Update on the Fisker Ocean One

It is September 2023, and I still don't have my new EV. When I put down the nonrefundable deposit, I guessed the car would be here in June. Note the official "start of production" was November last year. That said, I am reasonably confident the car will come, probably in October.?

This weekend was the first time that I saw and drove a Fisker Ocean.

I bought a car that doesn't exist from a brand that doesn't exist and did so eyes wide open. Today, there are vehicles and EVs (electric vehicles). Not too far in the future, there will be vehicles and PVs (petrol vehicles) or ICE vehicles. That is EVs will be the default, the are more logical and practical for most of us - cheaper to build, easier to maintain, quiet, and fun to drive. I wanted a new EV, but wasn't content with the offerings at the time.?

You can never discuss carbon without getting someone riled up, but EVs put less carbon in the atmosphere. More carbon is released in the manufacture of an EV, but they generate less carbon than ICE vehicles over time. There are lots of ways to produce electricity, and renewable sources are getting cheaper and contributing more. Every EV should have a solar roof.?

The Fisker Ocean is clever in many ways. It uses 50 Kgs of recycled plastics, has a number of design-first nuances, a range of 360 miles on a single charge, solar roof, digital radar, 17" screen, digital rearview mirror, 563 HP, room for 5 and a dog, every window but the windshield goes down, and the list goes on.?

There was no doubt in my mind that Henrik Fisker would design a nice car. I can't say that about most brands attempting to make EVs today. The bigger risk, especially for new companies, is manufacturing. Fisker turned to Magna Steyr, a Canadian contract manufacturer, to build the car. In other words, the same state-of-the-art, carbon-neutral factory that builds several high-end cars is also building the Fisker Ocean -- in Austria.?

The Fisker/Magna decision was made before the Inflation Reduction Act, which favors cars built in America. Fortunately, the Act addressed orders placed before it was passed, so I will get my rebate.?

There's risk with any new car model (and brand). The big makers are still struggling to figure out EV design, and the smaller brands have trouble building the machine to build EVs. I figured the risk was reasonable as Fisker can clearly design cars and Magna knows how to build quality cars. The gap in my logic was software. Fisker's software is way behind schedule and buggy. Early owners have shared lots of limitations and bugs, and many features, including adaptive cruise control, are not shipping yet.

However, it does appear Fisker Inc. is working hard on software, and there have been a lot of updates and bug fixes released already. That's probably reasonable considering there are probably less than a hundred of these vehicles currently on the road. Software needs user feedback, and it's just begun to pour in. The nav and entertainment system is from TomTom.?

I placed my original deposit in November 2021. That was eons ago, and so much has changed. I think we were a four-car family back then. Currently, we are a one-car family, and we sold our Boulder home. Tesla started a price war, and there are

a ton of new models hitting in 23/24.

Nonetheless, I remain excited about getting this car and being part of a new brand that I think will do well. They recently announced several new planned models, including a high-end E-Sports Car and a pickup truck based on the same chassis as the Ocean.?