Fisker Inc.

Fisker Inc.
Private
Industry Automotive
Electric Vehicles
Predecessor Fisker Automotive
Founded October 3, 2016 (2016-10-03)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Founder Henrik Fisker (Chairman & CEO)
Headquarters Los Angeles, California
Products EMotion, Orbit
Owner Henrik Fisker
Website fiskerinc.com

Fisker Inc. is an American electric vehicle automaker founded by Henrik Fisker, launched in 2016 and based in California. Fisker Inc. is a relaunch of the Fisker brand, which previously made the Fisker Karma under Fisker Automotive (founded in 2007). Fisker Inc. is developing the EMotion, an all-electric sedan that will have a 400-mile electric range,[1] as well as an autonomous, all-electric shuttle called the Orbit.

In addition to designing and developing electric vehicles, Fisker Inc. has filed patents pertaining to solid-state battery technology for use in automotive, consumer electronics, and other industries.

History

A 2016 teaser image of the first car to be produced by Fisker Inc.

On October 3, 2016, chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker announced the formation of Fisker Inc., an American automaker designing and developing innovative electric vehicles with a longer range, autonomous driving capability, and advanced battery technology.[1][2][3] Fisker first stated in July 2016 that he was planning on designing a fully connected electric car with autonomous driving features and an aesthetically pleasing look,[4] and that for the past two years he had been working "in stealth mode" designing "electric cars of the future."[5] On October 31, 2016, Fisker released the design and specifications of the forthcoming electric vehicle, the Fisker EMotion.[6] In November 2017, the company announced the development of the Orbit, a fully autonomous, all-electric shuttle, intended to service smart cities, public airports and campuses.[7]

Vehicles

Fisker EMotion

The Fisker EMotion is an all-electric sports sedan designed by Henrik Fisker for Fisker Inc.,[6][8] with a full-length panorama-style sunroof and "wide sculptural shoulders, thin taillight tubes, wide trunk opening, and aggressive lower rear diffuser to improve aerodynamics."[9][10] The EMotion is stated to run 400 mi (640 km) on a single charge.[11] It is to have a top speed of 161 mph (259 km/h).[12] The car will be equipped with a lithium-ion battery by LG Chem, until the solid-state battery being developed by Fisker is ready for use.[13] The solid-state battery is expected to yield ranges over 400 miles per charge, with a one-minute charge time,[14] which would be a longer range than any electric vehicle to date.[2][15] The vehicle will be autonomous-driving ready, so that self-driving mode may be activated at a future date.[16] The first photos of the EMotion were released on June 6, 2017,[17] and the car itself was unveiled in January 2018 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.[18] It was named Best Car at CES 2018 by PC Magazine.[19]

In January 2018, Fisker stated that the price of the EMotion will start at $129,000 for the base model.[20] The four-door vehicle seats five passengers, has smartphone-controlled butterfly doors, has a carbon fiber exterior, and a three-screen system. It also has 24-inch carbon fiber wheels, and a tinted roof made from electrochromic smart glass.[14][21] It will support level 4 autonomous driving (where it can be employed in most driving situations), using advanced LiDAR-based autonomous driving sensors developed through a partnership with Quanergy.[17][22][23] Fisker is working with Pirelli to create advanced low rolling resistance tires for the EMotion. They will be produced in Rome, Georgia.[24]

Fisker Orbit

On November 30, 2017, the Fisker Orbit was announced as an electric, connected, autonomous shuttle designed for smart cities that he said would be available as early as October 2018.[7] Fisker partnered with Jack Wong of Chinese company Hakim Unique Group on the self-driving electric shuttle. It will be fully connected, with two different areas with room to sit or stand. The interior design maximizes passenger space, with a large exterior digital display to inform commuters when the shuttle departs and what the next stop will be. The shuttles are intended to be used for short, shared trips, in college and corporate campuses, airports, resorts, and smart city centers.[25][26][27]

Technology

Fisker Nanotech

In 2016, Fisker teamed up with Nanotech Energy to create a joint venture called Fisker Nanotech, with Jack Kavanaugh as chairman.[1][28][29] They worked on developing a next-generation supercapacitor technology using graphene.[2][28][30] The proposed hybrid battery using graphene supercapacitors had the potential for improved energy conducting and charging capabilities, and a better cycle life, so that the battery would not need to be swapped out as often as a pure lithium-ion battery.[28] In July 2017, Fisker ended its joint venture with Nanotech Energy to produce batteries using graphene.[31]

Solid-state battery

On November 13, 2017, Fisker Inc. announced that it had filed patents on flexible solid-state battery designs, expecting the batteries to be produced on a mass scale around 2023.[32] On Fisker's development team is Dr. Fabio Albano, one of the founders of Sakti3, the solid-state battery startup sold to Dyson in 2015.[13][33] Solid-state batteries have greater energy density and faster charging times than lithium-ion batteries.[32] Fisker states the batteries they are developing will have an energy density 2.5 times that of current batteries, at a smaller size and lower cost than conventional lithium-ion batteries, and will be capable of providing a 500-mile driving range with a one-minute charge time.[13][32][34]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hannah Elliott, "Henrik Fisker Is Starting a Namesake Car Company Again," Bloomberg Businessweek, October 3, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Paul A. Eisenstein, "Tesla's Rival is Back: Fisker Launches All-New Battery-Car Company" NBC News, October 4, 2016.
  3. ↑ Paul Leinert, "This Startup Founder Plans to Take on Tesla – Again," Time, October 4, 2016.
  4. ↑ Danielle Muoio, "Legendary car designer Henrik Fisker wants to build a self-driving car" Business Insider, July 7, 2016.
  5. ↑ Michael Martinez, "Trio goes full speed ahead on Force 1 in Auburn Hills" Detroit News, August 29, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Charles Fleming, "Fisker will challenge Tesla with its own high-end electric car," Los Angeles Times, October 31, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Collin Woodard, "Meet the Latest Fisker Concept: The Orbit," Motor Trend, December 3, 2017.
  8. ↑ Alex Davies, "Henrik Fisker’s Back (Again) With a Tesla Rival (Again)," Wired, October 31, 2016.
  9. ↑ Darrell Etherington, "Here’s what the back of Fisker Inc’s EMotion electric sport sedan looks like," TechCrunch, December 12, 2016.
  10. ↑ Miles Branman, "Fisker shows off the rear end of its Tesla-fighting EMotion EV," Digital Trends, December 13, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Fisker's EMotion sports car, and more in the week that was". inhabitat. engadget. 6 November 2016.
  12. ↑ Tom Brant, "Henrik Fisker Unveils His Tesla Competitor," PC Magazine, October 31, 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 Viknesh Vijayenthiran, "Fisker solid-state battery promises 500-mile range, 1-minute charging," Motor Authority, January 9, 2018.
  14. 1 2 Brandon Friederich, "This Stunning New Fisker Boasts a Tesla-Beating 400-Mile Range, Could Be New King of Electric Rides," Maxim, January 13, 2018.
  15. ↑ Katie Fehrenbacher, "Henrik Fisker Is Launching Another Electric Car Company That Feels Very Familiar" Fortune, October 4, 2016.
  16. ↑ Fred Lambert (31 October 2016). "Fisker officially unveils the design of its new electric car: EMotion". Electrek.
  17. 1 2 Darrell Etherington, "Take a look at these first pictures of Fisker's $130K EMotion electric car," TechCrunch, June 6, 2017.
  18. ↑ Russ Mitchell, "Fisker at CES: A $130,000 electric sedan and a radical new battery technology," Los Angeles Times, January 9, 2018.
  19. ↑ "The Best of CES 2018," PC Magazine, January 11, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Heralded auto designer unveils his new venture at CES: Fisker EMotion," USA Today, January 9, 2018.
  21. ↑ Jack Stewart, "What We've Already Learned About the Future of Cars in 2018," Wired, January 18, 2018.
  22. ↑ Ray Prince, "Fisker's Semi-Autonomous All-Electric EMotion Headed To CES 2018," Hybrid Cars, October 12, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Fisker and solid-state LiDAR partner Quanery to showcase Fisker EMotion at CES in January," Green Car Congress, October 11, 2017.
  24. ↑ Amit Sharma, "Pirelli partners with Fisker on new EMotion vehicle," Tyre Times, September 7, 2017.
  25. ↑ Jon Fingas, "Fisker unveils self-driving shuttle built for smart cities," Engadget, December 4, 2017.
  26. ↑ Luke Dormehl, "Fisker is building a self-driving shuttle to replace our boring regular buses," Digital Trends, December 6, 2017.
  27. ↑ Laura Close, "Fisker Orbit, Partnership Between Fisker Inc. and Hakim Unique Group Announced," Boss Magazine, November 30, 2017.
  28. 1 2 3 Danielle Muoio, "Henrik Fisker is using a revolutionary new battery to power his Tesla killer" Business Insider, October 16, 2016.
  29. ↑ Ronan Glon, "Can Fisker beat Tesla with state-of-the-art battery tech and butterfly doors?" Digital Trends, October 21, 2016.
  30. ↑ Kirby Garlitos, "Henrik Fisker Launches Fisker Inc.," topspeed.com, October 5, 2016.
  31. ↑ Michael Wayland, "Fisker, emerging battery supplier Nanotech end JV," Automotive News, July 21, 2017.
  32. 1 2 3 Joel Stocksdale, "Fisker has filed patents for solid-state batteries," Engadget, November 14, 2017.
  33. ↑ Nicolas Zart, "Fisker Aims To Unleash The Potential Of Solid-State Batteries, & Stun With Emotion," Clean Technica, November 17, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Fisker patents car battery with 500 mile range," Fox Business, November 21, 2017.
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