California-based Fisker is looking to make an impact on the EV industry with the Fisker Ocean, a battery electric vehicle with a solar panel integrated into its roof. It’s not the first time we are seeing solar panels on an EV. We’ve seen the Lightyear One already. The Fisker Ocean manifests futuristic technologies differently and sports multiple industry-first features to distinguish it from mainstream EVs.
Here’s everything we know about the Fisker Ocean in February 2022.
Fisker Ocean Design
CEO Henrik Fisker himself designed the Ocean. Instead of resorting to an aerodynamic design in the interest of range, he adopted a somewhat quirky design. The Ocean’s stance is upright, but sleek elements are all around. A full-width LED light bar unites the horizontal LED headlamps with illuminated Ocean lettering at the center. The Fisker logo is illuminated as well. The chin comprises a grille with honeycomb inserts.
The side profile is uncluttered. 20-inch aero wheels produced using recycled materials are standard, while higher variants come with 22-inch rims. The Fisker Ocean gets flush-fitting door handles, side body cladding, and a blacked-out window area. There’s a rear quarter glass, and there are ultra-sleek tail lamps. There’s also a subtle roof-integrated spoiler with a stop lamp. The rear bumper looks complex with its multi-layered design and has a massive diffuser.
Customers can choose from seven color options: Night Drive, Great White, Silver Lining, Horizon Gray, Mariana, and Blue Planet. The Big Sur Blue metallic matte paint is offered exclusively on the Fisker Ocean One launch edition.
Sleek horizontal taillamps on the Fisker Ocean. Image: Fisker
Interior & Features
The interior is packed to the brim with exciting details. For starters, the Fisker Ocean has what the company calls a ‘vegan’ interior with ethically sourced sustainable materials. The eco-friendly cabin houses premium upholstery, carpets, and interior trims built using recycled plastic bottles, repurposed rubber waste, worn-out t-shirts, and abandoned fishing nets, on all variants.
Revolve rotating touchscreen
For Fisker, size clearly matters. The central touchscreen is among the largest we’ve seen on production vehicles. It appears like a TV screen attached to the Ocean’s dashboard. It’s a rotating panel with two modes — the portrait ‘Control’ Mode and the landscape ‘Hollywood’ Mode for owners to stream movies. Fisker has applied for a patent for its Revolve screen, but it is not granted yet. The rotating function is only on the Extreme and the launch edition One variants.
The central screen can rotate horizontally to double up as a streaming device. Image: Fisker
To enable a theater-like cabin experience, the Extreme and One variants get a premium 500 W surround sound system. According to the press release, the system includes a subwoofer and one of the largest six-channel dashboard speaker arrays. There’s also a Limo Mode on the top two variants that brings a digital touchscreen for the rear passengers to control cabin temperature, fan speed, and infotainment.
Doggie Power Windows
An incredibly unique feature called the California Mode provides passengers with a convertible-like experience. On the Ultra, Extreme, and One variants, all the glass areas including the rear quarter glass and the rear windscreen, can be rolled down at the touch of a button to let the breeze inside. Fisker calls the rear quarter glass and the rear windscreen ‘Doggie Windows’, implying that pets can enjoy the drive from the rear. The California Mode also rolls back the SolarSky roof.
The rear windscreen can roll down, a rare feature. Image: Fisker
Fisker Intelligent Pilot
Showcased first at the CES, the Fisker Ocean gets advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) features. Called Fisker Intelligent Pilot, the ADAS platform integrates a surround-view camera suite, a camera-based driver-monitoring design, ultrasonic technology, and a digital-imaging radar system. The last one is expected to be an industry-first feature.
Our asset-light, the rapid-product-development business model enables us to bring active safety systems to market earlier than our competition. Fisker Intelligent Pilot and Fisker Digital-Imaging combine reliable ADAS cameras with 4D digital radars, giving owners industry-leading safety.
Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker
The digital code modulation-based radar system uses five units positioned around the Fisker Ocean to confirm and enhance the cameras’ vision. The system also functions in bad weather and sun glare, and performance is superior to traditional radar systems. The imaging can identify vehicles at 200 meters (656 feet) and pedestrians at 80 meters (262 feet). The digital imaging radar is present on the Extreme and One variants only.
However, even the base Sport variant gets a suite of ADAS features like driver drowsiness and attention warning, automatic emergency braking, collision warning, lane keep assist, speed assist, lane departure avoidance, and traffic signs recognition. The higher variants get a 360-degree surround view with 3D imaging, door opening warning, park spot finder, automatic parking, evasive steering assist, and adaptive cruise control.
Specifications
Earlier, there were reports of Fisker using Volkswagen’s MEB platform for the Ocean SUV. After the brand partnered with Magna Steyr, it was confirmed to be built on an aluminum skateboard architecture christened FM29, which stands for Fisker-Magna and 29 for the 2921 mm wheelbase. Speaking of dimensions, the EV is 188 inches long, 78.5 inches wide, and 64.2 inches tall.
The entry-level Sport variant gets a single-motor FWD drivetrain, while the rest get a dual-motor-AWD layout. In the interest of range, the drive is deployed to the rear only if the traction control system detects loss of grip. All variants except the Sport also get torque vectoring. According to the brand, the Sport uses a lithium-ion-phosphate battery developed by CATL, which provides the Ocean with 250 miles of range (EPA).
The rest of the range, all AWD models, use a different battery pack that CATL also supplies. The Ultra, Extreme, and One variants get what Fisker calls the Hyper Range battery that comprises a nickel-manganese-cobalt cell chemistry. As a result, the One and the Extreme have a 350-mile range while the Ultra gets 340 miles range (EPA). According to Fisker, different battery packs were chosen to prioritize range for Sport customers and a combination of range and performance to customers buying higher variants.
Fisker Ocean aspectSportUltraExtremeOneLength (in. / mm)188 / 4775188 / 4775188 / 4775188 / 4775Width (in. / mm)78.5 / 1994.578.5 / 1994.578.5 / 1994.578.5 / 1994.5Height (in. / mm)64.2 / 163164.1 / 162964.1 / 162964.1 / 1629Wheelbase (in. / mm)115/ 2921115/ 2921115/ 2921115/ 2921Range (EPA estimate in miles)250340350+350+Range (WLTP estimate in km)440+610+630+630+0-60 mph (seconds)6.93.93.63.6Horsepower275540550550DrivetrainSingle motor FWDDual motor AWDDual motor AWDDual motor AWD
4 variants of the Fisker Ocean have slight variations in specs.
SolarSky roof
The full-length solar roof is standard on the Extreme and One variants. The technology integrates photovoltaic solar panels onto the panoramic glass roof with fixed and sliding sections. Under mixed conditions, the solar roof can generate up to 1500 miles (2414 km) range every year. Under ideal conditions, the range may increase to more than 2000 miles (3218 km) annually.
Earlier, there were reports of the brand pursuing solid-state batteries for the Ocean, but the CEO junked the idea, according to an article by The Verge on February 21, 2021. The CEO quoted, “solid-state batteries are still very, very far out, they’re not around the corner.” According to Electrek, the brand was also pursuing a new graphene-based hybrid supercapacitor technology.
The solar roof can add up to 2000 miles of range in ideal conditions annually. Image: Fisker
Production
Fisker has deals with multiple partner companies. Magna Steyr is a manufacturing partner and co-developer for the Ocean. The Fisker Ocean will be manufactured November 17, 2022, onwards at Magna’s carbon-neutral facility in Graz, Austria. The agreement was finalized in December 2020. The brand has opened its European office in Munich, and brand experience centers are being built in Los Angeles, Germany and other parts of Europe as of February 2022.
Tires have been developed in collaboration with Bridgestone, which has used its ‘Enliten’ technology for EV-specific tires. The Lightyear One also features tires with the same technology. The tire maker’s technology reduces rolling resistance by up to 30% and reduces weight up to 20%.
Fisker also has a deal with Foxconn to develop its next model in the U.S. and plans to erect multiple factories around the globe to enhance production to 250,000 EVs annually. In Fisker’s deal with Foxconn, the companies will work on the new model called Fisker PEAR (Personal Electric Automotive Revolution).
Release Date & Sales
Deliveries are expected to start soon after the Ocean enters production on November 17, 2022. The first 5,000 units will be the fully kitted-out launch edition models (Ocean One). The rest of the variants will roll out 2023 onwards. The Fisker Ocean will debut in Europe at the Mobile World Congress In Barcelona between February 28 and March 3.
As of February 2022, more than 32,000 reservations have been made for the solar-powered EV. There are 1,600 fleet reservations, of which Danish ride-hailing company Viggo has placed an order of 300 units. 2022 year-to-date retail reservation pace has increased 400% compared to FY2021, according to the brand.
Fisker Ocean Price
The Fisker Ocean Sport starts at USD 37,499, excluding the federal tax credit. If the Ocean qualifies for the tax credit, it will begin at USD 29,999. The Ultra variant is priced at USD 49,999, while the Extreme variant costs USD 68,999. The Ocean One launch edition costs the same as the Extreme.
Based on the first 30,000 reservations, 19% ordered the Sport, 38% want the Ultra, and 43% prefer the Extreme or the One. This implies an initial average selling price (ASP) of approximately USD 56,000, excluding options and delivery fees.
Fisker Ocean variantsFisker Ocean price (excluding federal grant)SportUSD 37,499UltraUSD 49,999ExtremeUSD 68,999One (launch edition)USD 68,999
Featured image source: Fisker
Keyword: Fisker Ocean: Everything we know as of February 2022