Fisker is set to launch its long-awaited Ocean SUV in November 2022. It’s called the Ocean, and it will be built in Austria under sub-contractors Magna Steyr who currently make the Mercedes G-Class, Jaguar I-Pace, and BMW Z4. The Ocean then will be a very well-built car then, and we expect so since the Ocean will cost just over $37,000. That’s a reasonable price, but it is a highly anticipated car from a brand that has already failed once. Standards are set very high for this car.
In an investor call, the CEO of Fisker, Henrik Fisker stated that EU and US deliveries will start in late 2022. The marque also expects to build at least two cars per day by the first quarter of next year. Pretty exciting stuff for an all-new car brand. The manufacturing for the Ocean will be supplied by a Taiwanese giant, Foxconn which makes the iPhone. The batteries will be supplied by CATL who is a Chinese battery giant.
The Ocean then is a serious bit of kit. Fisker has chosen a very competent battery partner since CATL supplied a lot of batteries for Chinese domestic cars and a lot of non-Chinese domestic cars, including models from Tesla, VW, and Ford. Three big names then who all trust CATL to make the batteries for their BEVs (battery electric vehicles). The Ocean will also use a solar-panelled roof.
But why is the Ocean so cheap though? A Model Y Tesla starts at just over $51,000 which is a lot more than the $37,500 proposed by Fisker for their Ocean SUV. Is the Ocean cheaper for a reason? The base model will utilize lithium iron phosphate batteries (LFP) which is a more cost-effective option. It will also probably be RWD only.
All Ocean models will be built on the existing Magna Steyr developed EV platform. This makes production costs a heck of a lot cheaper since Fisker (unlike Tesla) does not have to completely make their own EV platform from scratch, which costs a lot of money and time.
The base model will naturally have a shorter range as it uses cheaper batteries. Fisker could use nickel magnesium cobalt (NMC) batteries in the base car, but the price would have to increase massively. The reason why is that NMC is far more expensive than LFP. However, LFP has a far lesser energy density (around 35% to 40% less) which results in a lesser range. There will be higher-range faster models of the ocean which will more than likely utilize NMC batteries.
So, is the Ocean a Tesla killer, or will it flop just like the Karma did nine years ago? Let’s find out.
picture via: theverge.com
The Base Model Is Very Smart.
The base model of the Ocean, the Sport, is very smart. Now, I’m not talking about in-car entertainment, rear-wheel steering, or any of that malarkey. I’m talking about the way the car is structured and the batteries.
We mentioned earlier that this car uses LFP batteries. We forgot to mention that they’re far more stable in comparison to NMC batteries and they are almost immune to the thermal runway which has caused fires in other EV’s (for example, the Tesla Model S).
Most people in the US are buying SUVs. In fact, manufacturers like Ford mainly make SUVs nowadays, since the demand for the normal car has reduced immensely. Most people live in large cities, so they don’t have to drive hundreds of miles every day. Hence why a range of just 250 to 275 miles is more than enough, and that is possible with cheaper LFP batteries. To add to this, most people want good value for money. If they can get something that does the exact same job as something else more expensive for less, they will get that thing.
So add that all together. Fisker is launching a car that costs less than the competition, that is in the body style the majority want, which has a range that is more than enough for most people at a time where everyone wants to switch to EVs. This is a business master plan, and by doing this they sure can overtake Tesla.
Or can they?
Watch Out Fisker, Tesla Has a Comeback.
Business is like war without bullets, and you always have to expect a defense and a counter-attack when you attack someone. Tesla has decided that they will start using LFP batteries in the base Model 3 and Model Y cars. This will massively reduce the overheads of these cars which means they can be priced so much more competitively.
Tesla did launch the base Model 3 and Model Y in China with LFP batteries, and it has worked so well that they’ve decided to install these batteries in all-new Model 3 and Model Y base models worldwide. This will massively impact the car industry since it will be so much more affordable to purchase Tesla. the same LFP batteries will also be fitted to the new Model 2 hatchback which costs $25,000.
Henrik Fisker may be smart but Elon Musk is smarter. If Fisker really wants to cement themselves into the game, then they will have to be very competitive. Tesla also has the advantage of Elon himself who is quite possibly the most influential human in the world right now.
Tesla doesn’t run adverts, because they don’t need to. They launched at a time when electric cars were massively out of this world and nowadays, Tesla is the first point of call for many who want an electric car. They’re lightyears ahead of everyone else too in terms of infrastructure. How on earth will Fisker keep up?
To Conclude:
There isn’t much info out regarding range, performance figures, etc on the Ocean as of yet but Fisker has stated that there will be a base model and a long-range model. Fisker aims to make over 50,000 cars per year and then over 100,000 cars per year whilst working closely with Magna-Steyr and CATL.
Fisker won’t have to worry about factory space or any of that malarkey since they are using a sub-contractor. Everything seems very smart, but as well all know in business things are tough. The Ocean will be pitted up against cars like the VW ID.4 and Tesla Model Yand it will have to succeed. Those two cars are best-sellers and are both made by very reputable companies.
I do wish all the best for Fisker but it will be very hard to become the “next Tesla.” The reason why Tesla succeeded so fast, is because they had little to no competition. Fisker has already failed once against Tesla, so they don’t want to fail twice. The market is a lot harder nowadays, but with a low base price and a popular body style, Fisker sure is in a good confident position.