Fisker Ocean electric SUV now available for reservation

The US manufacturer Fisker is now accepting reservations for its electric SUV Fisker Ocean. Only a limited number of models will be sold for a price that has not yet been made public. Fisker wants to lease the majority of these from 379 dollars (about 345 euros) per month.

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Fisker has advertised the electric SUV with the prospect of a battery-electric car for less than 40,000 dollars. How high the purchase price will be is to be announced at the official presentation of Fisker Ocean on 4 January 2020. But Fisker’s primary concern is not the sale of the vehicle. The Americans say that the purchase option is merely a response to “numerous global customer wishes”. Rather, the company is aiming for an extensive leasing program for the car.

The carmaker is now publishing initial details: The Fisker Ocean can be leased from 379 dollars per month, with a one-off payment of 2,999 dollars due before the planned delivery in 2022. Creditworthy customers can apparently finance this down payment completely through Fisker. The leasing model is designed to give users maximum flexibility: “Drivers can decide how long they want to keep their Fisker Ocean – one month, eight months, 22 months or several years. There are no long-term contracts and 30,000 miles are included per year.” Fisker also takes care of all service and maintenance.

To make a reservation now, a refundable deposit of $250 is required. Fisker only gives a few new details about the vehicle itself. Among other things, there will be five option packages for the electric SUV, which reservation holders will be able to view before the end of 2020. They say this will eliminate the need for complicated configuration and make it possible to offer Fisker Ocean at a lower price. Fisker has said that there will be a “California Mode” function in higher equipment variants, with which “passengers will experience sun, fresh air, and an open feeling without sitting in a convertible”. The manufacturer has not yet revealed exactly what this is all about.

Meanwhile, it is becoming increasingly clear that Fisker wants to make all Fisker Ocean services available via an app – from the now possible reservation, leasing, maintenance, and repair on demand, insurance, and financing offers, to the arrangement of test drives. In the future, mobility services such as ride-hailing and car-sharing will also be coordinated via the app.

The BEV is scheduled to start production at the end of 2021 – the first large-volume deliveries are planned for 2022. Test runs will also be possible in so-called Experience Centers from 2021. Fisker has been working on the model for two years, which according to the company will be presented in a few weeks as a near-series prototype and not as a show car. So far, it has been made clear that the Fisker Ocean will be a luxurious electric car with a range of up to 300 miles (approx. 483 km). One electric motor each on the front and rear axle will provide all-wheel drive. A lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 80 kWh is used as an energy supplier. The electric motor is to be produced in the USA.

Fisker is promoting the electric SUV with the questionable superlative of “the world’s most sustainable vehicle”, which it simply cannot be with this kind of energy-to-passenger ratio; electric buses and bicycles, for example, are simply more sustainable than any electric SUV in this regard. However, what it seems they are referring to is the “recycled, vegan and innovative materials” used in the manufacture of the electric car. For example, the carpet is to be made entirely of recycled material – such as nylon from old fishing nets. On the outside, a solar roof also serves as a supporting energy source for additional capacities this is purported as adding around 1,000 extra miles (around 1,600 km) per year. The average American drives 13,476 miles per year.

Meanwhile, Fisker Ocean alone will not be enough. The electric SUV is only the first of a total of three affordable electric cars to be launched on the market, says Fisker. The luxury sedan EMotion – which is not one of the three affordable electric cars – will only be launched as soon as the first affordable model is available.

Update 12.12.2019: Fisker has appointed VW subsidiary Electrify America as its official charging partner. Among other things, customers of the US manufacturer can benefit from a free mileage package at the fast charging stations, and Fisker Ocean is automatically recognized at EA stations via Plug&Charge. Further details will follow at the beginning of January at CES, where the Ocean will celebrate its trade fair premiere. Reservation holders should already get some more information about the vehicle, among others a video will explain the function of the “California Mode”.

prnewswire.com, update via email

with additional reporting from Carrie Hampel