American electric carmaker Fisker is ready to launch its first model, the Ocean SUV, in Europe after concluding European homologation from authorities by April 28, 2023, with first deliveries after that.

The top model, the Fisker Ocean Extreme, listed at $68 999 and ready to be configured online from now, just proved to reach a 707 km WLTP range, best in class for an SUV today. The cheaper option, the Ocean Sport with a single motor and 402 km range, is listed as low as €37 499 in the US. European prices have yet to follow.

The first centers to open on  April 11

The first Fisker Centers will open on April 11 in Vienna and Copenhagen. Vienna, Austria’s capital getting the scoop, is no coincidence as the car is being built at Magna Steyr in Graz in that country. The Danish capital Copenhagen shouldn’t surprise either, as Henrik Fisker is Danish. Other Centers are to follow during 2023.

“From the beginning, we planned the Fisker Ocean to deliver the highest level of design, sustainability, innovation, usability, and range. We created a fantastic 5-passenger vehicle, offering our buyers range confidence and convenience in every trip,” CEO Henrik Fisker said.

To his own surprise

Ultimately, this range with the HyperRange battery surprised Henrik Fisker himself. “This achievement is a major milestone for everyone at Fisker, and we are delighted the range exceeds our initial calculations,” Fisker added.

He believes in the quality of the lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery pack as the company guarantees 75% efficiency after ten years or 160 000 km. The basic vehicle warranty is six years and 100 000 km.

More than 65 000 reservations

Designer Henrik Fisker created a lot of expectations for his first EV, the Ocean, with almost 65 000 reservations worldwide. Fisker plans to introduce the Ocean initially in the US, Canada, Austria, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and France, followed by the UK, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, and India in 2023. China is expected to follow in 2024.

The production of the Fisker Ocean started on schedule in November 2022 at the contract manufacturer Magna in Graz (Austria). So far, only 54 units have been built, but 300 are scheduled for the first quarter of 2023.

For the second quarter, these figures should be boosted to more than 8 000, for the third quarter more than 15 000, and in the fourth quarter, this should be 19 000 as the year is to be concluded with a total number of 42 400 Fisker Ocean models produced.

Beating the Tesla Model S

Henrik Fisker is Danish and started his career as a car designer. He designed, for example, the beautiful Z8 for BMW and the DB9 and V8 Vantage for Aston Martin.

In 2007, he did initial design work on the Tesla Model S, but then he started his own car company Fisker Automotive, which produced the impressive but not flawless Fisker Karma.

That company got into difficulties in 2013 and was sold to Chinese investors. “Apparently, we were too early with the Fisker Karma. We were one year earlier than the Tesla Model S,” Henrik Fisker told Newmobility.news in an exclusive interview.

“Customers bought the car, but they didn’t plug it in. And nobody cared about the vegan interior or other things. Well, it was a good lesson, and it brought us a lot of experience and confidence about where we are today. Of course, there are new people and new ideas, and although there are a few of the original people with us, these are different times now: electrification is definitely coming, and there is no road back.”