Fisker is about to unveil its Ocean electric crossover SUV to the world just ahead of CES 2020, and the company chose Digital Trends as the event’s exclusive streaming platform. You can watch the entire event live in the player above starting at 11:45 a.m. PT today, Sunday, January 5, 2020.
We’ll be livestreaming from the unveiling ceremony in sunny Los Angeles, which will be attended by early adopters who have reserved the car. While the model remains under wraps for the time being, company founder Henrik Fisker released several nuggets of information that let us piece together an accurate idea of what to expect. The Ocean is aimed at the upcoming Tesla Model Y, but it has a more SUV-like silhouette that allowed designers to carve out a spacious cabin packed with plenty of tech. The company expects to begin production in 2021 and start delivering to consumers in 2022.
While there’s rarely anything exciting or interesting about a car’s roof, the Ocean is the exception to the rule — the roof is one of its coolest features. It’s fitted with solar panels that use the electricity they generate to keep the cabin cool on a hot summer day, or warm it up in the middle of winter. Don’t expect to use the panel to fully charge the battery pack, though.
A push of a button allows the Ocean to go into what Fisker calls California Mode by lowering/opening the three windows on each side, the rear window, and the two panels that make up the roof.
Fisker hasn’t shown the interior yet, but we know it’s fully vegan thanks to recycled materials and plastics. The carpets are notably made from recycled fishing nets Fisker removed from real oceans to put into its Ocean.
The crossover will offer through-the-road all-wheel drive thanks to an 80-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack mounted under the passenger compartment and an electric motor over each axle. Fisker previously predicted driving range will check in between 250 and 300 miles, and it inked a deal with Volkswagen-owned Electrify America to open the firm’s growing network of charging stations to future owners. Byton, Lucid Motors, and Ford also teamed up with Electrify America, so you might one day see an M-Byte, an Air, a Mustang Mach-E, and an Ocean drawing electricity side by side.
Tune in to Digital Trends on January 5 to get an early glimpse of the Ocean before Fisker brings it to CES 2020 as a close-to-production prototype. Pricing will start in the vicinity of $40,000 before federal and local incentives enter the equation, and motorists who want to secure an early build slot can reserve an Ocean by sending the company a $250 deposit. Alternatively, Fisker will launch a lease program when production starts in late 2021 that will cost $379 a month after a $3,000 down payment. Customers will have the option of returning the car after a month, eight months, 22 months, or several years.
Correction 1/3: This story initially mischaracterized who would be attending the announcement event. It will be attended by Ocean reservation holders.