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New Fisker claims 50-50 chance it will build cars in Delaware

As soon as the bankrupt Fisker Automotive started crawling back from the dead, rumors that the new owners would restart production of the Karma plug-in hybrid crawled as well. We've heard that the car would be built in the old General Motors plant the company owns in Delaware, that it would happen in Michigan or that Valmet would get going again in Finland. Nothing official has yet been announced, but Delaware Online is now saying that it's even money that Delaware to play a role in Fisker's physical rebirth. "It definitely makes economic sense to consider [the Delaware] facility" – Roger Brown Roger Brown is the interim president of Fisker Automotive and recently said that there is a "50-50" chance that the Newport, DE will be where the company rises again. "We inherited this situation, and because the facility is one of the assets we purchased, it has ... good bones, it has a paint shop, and you know, it definitely makes economic sense to consider that facility," he told Delaware Online. Before Fisker's bankruptcy, Delaware offered over $20 million in incentives to get the automaker to build cars there. It never did, and a recent settlement agreement does not give the state much of a return on that money. The bankruptcy proceedings are not yet finished, but Brown made what has to be considered a bold statement. In deciding which locations makes sense to restart production, he said that, "if they provide incentives, obviously that would go into the equation; if they don't, obviously that would go into the equation also." The closest that the new Fisker has come to saying where it will restart building cars is in documents that new owner Wanxiang filed with a federal court earlier this year. That three-part plan included restarting Karma production at Valmet, using partner VL Automotive's manufacturing facility in Michigan and then building the Atlantic somewhere. Brown gave a timeline to Delaware Online - new Karmas by August 2015, start building the Surf shooting brake by March 2016 and then add in the Atlantic by the end of 2017 - which would give Fisker time to tool up the Delaware plant for the Atlantic. Brown also said that building with VL Automotive has now been ruled out.

Fisker has filed patents for solid-state batteries

It seems that we're on the cusp of a solid-state battery revolution. The latest company to announce progress in developing the new type of battery is Fisker. It has filed patents for solid-state batteries and it expects the batteries to be produced on a mass scale around 2023. Though Fisker is a very small car company that is currently taking deposits for its upcoming EMotion electric sedan, there are reasons to believe that the company could fulfill this promise. One of the members of the battery-development team was a co-founder of Sakti3, a company that formed to develop new batteries and announced its research into solid-state technology back in 2011. That company was purchased by Dyson, the vacuum cleaner company, which also intends on producing electric cars that AutoExpress reports will feature solid-state batteries in 2020. Toyota is also expected to have solid-state batteries just ahead of Fisker around 2022. The reason all these companies are working on developing solid-state batteries is because they present a whole host of advantages over what you'll find in today's phones, computers and cars. The two big ones are greater energy density and rapid charging times. Fisker claims the batteries it's developing have an energy density 2.5 times that of current batteries, and they should be capable of providing a 500-mile driving range. The company also says the batteries could be recharged in as little as a minute. Both claims are similar to past claims from others, including Sakti3. Other benefits include lower estimated cost than conventional lithium-ion batteries as well as very little risk of fires or explosions. Fisker also announced that it will display the new battery technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. It will be on display along with a close-to-production EMotion, which will be using more conventional lithium-ion batteries from LG Chem. That car has its own impressive claims with a range of more than 400 miles and the ability to regain around 125 miles of range in about 9 minutes. It will also retail for around $130,000, and the company is taking $2,000 reservations now. Fisker intends for it to go into production in 2019. Related Video: Featured Gallery Fisker EMotion View 14 Photos News Source: Fisker, AutoExpress Green Fisker Technology Emerging Technologies Electric Future Vehicles Sedan solid-state battery

Fisker misses second-quarter production target due to parts shortage

Fisker missed its production target for the second quarter due to shortage of components, the electric vehicle startup disclosed on Friday, sending its shares down 2% in premarket trading. The California-based company produced 1,022 units of its Ocean SUV in the quarter ended June, lower than 1,400-1,700 vehicles it had projected. "A few suppliers had challenges ramping to the targeted 2Q levels, as they did not receive components from sub-suppliers in a timely manner," Fisker said in an exchange filing, adding that it expected to produce over 1,400 vehicles in early July. Fisker, which will report its second-quarter earnings on August 4, produced 55 vehicles in the March quarter. It began deliveries in the United States last month. The production figures come as some EV firms face dwindling cash reserves, pressured by high costs related to production ramp-ups and inflation. Last month, Lordstown Motors filed for bankruptcy protection, while Electric Last Mile Solutions filed the same last year. In contrast, EV behemoth Tesla and Rivian Automotive beat market estimates for second-quarter deliveries. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.