Fisker promised $37,499 Ocean in 2021, but there are questions

It may be third time's a charm for Henrik Fisker, but his plans to build an electric crossover under the Ocean name still lack a designated assembly location and a designated battery supplier.

A company called Fisker and an entrepreneur named Fisker unveiled a version of the Ocean crossover SUV at a pre-CES event in Las Vegas on Sunday. According to the company, this will be a production version. In a program full of Tesla-like hype, Fisker said the Ocean will be priced at $37,499, with a full $7,500 federal tax credit applied, bringing the price down to $29,999. Series production will begin late next year and will be phased in through 2022, he said. Engineering for the electric vehicle family is complete, he said.

But where Fisker will manufacture the Ocean, and for that matter, how much it will charge for the destination, where it will source the batteries, and where it will find buyers for the more than 1 million cars it wants to contract to manufacture in the US, Europe, and China between 2022 and 2027. They have yet to reveal where they will find them.

Henrik Fisker's track record in launching car brands is mixed. When Joe Biden was vice president, Fisker's then-nascent company borrowed about $500 million in taxpayer money to launch a three-car lineup of hybrid sedans, coupes, and crossovers at a former General Motors plant in Delaware. Its Fisker Automotive assets were sold in bankruptcy court in 2013.

Before that, Fisker Coachbuild promised to cut body panels from the BMW 6 Series and Mercedes SL Roadster to build factory-guaranteed Fisker Latigo and Fisker Tramonto vehicles. After a few cars were built, the venture dissolved when BMW and Mercedes refused to offer warranties.

Fisker promises the Ocean will be rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, with an 80kwh battery and the ability to travel up to 300 miles on a single charge. Fast charging can be done at Electrify America outlets, and Fisker says the CCS solution can restore a 200-mile charge in 30 minutes.

Fisker says Ocean will offer a flexible lease, $379+/month, includes all service and maintenance and 30,000 miles per year; $250 reservations can be made through a smartphone app or on the web; and $399/month, includes all service and maintenance and 30,000 miles per year.

Fisker is also developing a solid-state battery and will soon offer an electric EMotion sedan. According to the startup, more details will be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March.