2023 Fisker Ocean One on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: VW CEO mulls battery factory, voters approve $201B in transportation funding

Volkswagen Group CEO Matthias Muller says that it would "make sense" for the automaker to begin producing its own batteries. As the company moves toward electrification, Muller says it would be a smart move to build a battery factory. "If more than a quarter of our cars are to be electronic vehicles in the foreseeable future then we are going to need approximately 3 million batteries a year," he says. Volkswagen has agreed to cut 30,000 jobs in its restructuring, while committing to creating 9,000 jobs in Germany through battery manufacturing and mobility services. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Election results show a desire for transportation funding. Earlier this month, voters in 22 states approved ballot measures adding up to $201 billion in funding for transportation projects, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. California passed 15 transportation measures, including one in Los Angeles worth $120 billion for roads, bridges, and transit. The state of Washington secured $54 billion for light rail and buses. Atlanta approved about $4 billion for road and transit projects. Illinois and New Jersey passed measures to prevent the diversion of transportation user fee revenue to other industries. Read more from ITS International. The US Department of Energy (DOE) must hand over confidential documents about Fisker's bankruptcy. A Delaware federal judge ordered the DOE to give the documents – which concern a presentation by Fisker to the DOE in which it falsely claimed to meet milestones set forth in a government loan – to lawyers in a case in which investors claim Fisker lied to them about financial troubles. While the DOE has given over documents already, they were incomplete and heavily redacted. "I understand that such disclosures may have a negative impact on future DOE analyses," says US District Judge Sue Robinson. "but conclude nonetheless that under the circumstances at bar – the public money at stake, the Congressional hearings, and the fact that Fisker Automotive is now a defunct company – the balance of interests favors plaintiffs." Read more at Law360. Related Gallery Volkswagen I.D.

Fisker Ronin previewed as electric four-door, four-seater convertible

Fisker plans to expand its range of electric vehicles with a four-door, four-seater convertible called Ronin. The model is being engineered to have "the world's longest range for a production EV," according to the company, and a new digital rendering gives us a better look at it. Published on the official Fisker website, the computer-generated preview image shows a convertible with a futuristic-looking front end that's characterized by a light strip made up of individual LEDs. There's no grille, which isn't surprising for an electric vehicle, but it looks like designers chiseled air intakes into the lower part of the front bumper. McLaren-like dihedral front doors and massive wheels add a touch of drama to the design. We don't know how the rear doors open yet, and Fisker hasn't released images of the Ronin's rear end or interior yet. Earlier in 2022, company founder Henrik Fisker pledged that the Ronin will offer 660 miles of driving range when tested on the WLTP cycle used in Europe. While the convertible's EPA-estimated range will undoubtedly be lower, even a 500-mile range would be an impressive figure. We don't know how Fisker plans to achieve that yet. In terms of specifications, all that's been announced is that the Ronin will offer "extremely high levels of performance" and serve as "a showcase for [Fisker's] internal engineering, powertrain and software capabilities." It's being developed by Magic Works, a United Kingdom-based division tasked with bringing special high-end projects to production. If everything goes according to plan, Fisker will unveil the Ronin as a close-to-production concept in August 2023 and will begin building the model the following year, according to Motor Authority. Pricing will reportedly start under $200,000. In the meantime, the company will continue developing a smaller, far more affordable, and Foxconn-built EV called Pear that's allegedly due out by the end of 2024. Green Fisker Convertible Electric

Henrik Fisker interview, and driving the Polestar 2 | Autoblog Podcast #643

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. They've been driving the updated 2021 Honda Odyssey, the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 and the new Polestar 2 electric sedan. After reviewing those, they talk about how the Chrysler 300 appears to be withering on the vine. Next, they take time to talk to legendary automotive designer and eponymous Chairman & CEO of Fisker Inc., Mr. Henrik Fisker himself, about jeans, horses and, of course, electric cars. Finally, they help a listener pick a $100,000 supercar in the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #643 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2021 Honda Odyssey 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 2020 Polestar 2 Chrysler 300 soldiers on for 2021 with pared-down range, higher price Henrik Fisker interview Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: