California Automaker Fisker Inc. to Debut the Fully-Electric Ocean SUV at CES, Electrify America Announced as EV Charging Partner

author: Eric Walz   

Another electric vehicle startup is ready to unveil its new all-electric luxury model. Fisker Inc., a Southern California EV company, announced that the Fisker Ocean SUV will make its global public debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020 in Las Vegas next month. 

Fisker also announced today a partnership with Electrify America, a Virginia-based subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group that owns and manages a nationwide network of EV charging stations. The two companies are also working together to reduce charge times without degrading the battery.

Fisker Ocean vehicles will be automatically recognized by Electrify America's charging stations allowing for simple charging, automatic release and automatic payments using Fisker's smartphone app.

Fisker will offer a free miles package with each vehicle, which includes certain amount complimentary charging. Additional details on charging packages will be announced later in 2020, Fisker said.

"Electrify America is delighted to collaborate with Fisker, a name associated with innovation and design, and the Fisker Ocean is a vehicle that embodies these qualities," said Giovanni Palazzo, president and CEO of Electrify America. "As part of our shared mission to increase electric vehicle adoption, we look forward to offering our network of ultra-fast public chargers to take Fisker customers from coast to coast and advancing e-mobility throughout the United States."

The electric Fisker Ocean will make its official debut at CES in January.

Electrify America continues to form partnerships with automakers as it makes plans to further expand its charging network. The company has announced EV charging partnerships with Ford Motor Co, Audi and rival luxury EV startup Lucid Motors to provide charging services.

"Fisker customers will enjoy automatic recognition of the vehicle at Electrify America charging stations, a free miles package from Fisker and the ability to find charging stations through the Fisker Flexee mobile app. Overall, Fisker Ocean will serve as a model for how desirable EVs can replace gasoline vehicles as practical daily drivers." said Henrik Fisker, chairman and CEO of Fisker Inc.

Electrify America expects to install, or have under development, approximately 800 total charging station sites with about 3,500 chargers by December 2021. Many of the chargers will be capable of fast-charging, which the Fisker Ocean SUV will support.

Electrify America's 350 kW chargers can charge compatible vehicles up to 20 miles per minute. The Fisker Ocean features a CCS Type 2 Combo plug enables the vehicle to be charged through any EV charging stations that use the technology. Just 30 minutes of charging can add 200 miles of range to the Ocean.

About Fisker Inc.

Fisker Inc. emerged from the ashes of Fisker Automotive, a company best known for producing the Fisker Karma, which was one of the world's first production luxury plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The low-volume Fisker Karma It debuted at the 2008 North American International Auto Show, and first deliveries were in 2011. Production was suspended after Fisker Automotive's battery supplier A123 System filed for bankruptcy.

Without a battery supplier, Fisker Automotive also filed bankruptcy in 2013 and its assets were purchased by Chinese auto parts maker Wanxiang Group in 2014 for $149 million. However, founder Henrik Fisker retained the name and the company reemerged as Fisker Inc. in 2016, with founder Henrik Fisker at the helm and some new financial backing. The Wanxiang Group went on to form Karma Automotive.

The Fisker Ocean SUV

Fisker's ambitious mission is to become the number one e-mobility service provider. So far, Fisker only released some teaser photos of its new Ocean SUV showing the front and back, so we'll have to wait for CES to see it in person.

Fisker calls the Ocean "the world's most sustainable vehicle." The Ocean features materials made from recycled, abandoned fishing nets & plastics from the ocean are used in the interior components. 

The fully-electric Fisker Ocean will not only compete in the popular SUV segment, its set to rival new electric SUV models from Tesla, Audi, Porsche and others. 

To compete with other electric automakers like Tesla, the Ocean will be available through a monthly lease that starts at $379 per month which includes a mileage allowance up to 30,000 miles a year. The flexible lease includes a limited warranty, maintenance, roadside assistance, and insurance combined into a single monthly payment. 

The Ocean is equipped with a state-of-the-art 80 kWh battery offering a range of up to 300 miles. Fisker developed the battery technology in-house and has filed more than 10 battery patents. 

The Ocean will be available with 4-wheel drive via high-performance dual electric motors. One of the Ocean's more unique features is an optional solar powered roof that Fisker says can provide over 1,000 free miles a year.

The Ocean also features what Fisker calls "California Mode" which is rumored to be some kind of panoramic open roof. Fisker has not provided any further details about California Mode yet. Fisker said that reservation holders will soon have access to a video that illustrates the open-air feature via the Fisker mobile app on the App Store and Google Play store.

 "I have been eagerly waiting to show our revolutionary Fisker Ocean luxury SUV to the public, so we decided to debut the full prototype – reflecting the actual production vehicle – at CES 2020," said CEO Henrik Fisker.

"The world will get to see the fully-engineered vehicle, which rides on a production-ready platform – signaling our intent to get it to market efficiently. I'm also very excited about our partnership with Electrify America, which enables Fisker driver access to the largest open DC Fast charging network in the USA." 

Customers can reserve the fully-electric Fisker Ocean with a refundable $250 deposit using Fisker's smartphone app, which is available on Google Play and Apple's App Store. Deliveries to customers are planned for 2022.

Fisker Inc. has not revealed where the Ocean SUV will be built.

Eric Walz

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.