Fisker Ocean "pre-reveal"

Been a lot of hype around the recent Rivian IPO and Lucid....Don't know if anyone caught it, but they did the "pre-reveal" of the Fisker Ocean production model on youtube a few minutes ago (full reveal is tomorrow at the LA Auto Show), which is less than a year from production now. I have a vested interest in this as a small-time shareholder (so far my $12-16 shares have gone up to $24+ in 2 months, so maybe it becomes the next Tesla and I can stop buying $700 cars!), so I'm pretty interested in it personally. They've revealed the prototype/non-production model previously.. 

A few quick thoughts on the intro 

- I like that the base price with tax credits will be under $30k (standard price without incentives is about the same as a Toyota Highlander). That's a lot less than the Model X or Rivian or some of the other luxu-EV SUVs out now or out soon. Henrik has said he's all about making it accessible to the general public and not making a vehicle that only the rich can afford, which is laudible if it's still a good quality vehicle. 

- As one would expect from something designed by Henrik Fisker (who has designed some really pretty cars in the past), it looks pretty good. A bit reminiscent of an Evoque, but larger, with an interesting rear window treatment. Incidentally, the rear hatch glass rolls down (a favorite feature of all my Toyota SUVs) and I really like the rear end. Front looks unique as well, and nothing particularly goofy. Interesting wheels as well. It actually looks better than the prototype they showed a year ago, IMO. 

- All the tech details will come out tomorrow at the LA show

- It's being built by Magna in Austria, vice in a Fisker-owned factory, though Fisker is HQ'd in Manhattan Beach, CA. Will be interested to see how this infrastructure-light model works out for production, but the upside is Magna has a ton of automaking experience so maybe less "growing pains" for a new company/vehicle. Production is supposed to start in the coming year and so far everything has been on schedule, so high hopes it'll go well. Apparently there are 18,000 reservations as of last week. 

All in all, interested in seeing the tech details and interior tomorrow, but IMHO it's far more attractive than Rivian's SUV (which I like also, incidentally) and infinitely better looking than the Tesla Model X (again, just my personal opinion, but I don't think the Tesla is remotely attractive so take that with a grain of salt. clearly other people disagree). But of course, that's what Fisker is known for (nice-looking vehicles). We'll see if what's under the skin is as good as the exterior. Either way, it's fun finally seeing "in the flesh" something I've been following for some time via my investments, and if the stock price blows up and it seems to be a good vehicle, I'll buy one in a couple years with the proceeds :) As someone who loves old 1980s ICE cars, and hasn't loved most EVs that have come out so far (mostly on looks), I'm a bit excited only because this one actually LOOKS like something I'd drive (unlike what's on the market ATM). Anyhow....

Here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e8hZ7HScwE They did it on Manhattan Beach pier, with the town Mayor, which was a nice touch. The ambient music in the background was kind of silly, but probably typical for automotive reveals lol. 

It had different wheels, but othewise looks identical to the static photos they've released over the past few months. 

other things he has designed in the past, incidentally 

I for one love the new brands and the design wars for the EV grail.  Like a good F1 season the competition builds a better product for everyone.

That's not a bad looking car. 

Pretty bold of Fisker to name the new vehicle Ocean, after a bunch of Karma being submerged in ocean water put them out of business before.

"Full" reveal in about 15 minutes...I'm curious to see how detailed they'll get on specs and price....

I don't hate these numbers.  Ultra and Extreme will apparently also have torque vectoring.

They are partnering on service...I'd be interested to see what that means/what service looks like in Upstate NY, but yeah...it looks cool.  :)

irish44j (Forum Supporter) said:

 

 

 

 

Can we call those wheels the 7 butchers? Gives new meaning to 'rollin on blades'

Looks nice, I hope this one succeeds. I am waiting for an eight passenger. I'd replace my Pacifica if they were reasonable cost and 300+ mile range.

Can I please have one with the 350-mile battery and the single 275 hp motor? Seriously, I want range more than I want 550 hp and 4 second 0-60 times. 

I understand every EV company thinks they have to do 0-60 in 5 seconds or less, but how about building a 2WD car/truck/SUV with an 8 second 0-60 and 500+ miles of range. That's the vehicle I would consider buying. Ford Lightning, I'm specifically looking at you.

Toyman01 + Sized and said:

Can I please have one with the 350-mile battery and the single 275 hp motor? Seriously, I want range more than I want 550 hp and 4 second 0-60 times. 

I understand every EV company thinks they have to do 0-60 in 5 seconds or less, but how about building a 2WD car/truck/SUV with an 8 second 0-60 and 500+ miles of range. That's the vehicle I would consider buying. Ford Lightning, I'm specifically looking at you.

This.

Toyman01 + Sized and said:

Can I please have one with the 350-mile battery and the single 275 hp motor? Seriously, I want range more than I want 550 hp and 4 second 0-60 times. 

I understand every EV company thinks they have to do 0-60 in 5 seconds or less, but how about building a 2WD car/truck/SUV with an 8 second 0-60 and 500+ miles of range. That's the vehicle I would consider buying. Ford Lightning, I'm specifically looking at you.

This is a function of EV architecture though, right?  You add more battery for range and a side effect is power delivery to the motor is increased.  Or vice versa.

ProDarwin said:

Toyman01 + Sized and said:

Can I please have one with the 350-mile battery and the single 275 hp motor? Seriously, I want range more than I want 550 hp and 4 second 0-60 times. 

I understand every EV company thinks they have to do 0-60 in 5 seconds or less, but how about building a 2WD car/truck/SUV with an 8 second 0-60 and 500+ miles of range. That's the vehicle I would consider buying. Ford Lightning, I'm specifically looking at you.

This is a function of EV architecture though, right?  You add more battery for range and a side effect is power delivery to the motor is increased.  Or vice versa.

Power output is limited by 2 things: what can the motor do?  And how much instantaneous power can the battery pack put out?  The bigger you make the battery pack, the higher limitation number 2 becomes.  So then you're just limited by the motor(s) you put in. 

I was really impressed by the Fister Karma like a decade and a half ago.  Too bad they were a bit ahead of the curve with that sexy 5500-pound car.  Too bad they've failed a bunch of times, and they keep pretending to be "something new."  Anyone seen one of the conversion units with an LS?  That was the doing of a former GM head who also didn't see the opportunity through functional lenses . . .

NickD said:

Pretty bold of Fisker to name the new vehicle Ocean, after a bunch of Karma being submerged in ocean water put them out of business before.

lol, right? I think those actually were covered by insurance, IIRC. The battery manufacturer going out of business is what really sunk the original Fisker since back then there weren't exactly a bunch of choices.  But that company was basically controlled by a bunch of Saudi sheiks as the majority shareholders and they basically just cut bait and sold to the Chinese. This time around, Fisker himself holds the controlling shares. 

IIRC I saw something about the "Ocean" name coming from the fact that he designed it in their HQ right on the Pacific Ocean (which is apparently the horizon seen on their badge). IDK. 

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

irish44j (Forum Supporter) said:

 

 

 

 

Can we call those wheels the 7 butchers? Gives new meaning to 'rollin on blades'

lol butcher knives were my first thought also when I saw them :)

rustomatic said:

I was really impressed by the Fister Karma like a decade and a half ago.  Too bad they were a bit ahead of the curve with that sexy 5500-pound car.  Too bad they've failed a bunch of times, and they keep pretending to be "something new."  Anyone seen one of the conversion units with an LS?  That was the doing of a former GM head who also didn't see the opportunity through functional lenses . . .

Not following the "bunch of times" part. The original company was not really owned by Fisker, it was just a bunch of rich shareholders. Oddly, the Chinese still make the Karma in its identical spec to this day (Karma automotive). I think Fisker's other side thing was coachbuilding in small numbers, which IDK how that ended but it was never intended to be a "real" company, I think it was more of a design company....just building bespoke cars like the olden days. AFAIK those are the only two "Fisker" companies. 

I guess one could say that you learn from prior failures, so hopefully that's the case here. Nobody can argue he isn't a great designer. Now it's just a matter if he can make the business work. Looks like the people he has on-board have a lot of experience in the sector and can hopefully keep the business side solvent. I think the Magna partnership (they own 6% of Fisker) is telling, since Magna is a highly succesful company. Guess we'll see a year down the road how it pans out!

Incidentally, there's a guy in my neighborhood (or near it) who I see commuting in an original Karma a couple times a week. Wonder if you can get spare parts from the Chinese company that still builds it?

Toyman01 + Sized and said:

Can I please have one with the 350-mile battery and the single 275 hp motor? Seriously, I want range more than I want 550 hp and 4 second 0-60 times. 

I understand every EV company thinks they have to do 0-60 in 5 seconds or less, but how about building a 2WD car/truck/SUV with an 8 second 0-60 and 500+ miles of range. That's the vehicle I would consider buying. Ford Lightning, I'm specifically looking at you.

Peter Rawlinson, CEO of Lucid Motors, has said that he would like to see that happen. Lucid's technology was developed with the ability to scale in mind. Lucid, as small new company, doesn't have the resources to launch a mass market higher volume vehicle.  Lucid is open to partnering with another OEM to make what you are talking about.

 Aside from the meat cleaver wheels, I like what I seeing of the new Fisker.  I hope it succeeds.

In reply to irish44j (Forum Supporter) :

Knowing that he's the majority- and not a group I cannot abide by, like Lucid and the Saudi family or most anything Chinese- makes me far more interested to invest.

ProDarwin said:

Toyman01 + Sized and said:

Can I please have one with the 350-mile battery and the single 275 hp motor? Seriously, I want range more than I want 550 hp and 4 second 0-60 times. 

I understand every EV company thinks they have to do 0-60 in 5 seconds or less, but how about building a 2WD car/truck/SUV with an 8 second 0-60 and 500+ miles of range. That's the vehicle I would consider buying. Ford Lightning, I'm specifically looking at you.

This is a function of EV architecture though, right?  You add more battery for range and a side effect is power delivery to the motor is increased.  Or vice versa.

To a point. You can go for the big battery and the small motor and limit the current delivered with all the fancy electronics they install. Just because you have the big battery with all that available amperage doesn't mean you have to install two more motors and twice the available HP. 

It's kind of like a big gas tank and a little engine. A 75 hp 1.6l with a 20-gallon tank will have almost twice the range of the same 75 hp 1.6l with a 10-gallon tank. For some reason, the EV companies are installing the big tank and then slapping a 200 hp engine on it. Poof, no more range, but it will damn sure get-up and scoot. I don't want to put service techs in trucks that will do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds. I want to put them in trucks that will do 0-60 in 9-10 seconds and run all day without stopping to charge. 

Edit to say: I understand why they are doing it. Big hp numbers look good on paper and make big news splashes. They can also command a premium price when their EV truck makes 1500 lb-ft of torque, 600 hp, and will do 0-60 faster than a super car.  

GIRTHQUAKE said:

In reply to irish44j (Forum Supporter) :

Knowing that he's the majority- and not a group I cannot abide by, like Lucid and the Saudi family or most anything Chinese- makes me far more interested to invest.

There's a good article from last year in Forbes or something like that that profiles him and his wife, and how basically all of their personal money is tied up in the new company. His wife, incidentally, is (and I'm sure I'm getting this wrong) an Oxford-educated Phd in biochemistry or something, and also worked for Lloyd's doing investment so I expect she's pretty smart - and she's doing a lot of the business side of things while he works more on the design side. I think she was the one in the unveiling video (she's of Indian descent). IIRC in the article he basically says he hopes he's been able to learn some things from the failure of the original company.

EDIT: here's the article, gives a good background on them: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2020/12/12/meet-the-fiskers-the-billionaire-power-couple-taking-on-tesla/?sh=4e5d967e7d77

Also, it was a Qatari wealth fund, not Saudi. I was close :)

Toyman01 + Sized and said:

ProDarwin said:

Toyman01 + Sized and said:

Can I please have one with the 350-mile battery and the single 275 hp motor? Seriously, I want range more than I want 550 hp and 4 second 0-60 times. 

I understand every EV company thinks they have to do 0-60 in 5 seconds or less, but how about building a 2WD car/truck/SUV with an 8 second 0-60 and 500+ miles of range. That's the vehicle I would consider buying. Ford Lightning, I'm specifically looking at you.

This is a function of EV architecture though, right?  You add more battery for range and a side effect is power delivery to the motor is increased.  Or vice versa.

To a point. You can go for the big battery and the small motor and limit the current delivered with all the fancy electronics they install. Just because you have the big battery with all that available amperage doesn't mean you have to install two more motors and twice the available HP. 

It's kind of like a big gas tank and a little engine. A 75 hp 1.6l with a 20-gallon tank will have almost twice the range of the same 75 hp 1.6l with a 10-gallon tank. For some reason, the EV companies are installing the big tank and then slapping a 200 hp engine on it. Poof, no more range, but it will damn sure get-up and scoot. I don't want to put service techs in trucks that will do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds. I want to put them in trucks that will do 0-60 in 9-10 seconds and run all day without stopping to charge. 

Edit to say: I understand why they are doing it. Big hp numbers look good on paper and make big news splashes. They can also command a premium price when their EV truck makes 1500 lb-ft of torque, 600 hp, and will do 0-60 faster than a super car.  

From what I've read, the entry-level Fisker Ocean uses a totally different type of battery meant to keep the cost down, while the higher-end models use a different type of battery that's more expensive, but also more power-dense. So that's probably why the lower range and power on the entry one - the cost of the battery is meant to keep the overall cost affordable to an "average" family that can't afford a $60k+ SUV.