The Austrian-made electric vehicle will go on sale first in Europe, followed by the United States.
April 10, 2023 at 9:36 a.m. ET
Fisker, the California-based automaker founded by auto designer Henrik Fisker, has completed and complied with all applicable US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for its upcoming all-electric ocean crossover, as well as meeting New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) standards. for a five star rating.
In other words, the Fisker Ocean meets the safety standards mandated by US law for any new mass-produced vehicle, but it has yet to undergo actual crash testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ).
Instead, Fisker says it used the services of an internationally recognized agency to conduct the tests, without disclosing the agency’s name, and is confident the Ocean EV will receive a five-star rating from the NHTSA if the government entity decides. to test it.
“Fisker designed the Fisker Ocean structure to achieve a five-star NCAP crash rating,” said President and CEO Henrik Fisker. “An official five-star rating will now be possible if NHTSA selects a Fisker Ocean for testing.”
The American electric vehicle brand is also seeking an official Certificate of Conformity (CoC) with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to validate the range of the Ocean in its Extreme variant, hoping that the EPA confirms the company’s estimate of 350 miles. . In addition, Fisker is awaiting certification from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), as well as 17 other US jurisdictions.
Last month, the Fisker Ocean Extreme was certified in Europe with a WLTP range of 440 miles (707 kilometers), making it the longest-range EV SUV available on the Old Continent.
Gallery: Fisker Ocean Production Model
33 Pictures
That means Fisker’s inaugural electric model will go on sale for the first time in Europe at the end of April, with a production ramp-up scheduled for April 20, followed by the U.S.-bound vehicles going on production the first week of May. ready to ship prior to EPA approvals.
Initially, Fisker wanted to build 300 units of the Ocean EV that would have been ready for delivery after all the certification programs, but now it says it has changed its strategy so as not to be left with cars that cannot be sold. in Europe or North America.
“This strategy ensures that we can maintain a steady production ramp and have a sufficient amount of vehicles ready for initial deliveries in Europe and the United States, avoiding the cost of vehicle storage until approvals come through,” said Henrik Fisker. “The homologation at the same time places an additional workload on our teams, but we are using the advantages of an agile organization by opportunistically changing our plans and delivering vehicles to Europe first. I appreciate the patience of our reservation holders and I’m excited to have the vehicles in our customers’ hands.”
The Fisker Ocean will be assembled by Magna Steyr at the manufacturer’s carbon-neutral factory in Graz, Austria.
