Electric Vehicle Startup Fisker Reveals Details & Pricing for its ‘Sustainable' Ocean SUV

author: Eric Walz   

The Fisker Ocean SUV on display at CES in Las Vegas

Earlier this year, California-based electric vehicle startup Fisker Inc. announced its next vehicle would be an SUV priced around $40,000, to compete with the upcoming Tesla Model Y and now more detailed have been revealed.

The fully-electric Fisker Ocean SUV was officially unveiled to reservation holders in a private ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday, ahead of this week's CES where the Ocean will be on display all week. However, Reservation holders got a close up look at the ocean for the first time on Sunday.

Fisker Inc, founder, chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker said the Ocean will start at $37,499 for purchase, but will also be available with a flexible lease option of $379 per month, including insurance with a high-mileage allowance of 30,000 miles per year.

Customer looking to purchase an Ocean in the U.S. can take advantage of the federal EV tax credit of $7,500 which brings the price down to $29,999.

"As we move into electrification, one of the things that's going to be most important is affordability at the end of the day." said Fisker. 

Following Tesla's lead, Fisker will sell the Ocean directly to customers. Fisker said he plans to take out every single "middleman" involved in the purchase of a traditional vehicle and deliver the Ocean SUV directly to customers. 

Fisker is billing itself as "the world's first digital car company." "We want to do everything digital with as little brick and mortar as possible, because that is cost." Fisker said.

Mr. Fisker said the company will not have a network of dealers or a website for online sales. Instead, all interactions with the Fisker brand will be done via the automaker's app, included selecting the Ocean's options and purchasing or leasing it.

Once the vehicle is ordered, Fisker will deliver the Ocean SUV directly to the customer. The entire transaction is seamless and convenient. Mr Fisker said his company will even pick up and deliver the vehicle back to the customer for all maintenance, or repairs, which the customer can also request right from the app.

"Through this app, we want to manage everything together with our clients and customers in the future." said Fisker.

The flexible lease options is meant to make the Ocean more affordable for customers, something which Tesla currently does not offer for its more expensive vehicles.

"The technology (electric vehicle) is still expensive and its going to take some years to get it affordable. If we can find other ways to make the technology affordable in the near future, this could help us alot." he added.

Fisker is looking at certain design elements to take the cost out of the vehicle so more customers can get behind the wheel. By doing this, Mr Fisker said he will be able to sell the Ocean at what he says is an "amazing price."

Offering a flexible lease is also part of Fisker's mission to offer sustainability with the Ocean. Instead of people buying a new car every few years, once the Ocean's lease period is over, another customer can lease the same vehicle at a lower price, and another one after that and so on.

"It's a part of the whole sustainability effect." Fisker said. "We're not here to press you to buy something then throw it away as fast as possible so we can sell you something else. We're here to provide a mobility service."

Fisker Inc. founder and CEO Henrik Fisker talks about the Ocean SUV on Tuesday, Jan 7, 2020 at CES in Las Vegas.

Another way Fisker is trimming costs is by setting up a global supply chain for the Ocean, which Mr. Fisker said took two years to complete. One of Fisker's most important suppliers, is the maker of the Ocean's batteries, which he did not reveal yet. An EV's lithium ion batteries can add significant cost to the final price, something Fisker said he wanted to avoid. 

"We have secured enough battery production capacity for one million vehicles over the first five years of production." he said.

The Fisker Ocean is being engineered for global markets starting with the U.S., followed by Europe and China.

About the Fisker Ocean

The Ocean sports a wide, aggressive stance with big tires and the batteries mounted low in the floor. The model unveiled on Sunday was outfitted with 22-inch wheels. Mr. Fisker says it gives the Ocean better stability and handling while cornering. He calls the design itself an active safety feature, saying the vehicle is incredibly stable.

"We are really aiming to make this one of the best handling vehicles." said Fisker.

Fisker said the Ocean will be available with many different powertrain options, including a dual-motor all-wheel-drive version. Fisker says the Ocean will also be available in a high-output version that can reach 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds. 

Fisker did not reveal details on the Ocean's range or power output, such as the kWh of the battery pack or charging time at this early stage, but the company is targeted around a 250-300 mile range, according to its website.

The Ocean's interior is made from recycled ocean waste, including fishing nets

The fully-electric Ocean SUV gets its name from the use of recycled plastics throughout the vehicle's interior. Most of the plastic materials used in the interior is plastic waste collected from the ocean that would otherwise become pollution and hazards for marine life, including plastic bottles and fishing nets. 

Fisker said that some of the dashboard materials include recycled t-shirts.

Among the Ocean's other notable features is a solar-powered roof for vehicle electronics and a rear turn signal indicator that's mounted facing upwards, so when changing lanes on the highway, drivers of large semi-trucks can look down and see that a driver intends to switch lanes. 

The systems adds an additional layer of safety, since the rear of the vehicle is rather low-slung and compact and equipped with a spoiler to improve aerodynamics. The front turn signals are mounted separately in the bumper separate from the headlights for aesthetics.

The interior features a minimalist design with a large touchscreen display similar to the one pioneered by Tesla. It also offers an inductive charging pad directly below it for cell phones and other devices.

Fisker even added an in-vehicle karaoke system, which displays song lyrics on the windshield in front of the driver using the Ocean's HUD display when listening to music as you drive.

Fisker is planning to deliver the first vehicles in the second half of 2021. Customers can reserve their Fisker Ocean with a $250 deposit. The Fisker smartphone app is available on Apple's App Store or Google Play store.

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.