Fisker Ocean Arrives in 2021, Starts Around $40,000

Fisker recently announced plans to debut the first of three affordable electric vehicles it wants to sell. The model, which founder Henrik Fisker said would be an SUV named Ocean, is scheduled to land on the North American market in 2021. “More info” is coming on November 27th and a near-production prototype is supposed to manifest in January.

The EV was originally supposed to appear in December, making this a modest delay. Normally we wouldn’t bat an eyelash at such a meager postponement, but Fisker has a poor track record for delivering on its promises.

Back when the company was still Fisker Automotive, it was building the Karma. Unfortunately, luxury plug-in hybrid didn’t sell and was plagued with quality issues. This author only recalls seeing one Karma outside of automotive trade shows, parked clumsily at a Massachusetts golf corse during the 2014 PGA Tour. While there were plans for the company to eventually build the more-practical Atlantic with help from BMW, things did not pan out.

The business declared bankruptcy in 2013 and failed to repay millions in American taxpayer loans, forcing it to sell everything to Wanxiang America Corp — an Illinois-based subsidiary of China’s mightiest auto parts conglomerate. There were rumors that the Asian company would relaunch production of the Karma and Atlantic, possibly in the United States, but Wanxiang has been noncommittal while the remaining aspects of the bankruptcy sale are being settled.

Having returned as Fisker Inc, the auto startup is now focused on more market-friendly EVs. But it’s still making huge claims. The biggest is a supposed solid-state battery breakthrough that will produce electric vehicles with 500 miles if range and 1-minute charging times. Earth-shattering news we’ve heard little about since 2018.

Fisker’s EMotion prototype debuted last year, with promises of a 400 mile electric range and heaps of luxury. But it’s sitting on a $130,000 (estimated) MSRP, encouraging the company to look downmarket for more customers. The Ocean is supposed to start at $40K, incorporating loads of recycled materials inside to help promote its green image. Fisker is calling it “the world’s most sustainable vehicle.”

While Fisker has started issuing terribly-cropped teasers of the Ocean’s exterior design, precious little has been shared about what will be powering it. All we know is that it will be electric, use lots of recycled materials (maybe even for the tires), and be available exclusively through flexible leases with “no longterm commitments.”

That is, if the Ocean ends up being built. We think the brand still lacks credibility. If that solid-state battery turns out to be legitimate, then its troubles are over. Every manufacturer in the industry will want to buy that technology, as it effectively nullifies the weakest aspects of EVs. But we haven’t seen it yet. What we have seen is Fisker parading a bunch of concept vehicles before anything is even on the market. Without a production-ready model, it just kind of feels like the startup is just playing around.

[Images: Fisker Inc.]