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Fisker teases $40,000 mass-volume EV to be revealed on March 18

Fisker news hasn't washed across the transom in a while, but Danish designer Henrik Fisker has been making waves. In one week, his latest venture, Fisker Inc., will debut a new battery-electric vehicle that will cost "close to $40,000." Based on the teaser photo and Fisker's comments about the car, we're expecting a small crossover. To be built in the U.S. and expected to launch in 2021, this will be the company's volume model eventually aiming for several hundred thousand sales per year. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. It will compete somewhere around the BMW X3 ICE category and Tesla Model Y EV segment. The only thing we know about its looks beyond the A-pillar and side mirror is Fisker's desire "to make it really futuristic-looking." At the same time, "it has to be very versatile because we obviously want to get into a certain high volume with the vehicle." Everything's still in flux, and Fisker has learned not to promise hard dates, so we won't be surprised if dates and specs change even after the March 18 reveal. A year ago, when the Fisker EMotion debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show, we wrote that it's "set to launch by the end of 2019, with a starting price of $129,000. The company is currently taking reservations for $2,000 at its website." That's changed due to focus on the volume model. In an interview with CleanTechnica last September, Fisker said "we will go faster to the affordable, high-volume vehicle and the EMotion could come out either simultaneously or even after the high-volume vehicle." No doubt one timetable issue is the battery — Fisker wants a solid-state battery for the $40,000 car and the EMotion. In-house R&D has advanced to building small test units by hand. By the end of the year he wants batteries large enough to test in a car, and to have found a manufacturing partner to produce the batteries, followed by on-road testing throughout 2020. Fisker Inc has secured 15 patents so far for solid-state battery technology with 2.5 times the energy density of current lithium-ion batteries. The goal is 400 miles on a full charge and a full recharge in 10 minutes or less. We'll know more in a few days. Whatever waits under the covers will be judged against this standard: " We have to be so radical that we take the people who's maybe jumping ship from the big car makers.

Karma Automotive partners with BMW for powertrains

Now in the process of rising from the ashes of Fisker, the newly renamed Karma Automotive has announced a powertrain supply deal with BMW. Only instead of Karma providing BMW with technologies (as Tesla has for Daimler and Toyota), this deal goes the other way around. It is BMW that will be providing Karma with its powertrain components moving forward. Little in the way of specifics was disclosed regarding precisely what the supply deal will entail. However according to the statement below, it will include "high voltage battery charging systems and a wide range of hybrid and EV systems." BMW has demonstrated its competence in developing and manufacturing such components with vehicles like the i3 and i8, and ActiveHybrid versions of the 3 Series, 5 Series, and 7 Series sedans. Karma Automotive is what Chinese component manufacturer Wanxiang renamed the company formerly known as Fisker Automotive once it acquired the rights to the company and the Fisker Karma which it previously produced. The brand name, however, remained the property of Henrik Fisker's coachbuilding operation. The original Fisker Karma was powered by a 2.0-liter turbo four supplied by General Motors, with a lithium-ion battery pack from A123 systems. Karma Automotive Signs Supply Agreement With BMW COSTA MESA, Calif., Nov. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Karma Automotive announced today that BMW has agreed to be a supplier in ensuring their vehicles are built with the highest quality automotive parts. BMW will supply Karma Automotive with their latest powertrain components, including high voltage battery charging systems and a wide range of hybrid and EV systems. Throughout automotive history, BMW has been globally recognized for engineering and manufacturing world-class products. They are a proven technology leader and renowned for conceiving and delivering groundbreaking innovations. Karma Automotive will integrate the first BMW components into its plug-in hybrid flagship vehicle, which will re-launch in 2016. The next generation of vehicles already in development will utilize more of BMW's powertrain technology. "The Wanxiang Group is giving Karma Automotive the opportunity to bring a stunning car back to the market, and the partnership with BMW and their outstanding track record is a great fit for the future," said Karma's CEO Tom Corcoran.

Henrik Fisker tweets rendering of Fisker pickup, then deletes

Last August, Henrik Fisker teased what looked like the rear view of a Fisker pickup truck. The caption accompanying the image of a rendered tailgate and conventional cabin glasshouse read, "After our Fisker electric SUV, we have already decided on our next 2 EV’s on the same platform!" That platform would be the same the Ocean crossover is built on. Much has happened since then, namely a gaggle of OEMs and startups debuting, announcing, or making noises about rolling out an electric pickup in the next two years or so. Perhaps Fisker got caught up in the swell, because he tweeted a new image of a pickup with the name "Alaska" emblazoned across the back, and the caption, "Electric pickup truck!" Then he deleted the tweet. When asked about the brief preview, his company told both Roadshow and Car and Driver, "We can't confirm the model or name of a vehicle that may have been seen in the tweet," but that, "We can, however, confirm that Fisker Inc. is indeed working on a modular electric vehicle platform that may underpin several different affordable EV models in the future." What we know is that Fisker's pickup design has come a long way since August, no matter how fanciful the image in the unintentional reveal. Last August's design looked like someone spent a few minutes turning a Ford F-150 backside into a passably believable Fisker product. The newest image looks like a Fisker; weighty forms with deep vertical and horizontal sculpting, decorated with Fisker's jewelry and fonts. The only off note is the tires, which are cartoonishly rugged. We're fans of the name, though, even if there's a product called Alaska in every industry from fertilizers to electric fans, and Renault sells a pickup called the Alaskan. As of writing, Fisker hasn't filed to trademark Alaska. For now, we'll pretend the tweet was a hallucination and wait for the next time Fisker teases a vehicle we know is coming.