2023 Fisker Ocean on 2040-cars

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Fisker assets will be auctioned tomorrow, here's the situation today

The remains of Fisker Automotive - which might not even include the name and logo - are supposed to finally be sold off tomorrow, but the scene before the auction is anything but clear. As as reminder, the two bidding parties are Wanxiang and Hybrid Tech Holdings. Hybrid Tech was denied an emergency motion in court last week that would have lifted an earlier ruling that limited how much debt it can use to try and buy Fisker. The limit remains at $25 million. Bloomberg says that the winner's spoils are not so much the cars or the design but the 36 patents involved (about half are pending) as well as an established vehicle brand in both the US and China. The chief economist for the National Automobile Dealers Association, Steven Szakaly, told Bloomberg that, "[the auction is] not about the manufacturing, It's about the intellectual property." The patents include things like the electric drivetrain tech, the solar technology and the design of the mustache grille. Fisker executives have been hit with a $20-million lawsuit that claims they misled investors. And because lawsuits are easier to get than a DOE loan, a number of Fisker executives and the company's legal team have been hit with a $20-million lawsuit that claims Fisker misled investors. The Wall Street Journal reports that Fisker is accused of withholding information that would have given a clearer picture of Fisker's financial situation. According to the WSJ, the lawsuit says the Fisker team kept the negative news quiet, "because they needed huge sums of additional cash to fund Fisker Automotive to position the Company for a sale or an initial public offering...without plaintiffs' and other investors' money, Fisker Automotive was not a viable company." Meanwhile, Hybrid Tech Holding has hired a former Ford executive, Martin Leach, to be better prepared to manage the Fisker assets should Hybrid Tech win tomorrow. Leach told Reuters that he has been working on a business plan "for months," and it starts with the company taking care of current Karma owners and re-engaging suppliers. The most difficult challenge, we imagine, will be with A123 Systems, which supplied the Karma's batteries but was bought by Wanxiang over a year ago. Leach said that Hybrid could get new batteries from Boston Power. Featured Gallery Fisker Atlantic News Source: Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, AP Green Fisker Electric Hybrid PHEV lawsuit fisker atlantic martin leach

Fisker Ocean takes to L.A. Auto Show

Fisker has brought the new Ocean EV to the L.A. Auto Show, with a public preview at Manhattan Beach and a presence at the show itself. You can watch the public show reveal above, and see more shots from the show floor below. Fisker says the Ocean will start at $37,499 before incentives. That entry model would be the Sport trim with a single, 275-horsepower motor driving the front wheels and 250 miles of estimated range. It also has a 0-60 time of 6.9 seconds. Moving up to the Ultra version at $49,999 gets dual-motor all-wheel drive, 540 hp, 340 miles of range and a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds. The $68,999 Extreme trim gets AWD, 550 hp, 350+ miles of driving range and a 3.6-second 0-60 sprint. Fisker Ocean View 5 Photos Fisker also touted the previously announced lease program where customers can choose the length of the lease with a monthly price as low as $379 a month. The lease fleet would be in service for twelve years before being completely recycled by Fisker. The electric ute will feature eco-friendly materials (recycled fishing nets and T-shirts, for instance), a solar roof that can open in a "California Mode," a multi-link rear suspension to help bolster its sporting chops and an aerodynamic system that aims to balance minimizing drag with optimized cooling. We've also already seen a 'Force E' package that would turn the Ocean into a more rugged off-roader for interested fleets.   > More L.A. Auto Show coverage   Today, Fisker also showed the Ocean's rotating infotainment screen, which can be oriented in portrait or landscape mode. At a sneak preview near the company HQ in Manhattan Beach, Henrik Fisker said the company logo is inspired by an ocean sunset. "That's where the orange and blue come from," he said, "with the two vertical lines symbolizing thee designer's pencil and the engineer's ruler — the tools of our trade. My inspiration for the logo happened on a day very much like this one." The new affordable EV crossover is scheduled to begin production a year from today at Magna-Steyr's Graz, Austria factory, though Henrik Fisker said the company is moving fast and could possibly deliver units before then. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Recharge Wrap-up: Fisker takes apart Finland assembly, Nissan Leaf sales in Europe expected to grow 25%

The Fisker Karma's Uusikaupunki, Finland production lines are being dismantled. The lines, operated by Valmet Automotive in the same plant that assembles the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, have been idle since Fisker's money woes brought them to a halt in 2012. Fisker, which has since been purchased by Wanxiang, and Valmet are still in talks over future collaboration. Read more at YLE. Nissan expects a double-digit percentage growth in Leaf sales in Europe in 2015. Nissan Europe's Jean-Pierre Diernaz puts that number at around 25 percent over 2014's record sales. Part of this is due to much lower prices than earlier model years, thanks to government incentives and lower production costs than earlier model years. Diernaz also said that the e-NV200 van will make up about 20 percent of Nissan's EV sales in Europe. Read more at Automotive News Europe. EV drivers pay less on average in taxes than gasoline vehicle drivers in every state except Virginia. Some states impose extra taxes and registration fees for EVs to make up for lost revenue from fuel taxes, but EV drivers still come out ahead, even when compared to high-mileage cars like the Toyota Prius. Even in Wisconsin - which might follow Colorado, Nebraska, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington in added EV fees - those who drive electric should fare better. Virginia, however, charges EV drivers an extra $114 annually across two added fees, while gas drivers would only get dinged about $35.10 in gas taxes in a 50-mpg car. Read more at Green Car Reports. Two hydrogen-powered electric bus prototypes will be deployed on a trial basis Hamburg, Germany. The Solaris articulated electric buses use fuel cell range extenders from Ballard. The buses were unveiled on December 18, and will go into operation in January 2015. The German government is funding the trial, and Hamburg aims to cease the purchase of diesel buses by 2020. The new-generation fuel cell system in the two Hamburg buses improve upon Ballard's previous design by using fewer parts and exhibiting less parasitic power loss from the integrated air compressor and coolant pump. Read more at Ballard's website. Featured Gallery 2012 Fisker Karma: Second Drive View 30 Photos Related Gallery 2013 Nissan Leaf View 55 Photos News Source: YLE, Automotive News Europe, Green Car Reports, BallardImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Drew Phillips / AOL Green Fisker Nissan Alternative Fuels Transportation Alternatives Electric Hydrogen Cars recharge wrapup