
NOTE: This was originally written on June 29, 2023. I added updates to the end, as noted, on Dec. 30 2023.
The Fisker Ocean seemed like the perfect vehicle for me. A great looking SUV that’s all EV, at a great price and plenty of range? Sign me up! And so I did, back in January 2022. Since then, my future dream ride feels more and more imaginary. Will it ever arrive? And will it have any of the things I was expecting? I’m less hopeful about that. Here’s my virtual road trip so far.
Select models arriving in 2022!
I made my reservation at the beginning of January 2022. I’m not sure how I’d heard about the Fisker Ocean, but after ending up at the site and reading about it, I was in. I put down a $250 refundable reservation deposit and hoped perhaps that “Select models arriving in 2022” might actually happen toward the end of the year, when my current car lease would be up.
My model? More like 2023
The first splash of reality came in July 2022, when Fisker opened up pre-orders for the launch edition of the Ocean, the Fisker Ocean One. It’s the most expensive, first-shipping model in the Ocean line-up (the Fisker Ocean Extreme is the same price, but ships later). Pre-ordering required a $5,000 non-refundable deposit. That’s a pretty large gamble for an unproven car maker, with no confirmed delivery date. A writer at Electrek said it made him go from “skeptical to red alert” about the car.
It made me take a hard look at all the models. In the end, I decided to pass on the Launch edition. It wouldn’t likely arrive before the end of my current lease at the time. It was also more than I wanted to spend. The Fisker Ocean Ultra had enough of the key features I wanted.
Here’s what Fisker said about deliveries for the various models, at the time:
Select Fisker Ocean One to confirm your choice of a Launch Edition Fisker Ocean One. Production starts in November 2022. Delivery timing will be dependent upon your pre-order date and delivery location. We expect all deliveries of the Fisker Ocean One to occur by end of September 2023….
Select Ocean Extreme, Ultra, or Sport if you prefer one of these trim levels. Fisker will prioritize Fisker Ocean Extreme orders in 2023, with any additional capacity being then allocated to Ultra and Sport. Given the high degree of interest in the Fisker Ocean SUV premium models, it is likely that Fisker Ocean Sport production will not commence until late 2023, initially at modest volumes, with higher volumes expected in 2024. No pre-order deposit will be requested now for these trim levels. Fisker will contact you with details about confirming orders for these trim levels in the coming months.
I adjusted to the idea that if things went well, maybe I’d see my Fisker Ultra by late 2023 and went into wait-and-see mode.
Convert to order & 2023 delivery seems more likely
The following month, I faced a commitment decision. Fisker let people in the US know that if they converted reservations into orders that month, we’d qualify for the existing federal tax credits that were being phased out. I decided to take the gamble and convert my reservation. From my invitation to order email:
Completing this process converts each of your Fisker Ocean reservation fees into a non-refundable deposit and secures your Fisker Ocean order. Closer to production, you will select color, wheels, interior, and other options and accessories. Please note these options and accessories may increase the base trim price shown.
And from my confirmation email, some positive-sounding news on timing. It sounded like I might indeed see my Ultra in 2023, especially when the trim below that was also expected to have deliveries begin:
Deliveries of the Fisker Ocean Extreme, Ultra and Sport trims begin in 2023, starting with Extreme in late July 2023, and Ultra and Sport in October 2023. As we get closer to production, we’ll confirm your choice of color, wheels, interior, and accessories, plus more exciting information about your all-electric, zero-emissions future with the Fisker Ocean.
Pay more to convert to order again?
Fast forward to now. Fisker has begun delivering cars, in very small numbers — 22, as of a week ago, the company shared. And today, I got an email telling me great news — it was time to secure my order! From the email:
We request that you lock in your order prior to June 30, 2023, by submitting a non-refundable $750 Order Fee. Starting June 30, additional reservation holders will be invited to order. Note: Your original Reservation Fee will automatically be added to your Order Fee. The combined sum equals the $1,000 required to secure your order. Your full Order Fee will later be applied to the final purchase price of your vehicle.
This was … confusing. I’d previously had a reservation fee, my original $250. I converted that to a non-refundable “order deposit.” Now, I was being told that I have a new “Order Fee” to pay. Even more confusing, my Fisker Account — which lists “Order Details” and my “Order Date” and my “Order Fee” of $250 — now begins with text telling me to “Order Your Fisker Ocean” and to convert the “reservation” that I’d already converted into an order:
Fisker will prioritize the manufacturing and delivery of Extreme orders beginning in Q2 2023. Any additional capacity will be allocated to the Ultra and Sport trim levels. Given the high interest in the Extreme trim level, it is likely that production for the Ultra and Sport trim levels will not commence until late 2023, initially at modest volumes, with higher volumes expected in 2024.
My questions and doubts
I love the promise of the Fisker Ocean. But at this point, I don’t have enough faith to convert my order into an order again by throwing more non-refundable money into the mix. That’s especially so when there are still so many unanswered questions:
When will my Fisker arrive?
Who knows. Coincidentally, I’d just emailed Fisker support for any news on timing earlier this week and was told this:
Fisker will prioritize the manufacturing and delivery of Extreme orders beginning in Q2 2023. Any additional capacity will be allocated to the Ultra and Sport trim levels. Given the high interest in the Extreme trim level, it is likely that production for the Ultra and Sport trim levels will not commence until late 2023, initially at modest volumes, with higher volumes expected in 2024.
From that, it sounds extremely unlikely I’d see my Ultra this year. Asking for a further non-refundable deposit for a car that might arrive next year is again, too much faith than I’m willing to grant. I’ll let others pass me in line and see how the deliveries go.
Will it have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto? (Doubt it)
Look, car manufacturers. I don’t want what you think is some amazing native navigation / entertainment / infotainment system. I have my phone. It works great. It knows all the places I want to go. It has all my contacts. It has all my music. Just use my phone. I adore Apple CarPlay, which I regularly use. I also adore Android Auto, which works just like CarPlay for my Android phone.
I’ve been waiting to hear if Fisker will support either. Last year, Fiskerati reported that it seemed likely based on a hashtag (yes, a hashtag) added to one of Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker’s Instagram posts.
The Ocean certainly isn’t shipping with it now. In fact, the native infotainment system doesn’t even respond to voice commands right now, as this Fiskerati review of a video review covers.
Not being able to use my phone is a step backwards. I know for some that it could be hard to believe this could be a major purchase decision. But it is for me, and I don’t think I’m alone (plenty on the Fisker subreddit seem to want phone support).
As for Fisker support, it didn’t answer my question about CarPlay but did say voice support is expected for my Fisker Ultra by delivery (even though when that would be delivered is unknown).
What happened to the lease option?
Given Fisker is a new auto company, I’ve really wanted to lease the Ocean rather than buy. When I first put in a reservation, the lease sounded super attractive. It starts at $379 per month. The “Flexee Lease” has no set term. There’s a downside that you can’t buy the car at the end of your lease, but plenty of people don’t want to buy their leased vehicles at the end.
You’ll still find information about the Flexee Lease on the page about the Ocean. What you won’t find is any mention that I can see that it’s only available in certain markets that are still to be determined. To discover that, you have to turn to reports of what Henrik Fisker has said about it.
This was another question I had for Fisker support, which told me:
Information on the Flexee Leasing is expected to be announced in Q4. Please note that your delivery timing may vary if you’d like to proceed with Flexee Leasing.
To recap, I’m being asked to put down a total of $1,000 for a non-refundable order on a car that I don’t even know is an order to buy it or lease it.
Maybe 2025
In the end, there’s a part of me that still hopes the promise will become the reality. That this great looking SUV EV that seems so perfect for what I want will eventually ship without all these uncertainties. But I’ve come to accept my comfort level isn’t there to put more down in hopes of what seems likely to be an early 2024 delivery, if I were to commit now. I’ll let those more daring dive in, see how the vehicle performs among more people over the coming year, hope (likely against hope) that CarPlay support comes, that leasing comes and reassess later.
Meanwhile, when my lease was up at the end of last year, I moved to a Kia Niro PHEV. And I love it. It has 33 miles of electric range, plenty for most of our driving, which is local. We’re rarely at a gas station. If we do a long distance trip, it sips gas with about 50 mpg.
I looked long and hard at the Kia EV6, but decided against it as I still wanted a bit more range than it offers, plus I prefer the extra room and look of the Niro. I wish Kia would bring the super fast charging ability of the EV6 to the Niro EV. Which is … kind of the EV9. But I don’t really want a car the size of the EV9. Which is … where the EV5 might come in, but that’s further down the line. Around when the new VW EV bus will come, the ID. Buzz. Doesn’t that look sweet? But really, I should just get a cargo bike to make my oldest son (and Not Just Bikes convert) happy.
Dec. 30, 2023: I thought I’d update this post with a few things….
When an order is really a “pre order”
In October, Fisker emailed me again asking for a $750 order fee, this time saying it was necessary to lock in pricing that was originally promised when I placed my order with a fee already:
Your existing Fisker Ocean order gives you an exclusive opportunity to lock in lower pricing. Log into your account and take advantage of legacy prices by submitting your $750 Order Fee to secure your order. Current Sport and Ultra pricing will remain in effect on all orders completed on November 5, 2023.
It’s the usual confusion that I’ve bolded. I have an existing order, which involved a fee. But now there’s another fee?
This prompted me to give up on Fisker and request a refund of my order fee. Or reservation fee, given that as explained earlier, my Fisker account dashboard still encourages me to convert my “reservation” into an order.
Fisker support said no, as I expected. It also revealed I have a rare undocumented “pre-order” status:
You converted your reservation to a pre order … making it eligible for tax credit eligibility. Fisker is now asking you to lock in your configuration for production with your second deposit ($750). $1000 will need to be collected in order to start building your vehicle and lock in your pricing. Once orders are converted to a pre order, your deposits paid become non-refundable.
You won’t find anything in the Fisker FAQ about the refundability of “pre-orders.” If it’s a reservation, you get a refund. If it’s an order, you do not. If you’re (one of the likely few) a pre-order, the refund policy is undocumented. Fisker did, to be fair, say at the time I did my conversion that the fee would be non-refundable. But it also said that I was placing an order, not this retroactive “pre order” limbo state where they keep asking for more money.
The Information on Fisker woes
The Information had an interesting article, EV Upstart Fisker Faces Angry Customers, Falling Stock Price, that ran in mid-December. It’s only available to subscribers (which I am). It leads off with Gary Stuart, still waiting on his vehicle:
But Stuart’s enthusiasm has faded. His Fisker SUV, delayed by months, still hasn’t arrived. And he’s noticed that some customers who have received their vehicles have complained online that some of the cars have mechanical flaws making them dangerous to drive, or that they are missing features the company had promised. Stuart tried to reverse the $5,000 pre-order charge with his credit card company last month, but he hasn’t heard back. “It’s just a mess,” he said.
It’s not clear if Stuart ordered the launch edition or not (more on the importance of that below). The story goes on to talk generally about complaints to the US Federal Trade Commission over delays, that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has had 16 complaints about Fisker vehicles from owners, and says “some early enthusiasts no longer want their Fisker vehicles, prompting a wave of cancellations.”
Woah — where are all these launch editions coming from?
Today (Dec. 30, 2023), I got an unusual email from inviting me to purchase one of the limited edition launch editions of the Fisker Ocean One:
Order today to become one of only 5,000 people to own the Fisker Ocean One, a limited-edition Fisker Ocean that comes fully loaded with unique features and an exclusive Owner Benefits Package that includes…
Act fast, as these exclusive offers expire soon! Shop for your pre-configured Fisker Ocean One and get financing approval before January 10, 2024, to take advantage of this special New Year’s offer.
I went over to the inventory page link that I was emailed (also featured now on the Fisker home page), entered the US as my country, and tested both a Southern California and Northern California zip code. Both times, I got a list of 20 Fisker Ones available in as few as four days for delivery, like this:

Here’s the thing. I’d assumed all these launch editions had already been sold. In fact, Fisker had previous said they were sold out of these. It seems not. Fisker either made these without firm orders, or people walked away from huge deposits they’d paid, or there’s something else that’s not clear.
Also, Fisker said it was going to make all these launch edition trims first. That’s why so many people waiting for the lower trims are still waiting. It’s also why, I’d assumed, that when I asked when my car would be delivered if I actually placed an order, Fisker couldn’t give me an estimate. It was still working through all these other orders.
Digging into this, Fisker just released an end-of-the-year summary saying it produced 10,142 vehicles this year with about 4,700 vehicles delivered — “the majority being Fisker Ocean One launch edition vehicles.”
Fisker’s stock surged on the news but … why? How are half the vehicles it has made not yet been delivered? How is it that apparently lower trims have been made since we’re well beyond the 5,000 limited launch editions that were to be built, and yet I’m sitting here with an actual pre-order/order/whatever and Fisker can’t tell me when I’d get my car if I were to give them the full amount they want. Indeed, on the site right now, if you try to order any trim, it says deliveries beginning “Q4 2023” which is up tomorrow.