As August comes to a close, it’s time to start taking a look at the small and short stories we skipped over earlier in the month. Sometimes, one story is just too small on its own to really justify writing a whole article about, but as the stories start to stack up during the months, sometimes we spot a trend that’s bigger than the one story was, and that’s what happened with Fisker in August.
Three different stories about Fisker give us a look into the company’s plans for global expansion, and we also see that the company “gets it” when it comes to the Alaska truck (which should be a good seller in the States).
Fisker’s Getting Ready To Start Deliveries In Canada
The first story comes from Canada, where the company has provided additional details on its strategy for the Great White North.
The Fisker Ocean all-electric SUV is set to complete homologation in Canada by September 7th. The vehicle is currently being delivered in the US, Europe, and other launch markets. Fisker estimates that most launch-edition Fisker Ocean One vehicle deliveries in Canada will be finalized by the end of September. So, if you’re an early Fisker buyer, you’ve got a car coming!
“We have strong reservations and a solid bank of orders for the Fisker Ocean in Canada,” Chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker said, adding that the Vancouver and Toronto areas are leading in customer interest. “We have always planned to reach customers throughout North America and are excited to be completing that strategy. And we are especially grateful for the patience of our future Canadian owners as we have ramped up our business in 2023.”
The company plans to open retail and service locations in Vancouver and Toronto, along with Fisker-certified collision-repair centers. Additionally, comprehensive sales and service support will be provided in Canada, including mobile service by Fisker-trained technicians and consumer financing through Scotiabank, Fisker’s chosen retail financing partner.
Fisker will also host some pop-up test drive events in Vancouver and Toronto in September, with additional events planned throughout the Fall, so the company is apparently all-in on the Canadian market.
Canada’s Not Enough (But The World Might Be)
Fisker has already been expanding in Europe, but it apparently still had some countries it hadn’t set up proverbial shop in. Another press release announced that it was going to expand in three new ones.
Recently, the company expanded into three new European markets: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. This adds to its existing presence in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Deliveries are now in progress worldwide. Fisker definitely has global ambitions.
“It’s incredibly exciting to expand into new European countries,” Chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker said. “Ultimately, we want to sell our vehicles all over the world, but creating a strong early presence in Europe has always been one of our highest priorities.”
Customers in the new launch markets of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland can now visit country-specific websites to reserve and order a Fisker Ocean. Deliveries in these markets are planned for the end of September. Residents of these countries will experience the same direct-sales model as customers in other European markets, along with comprehensive Fisker service and sales support.
Fisker plans to execute its usual strategy in these new markets by establishing Fisker Lounge locations, as well as delivery and service centers, in or near major cities.
Fisker’s first vehicle is now available in Europe and the US. You can also reserve one of its upcoming vehicles on fiskerinc.com, including the Fisker PEAR, an affordable crossover for city-dwellers, and the Fisker Rönin, a super GT convertible with over 1,000 horsepower. The base price for the Fisker PEAR is expected to be $29,900, while the Fisker Rönin is expected to start at $385,000. Fisker seems to have something for people in every price range (at least in the new vehicle market)
But, if you’re a European buyer in one of these new Fisker markets, there’s one bit of bad news in the release: prices for those countries aren’t available yet. They should be finalized and announced sometime later this year, though.
Fisker Obviously Did Its Homework For The Truck Market
Now that we’ve discussed the company’s global ambitions, let’s zoom back in to the United States market, where pickup trucks seem to reign supreme. Building a truck is easy, but building a truck that could compete with the offerings Americans already love is a little bit harder.
Ford didn’t want to take the risk on something that departed too far from its best-selling F-150, so it literally made an electric version of the truck (the F-150 Lightning). Future trucks will depart from the norm a bit and focus more on efficiency (according to press releases teasing the upcoming project T3), but clearly Ford didn’t want to go too far afield.
This challenge was obviously something Fisker had to consider when it designed its Alaska pickup truck, and according to an article at Engadget, the truck comes with some features that show they thought this through a little bit.
When the Alaska was announced, most media outlets did the usual bean-counter thing they do, and focused on the truck’s specifications. The Alaska will come with either a 75 kWh or 113 kWh battery pack, offering a range of 230 or 340 miles, respectively. There’s no mention of horsepower or drivetrain, but those things will vary across model versions. In any case, it’ll accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in as little as 3.9 seconds for the most powerful version, or 7.2 seconds for the economy model. Fisker also claims that the Alaska will be the world’s lightest electric truck, which is cool.
But, Fisker also made it pretty clear that it understands the American market, because it included big cup holders. They’re big enough, says Engadget, that they can hold a Big Gulp (or an equivalent drink from your gas station of choice). Not only could they hold a traditional Big Gulp, but they seem to be big enough to hold the biggest soda cups you can get.
Unfortunately, the ghost of Wilford Brimley is probably not going to be there to warn you about the “diabeetus” such big sugary drinks are likely to lead you to, though, so you have to be responsible with the amazing cup holder Fisker provides. Fisker did the responsible thing and showed the cup holder off with a big water bottle in it, though.
Another cool feature the vehicle has is a nice cargo storage system, with little tiedowns on the seatbacks, and even the roof. It’s possible to set it up to do something trucks haven’t done since the 1970s: hold a cowboy hat! Many truck buyers today are all hat and no cattle, but if you actually spend much time out of doors, having something to keep the sun off your face and neck is a handy thing to have. If you’re a city slicker, just having one up there on the ceiling tells people that you have rural aspirations, so that’s cool, too.
All photos provided by Fisker.
I don’t like paywalls. You don’t like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don’t like paywalls, and so we’ve decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It’s a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So …
