Fisker takes 4000 deposits for Pear EV

FISKER says it has taken 4000 reservations for its Pear compact electric car which is slated to enter production in 2024.

Company founder Henrik Fisker told Automotive News the innovative model will be priced from $US29,900 ($A43,000) and retain many of the features shown in the show-going model including an innovative wrap-around windscreen and “truly revolutionary electrical architecture” with central computing systems replacing multiple ECUs.

The Pear – short for Personal Electric Automotive Revolution – will join Fisker’s debut model, the Ocean mid-sized eSUV, which will go into serial production from November 17 at the Magna Steyr facility in Graz, Austria.

The Pear, meanwhile, will be built in the United States by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn at General Motors’ former Lordstown facility in Ohio. It is estimated the facility can produce a minimum of 250,000 units annually.

Mr Fisker said the Pear will ride on a new in-house developed platform called the SLV1 which is “all about reducing parts and cost”. GoAuto understands the SLV1 platform will underpin a further two models to be unveiled at a later date.

“We can get a super-exciting vehicle on the road with high technology without spending it on platform stamping and complicated structures,” Mr Fisker told Automotive News, adding that 55 pre-production prototypes were already undergoing testing.

Mr Fisker said his company has 56,000 reservations for the Pear, including some 4000 non-refundable deposits.

“The Pear will be a revolutionary electric vehicle that won’t fit into any existing segment,” he said.

“Our engineering group is working on new features and high-tech solutions for the Pear that will change how we use and enjoy a vehicle in the city.”

The California-based electric vehicle start-up recently received $US50 million ($A71.5m) in financing to move to the next stage of development with its Ocean SUV, keeping the model on track for its end-of-year launch.

The funds, from a private investment company in the United States, further confirm Fisker’s plan for the Ocean and Pear EVs and push the models even closer to market.

Fisker says more than 22,000 people from 116 countries have expressed interest in or placed a non-refundable deposit on the Ocean SUV.

Priced from $A53,624 the Ocean will be offered with four different package options to be detailed later this year and will also be available as a lease from $A542 a month with a $A4290 deposit.

Full specifications of the Ocean are still to be released, although preliminary details point to a driving range of about 450km from an 80kWh battery pack. Solar panels on the roof can help recharge the vehicle’s battery systems and are designed to provide up to 1600km of additional driving range per year.

Both two- and all-wheel-drive versions will be available, with the electric powertrain offering an output of more than 225kW. An “ultra-high performance” version is also in development, with Fisker targeting 0-60mph (0-97km/h) acceleration of less than three seconds.

Recharging the battery from 15 per cent to 80 per cent capacity is expected to take only 30 minutes when plugged in to a 150kW charger.

The Ocean measures 4568mm long, 1900mm wide and 1590mm high, making it slightly smaller in stature to the Tesla Model X.