Big news for nascent EV maker Fisker Inc. means increased competition for all the other electric vehicle companies, starting with the California-based company exceeding its own predictions.
According to Environmental Protection Agency estimates released May 31, the EV company’s first entry into the segment, the Fisker Ocean, can travel 360 miles on a full charge. That’s 10 miles farther than the company said the all-electric SUV would go.
Additionally, the company plans to begin delivering the Ocean to U.S. customers “in volume,” starting June 19, having received the go-ahead from the EPA and California Air Resource Board. The company can sell in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
“We are super excited to start getting Fisker Ocean SUVs in customer hands,” said Henrik Fisker, CEO, in a statement. “Our U.S. customers have been exceptionally patient as we have move through the regulatory process, but we are now ready to enter the next phase of the company’s history.”
Farther for less
The company had been saying for some time that it expected the range on the Ocean — its first product — to be 350 miles, so the 10-mile uptick is good news. Fisker officials make the claim the Ocean “has the longest range of any new electric SUV under $200,000 sold in the United States today.”
This separates it from the Faraday Future FF 91, which is EPA-certified to travel 381 miles on a full charge — assuming you will ever be able to buy one. The Hanover, California-based maker continues to claim it will begin producing vehicles in the near future. However, those proclamations are usually followed by a plea for more money to keep the operation alive.
The 550-horsepower Ocean uses a 113-kWh battery with two motors. The FF 91 uses a 142-kWh battery. In European testing earlier this year, the Ocean traveled 440 miles, but Europe’s WLTP cycle artificially the real-world numbers.
The cars are a comin’
“We plan to send out communications today to our first customers,” Henrik Fisker, founder and CEO, said in the release.
The delivery schedule begins with the 5,000 units of the Ocean One Launch Edition. Those model should get to their owners by the end of September, followed by the top-trim Ocean Extreme. Fisker expects to produce between 32,000 and 36,000 units in 2023, compared with its previous target of 42,400 cars.
The formal plans for the content available on the soon-to-arrive models is unclear, but some could include the Force E off-roading version. That model gets a stouter roof rack, new front and rear bumpers, tow hooks at both ends, and 33-inch tires on 20-inch wheels, plus optional grab handles, tiedowns, and rubber floors.