New Model News

New Fisker Ocean is an eco-conscious SUV looking to make a splash in the EV market

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull
Nov 4, 2019, 1:37 pm

It's best to never completely write off Henrik Fisker. The automotive design visionary has had his hand in some of the most beautiful vehicles ever produced - the BMW Z8, Aston Martin DB9, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and Fisker Karma, just to name a few.

The Fisker Karma was the world's first premium plug-in hybrid (PHEV) but it failed to gain traction with its biggest obstacles being the high price tag, lack of charging infrastructure, and alleged corporate mismanagement.

Enter the next chapter of Fisker's life: the Fisker Ocean. Fisker Inc. is calling it one of the most ecologically conscious vehicles ever produced. Fisker, the company, is touting the vehicle's use of recycled materials, such as fishing nets, in the SUV's cabin, which also sports vegan components made of 100 percent polycarbonate polyurethane, recycled t-shirts . A Dinamica "eco-suede" is made of recycled polyester and other consumer plastics, features inside the cabin as well as rubber recovered from tire recycling efforts.

2021 Fisker Ocean 2022 Fisker Ocean Fisker has released this image of the front end of the new Fisker Ocean SUV.Photo courtesy of Fisker Inc.

The company will also offer a large head up display for drivers.

Fisker is saying that the SUV will have a 275-300-mile range that can be enhanced with an available range extender. That range comes from a 80 kWh battery pack that is paired with a solar roof in its top trim level, a feature that the company claims could provide 1,000 additional miles of charge over the course of a year.

Fisker Ocean solar roof Fisker Inc. CEO Henrik Fisker has teased this image of the SUV's solar roof on Twitter.Photo courtesy of Henrik Fisker, Twitter

The SUV will be available in four-wheel drive with one front and one rear electric motor.

There will be a "small, center high-mounted radar" that resides behind glass and a parametric pattern takes the place of a the traditional grille, allowing on-demand airflow.

Fisker Ocean drive mode shifter This rendering from Henrik Fisker's Twitter timeline shows what appears to be a drive mode selector.Photo courtesy of Henrik Fisker, Twitter

The touch of a button will allow for an open-air experience. Fisker will offer available 22-inch wheels.

It is slated to have a starting price below $40,000, putting it in direct competition with the Tesla Model Y and Kia Niro EV. It is expected that Fisker will officially launch the car in the second half of 2021.

Fisker Ocean California Mode SUV roof Fisker has teased a "California Mode" in the Ocean, which would include an open roof.Photo courtesy of Henrik Fisker, Twitter

"Our team set out on a mission to create an affordable EV that's more exciting and emotion-stirring than what the market has been offering," said Henrik Fisker. "We're now excited to be introducing a vehicle that truly reinvents the SUV. At an affordable price point, starting below $40,000, we're delivering a desirable, luxuriously rugged and green vehicle – complete with unique new experiences and technologies – that's accessible to people across the USA and the world."

Fisker Ocean mobile app connectivity Fisker will sell the SUV direct to consumers via a mobile presence.Photo courtesy of Henrik Fisker, Twitter

Fisker's app and pricing information will be available November 27. Customers can begin putting down deposits on the vehicle then, though the model will not be officially unveiled until January 4.

No dealerships are in the works. Fisker intends to sell its vehicle via a direct-to-consumer e-mobility platform. The company will offer a nationwide concierge service model to address repairs and customer service concerns.

Fisker intends to produce the vehicle in the U.S.

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Electric Vehicles

Lamborghini lays out its electrification timeline, will add fourth model by 2030

Lamborghini is accelerating its path toward an all-electric future.

Photo courtesy of Lamborghini Automobili

Lamborghini plans to electrify its lineup and now we know how fast that process will be going and what the company won't be focusing on. In a presentation, Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, detailed that the super luxury automaker will "focus continually on identifying technologies and solutions that guarantee top performance and driving dynamics" rather than fuel economy. Those words are magic to enthusiasts ears.

"Lamborghini's electrification plan is a newly-plotted course, necessary in the context of a radically-changing world, where we want to make our contribution by continuing to reduce environmental impact through concrete projects," said Winkelmann. "Our response is a plan with a 360 degree approach, encompassing our products and our Sant'Agata Bolognese location, taking us towards a more sustainable future while always remaining faithful to our DNA."

The three-phase approach to electrification starts this year. From 2021 to 2022, Lamborghini will focus on "presenting models paying tribute to the company's recent period of continuous success". Expect two new cars in the V12 model line-up to be announced this year.

By the end of 2024, the hybrid transition for the automaker will be well underway. In 2023 Lamborghini will launch its first hybrid series production car and by the end of 2024, the entire range will be electrified. The company's internal target for this phase is to reduce product carbon dioxide emissions by 50 percent by the beginning of 2025.

In this second phase, Lamborghini is committed to keeping the drive experience in focus as well as the application of carbon fiber materials, which the company sees as crucial in developing their new product lineup.

Lamborghini is committing to bringing the company's first fully-electric car to the market in the second half of the 2020s with a number of electric vehicles on the horizon. The automaker expects to introduce a fourth model.

The automaker has initiated an investment of 1.5 billion euros to create the pathway to electrification. The money will be spent over four years time.

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Electric Vehicles

Ford gets 70,000 F-150 Lightning reservations; Tesla Cybertruck reservations top 1 million

Tesla claims that its Cybertruck will go into production this year.

Photo courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

In a presentation to investors this morning, Ford Motor Company revealed that it has received 70,000 reservations for its just-debuted F-150 Lightning electric truck. Its on-paper chief rival, the Tesla Cybertruck, has over one million according to data acquired by Finbold. Rivian, who is nearly ready to start production of its R1T all-electric truck, has over 30,000 reservations, according to reporting by InsideEVs.

Reservations are not orders or sales though they do serve as an indicator of the buying public's enthusiasm for a new model. More and more automakers are switching to online reservations to gauge buyer interest, determine proper product mix, and stay in touch with clients on a more personal level. Hyundai did this with the 2022 Tucson and Ford has successfully used it to launch the Mustang Mach-E.


2022 Ford F-150 Lightning The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning has an all-electric powertrain in its familiar body. Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company

Tesla opened reservations for the Cybertruck immediately following its debut around the same time as the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show where the Mustang Mach-E also debuted. Last July, Finbold revealed that their data showed that there were around 650,000 reservations. In 2018 and 2019 Tesla produced 612,120 vehicles.

Finbold's fresh research indicates that as of May 25, 2021, estimated Cybertruck reservations had reached 1.08 million. That number is more than the 866,750 total vehicles delivered by Tesla in two years between 2019 and 2020.

Though construction at the future home of the Cybertruck, Tesla's Austin, Texas plant, is ongoing, Tesla no longer features the Cybertruck alongside its existing models. The truck's homepage is currently housed in a "see more" style hamburger menu as a singular link alongside the Roadster and Semi. The Cybertruck was originally slated to begin production later this year.

The F-150 Lightning is expected to reach consumers ahead of the Tesla Cybertruck despite the fact that the Cybertruck was unveiled years ahead of the F-Series model. Both have fully electric powertrains. Ford will also offer the electric truck in a fleet version.

Ford has given more specifics about the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning than Tesla has about the Cybertruck. It will look much like a traditional F-150 but have an electric powertrain that gives it a maximum of 563 horsepower and 773 pound-feet of torque. The truck is being built to be capable of towing though doing so will likely decrease the truck's 300-mile maximum range considerably.

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