Henrik Fisker has been involved with many electric vehicle programs over the years. In 2016, he formed his own company called Fisker, Inc. Since then, he has been doing everything he can to champion the growth of the electric vehicle market, including designing the Fisker Ocean, which is an all-electric SUV that anticipated on the streets in 2022. Now, he is taking a page out of many famous auto manufacturers history books by taking his product to the races to fine-tune it. 

The Fisker Ocean 

The Fisker Ocean is an SUV that has been shown on social media and at a few respected car shows. It is an all-electric crossover made with many recycled materials. Also, it has a 250-300 mile range. One of the trim levels, called the Force E, will add to the Ocean an extreme off-road, all-wheel drive, rescue mission package. Currently, the Ocean has over 20,000 reservations. It has a reasonable starting price of $37,499. 

Fisker has been doing pretty well at drawing attention to the Ocean. Earlier this year, the public debut of the Ocean was at the annual CES conference. From there, the intent was to add the California company to the New York Stock Exchange. On July 13th, a merger with Spartan Energy Acquisition Group seemed to move the company toward that stock exchange ambition. 

Time to go racing

The next step for the company is apparently to go racing. According to a press release, Fisker Inc. is in advanced talks to be a part of a new, electric, off-road racing championship series. The release says, 

“Extreme E, starting early 2021, is a radical new racing series which will see electric SUVs go head to head in extreme locations around the world, including arctic, desert, glacier, coastal and rainforest, which have already been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues.”

Extreme E is not just a race. As described further in the release, 

“Extreme E aims to be a race-to-road testbed for the EV industry, putting technology and innovation to the ultimate test in its extreme environments, in order to accelerate the development of vital future-facing technology for consumers and excite a new generation of car buyers in the performance and environmental benefits of EVs.”

Mr. Fisker offered his own thoughts on the global, five-race series,

“I fully support [Extreme E’s] vision to reinvent off-road racing at the same time as creating an education platform for the threats posed by climate change. Extreme E and Fisker Inc. are completely aligned in our mission and values.”

Fisker is overcoming hurdles

Introducing a new manufacturer to the buying public is always an uphill battle. Tesla, for example, had to face a lot of opposition from the auto industry, the banking system, as well as the buying public’s range anxiety concerns or misconceptions. In recent years, Fisker has been steadily progressing over those hurdles. The public has also become a lot more receptive to EVs, as can be witnessed by hundreds of thousands of pre-orders for Tesla vehicles.

While Tesla may have been one of the best-known frontrunners in the EV game, Fisker has learned lessons along the way. The company is positioned to have a product on the streets soon and will receive grand exposure through the new racing arrangement. Overall, it seems to be a good time for Fisker.