American electric vehicle startup Fisker, led by Danish designer and entrepreneur Henrik Fisker, has announced an off-road Force E version of its first production model, the Ocean crossover . Meanwhile, disturbing news has surfaced that raw software has disrupted the Ocean's production schedule.
Production of the Fisker Ocean started last November at Magna Steyr's plant in Graz, Austria, the then-released schedule assumed the release of 42,400 copies of the crossover by the end of 2023, despite the fact that more than 65,000 orders have now been collected for it. The start of shipments of finished cars to customers was scheduled for February 2023.
Six months after the launch of Ocean in production, deliveries to customers, in fact, still have not begun. In March, Henrik Fisker complained about the prolonged Ocean certification in Europe and the USA. On May 5, the startup's press service reported that Henrik Fisker personally handed over the first car to a client in Copenhagen, but today Automotive News Europe and Bloomberg, citing insiders, reported that this car was returned to the manufacturer as unusable. The problem is in raw software, because of which the electric car does not work as it should (in particular, it can only drive at low speeds, although Fisker denies such restrictions).
According to insiders, troubleshooting with The software could take several months, which is why Fisker has already reduced its production plan for 2023 by 15%. Customers who ordered Ocean will therefore have to be patient.
In fairness, we note that problems with the software of new electric vehicles are a fairly common occurrence in the modern automotive industry, which all companies face to one degree or another. The most obvious and dramatic example is the delay in shipments of the Volkswagen ID.3 electric hatchback, which eventually led to the resignation of the head of the German concern Herbert Diess. Fisker shares fell more than 6% today on the bad news about electronics.
But there is good news from Fisker: the off-road version of the Force E of the Ocean crossover has been officially announced, it should hit the market in the fourth quarter of this year. The Force E is being developed by Fisker's Magic Works UK, led by Fisker Vice President David King, an experienced race car driver and former Aston Martin engineer.
Force E will be offered as an upgrade for all-wheel drive versions of the crossover. The package of improvements includes increased ground clearance, retuned suspension with new energy-intensive shock absorbers, durable 20-inch wheels on 33-inch «toothy» tires, metal underbody protection, expeditionary roof rack (optional), exposed towing eyelets, special exterior decor, wear-resistant interior trim materials, additional handrails and luggage fasteners.
Let's hope that the software problems will be fixed quickly and will not interfere with Fisker's future plans. Recall that in 2024, production of the junior Fisker Pear crossover should begin at the Foxconn plant in the United States, followed by the Alaska pickup truck based on the Ocean crossover and the all-wheel drive three-engine four-door Ronin convertible.
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