adoption.
The 183-in (464-cm) Ocean isn't quite the all-out stunner we would have hoped for from the hand of Henrik Fisker, but it's a clean enough design. While Fisker took great care to eliminate the grille on the EMotion, here he just pushes a big, unbecoming honeycomb grate down low, bringing the whole aesthetic down a few notches in our book. Beyond that, the and taut lighting, crisp, level lines, and defined angles give it an almost Scandinavian-like functional simplicity.
Speaking of simplicity, instead of the pop-up hoods we're used to on both ICE and electric vehicles, the Ocean will feature a fixed hood, dropping components like latches and seals to save weight and cost. The area under that hood will house air conditioning and electronics hardware to expand available interior space.
The previously mentioned "world's most sustainable vehicle" claim comes not solely from the ~80-kWh lithium-ion pack promising between 250 to 300 miles (402 to 483 km) per charge, but also from green design around the exterior and interior. A full-length solar roof helps charge the battery, providing up to 1,000 miles (1,600 km) a year. Inside, Fisker puts a variety of recycled and sustainable materials to use, including carpet made from recycled fishing nets recovered from the ocean, recycled polyester eco-suede, vegan leather and recycled rubber.
Fisker plans to get production started in late 2021, with the first high-volume deliveries starting in 2022. We won't, however, be recording that timeframe in permanent ink. Fisker initially said it would begin EMotion production in late 2019 (that's right about now), but back in March, it said it would be pushing the sporty sedan back until the solid state battery tech is ready, refocusing its efforts on the SUV. It's worth noting that the solid state battery is the second very promising but not actually ready battery technology Fisker is touting, after its graphene R&D dead-ended.
So far, the new Fisker is feeling a lot like the old Fisker, so we'll believe in the Ocean when we see the actual SUV ... in driveways.
Source: Fisker Inc.