Four-wheel-drive Ocean Extreme is due on sale in coming months, followed by cheaper FWD car
The long-awaited Fisker Ocean SUV will arrive in the UK in the coming months, priced at just under £61,000 in launch-spec Extreme guise.
According to details from industry pricing database Cap HPI, the Fisker Ocean Extreme costs £60,880 and is fitted with a range-topping 113kWh ‘Hyper Range’ battery pack which gives 440 miles per charge, more than any other electric SUV on sale. Charging speeds have not yet been revealed.
That 440-mile figure puts the Ocean far beyond rivals such as the 351 miles offered by the Tesla Model X and the 365 miles provided by the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, and Fisker pointed out that it could travel from London to Glasgow on a single charge.
The Extreme is the most powerful version of the Ocean, with a 275bhp motor on each axle giving a combined 564bhp and 544lb ft to get the 2434kg crossover from 0-60mph in just 4.0 seconds, while top speed is capped at 127mph.
The smaller-battery, front-wheel-drive Ocean Sport with 275bhp is due to follow the Extreme into UK showrooms, giving up to 275 miles of range and priced nearer the £40,000 mark. A mid-range 4WD ‘Ultra’ option with 540bhp is available in other markets, but this has not been confirmed for the UK yet.
The Ultra and Extreme variants use batteries supplied by Chinese firm CATL with nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cell chemistry, which Fisker said affords them “a combination of segment-leading range and performance”.
Features fitted as standard to the entry-level Sport car include a 17.1in touchscreen, a ‘big sky’ roof, an electric tailgate, cruise control and automatic headlights. The mid-range Ultra specification adds a panoramic roof, automatic emergency braking, remote vehicle finder, ‘doggie windows’ and a California mode are touted as standard features..
Extreme models bring upgraded traction control for improved stability in rough weather, a 360deg camera, wireless phone charging, lane-changing assistance and a rotating central infotainment screen. Top models also gain solar panels on the roof to provide more power in sunny conditions. Fisker said the roof is able to produce up to 1500 miles of range per year.
Earth and Fun driving modes are standard on all cars, while the Ultra and Extreme add Hyper mode, which boosts performance. The Extreme also gets a dedicated Off-Road mode, too.
Claimed by Fisker to be the most sustainable electric SUV ever produced, the five-seater highlights the company’s commitment to sustainability, with a “fully vegan” interior comprising reclaimed fishing nets, T-shirts and rubber.
Other highlights include California mode that lowers all the windows and retracts the roof to provide a convertible-style driving experience; a Limo mode that allows rear-seat passengers to control various vehicle functions; and a rotating 17.1in infotainment touchscreen that can be switched from portrait mode to landscape mode when the car is stopped.
“With the Fisker Ocean’s combination of performance, value and sustainability, I believe we have a unique electric vehicle with industry-first features, such as California Mode, a 17.1-inch rotating screen and the longest range in our segment,” said company boss Henrik Fisker, suggesting Europe was “critical” to the model’s success.
Fisker told Autocar that the batteries and powertrains were only selected in 2021, shortly ahead of the Ocean’s market launch. The reason, he explained, is that “the car industry has been in the common cycle of taking about four years to develop a car, so when you buy a car, the technology was chosen two-and-a-half or three years ago”.
He continued: “We’re trying to change that into a much shorter development time of two-and-a-half years. Part of the trick here is that we have an amazing engineering and development team, but also that we’re working really closely with Magna to produce our vehicles, because we want a high-quality vehicle, so we haven’t had to deal with building a factory and teaching people how to manufacture a car. So that’s probably an advantage and a differentiator to our business model.”
Outsourcing production significantly reduces Fisker’s overheads, as does its unconventional retail network – centred on so-called experience centres in cities – and remote vehicle delivery and servicing model. A location has been selected for Fisker’s London Experience Centre and will be confirmed closer to its opening date later this year
The Ocean is the first of a planned family of Fisker EVs, one of which will be the Fisker Pear, developed with technology giant Foxconn, which is set to go on sale globally in 2025, having been pushed back due to delays in its software development programme.
Source: Autocar
