Fisker Ocean: should the longest range electric SUV be your next company car?

There are plenty of new car brand names coming to the UK, offering an alternative choice to those that are more familiar.

There’s GWM Ora, for example, or BYD (Build Your Dreams) and soon we’ll have NIO. These new brands, all from China, are focusing on bringing mostly fully electric cars to the UK, which we’re very excited about at Fleet Alliance.

But here’s a name you might not have come across: Fisker. In particular, the Fisker Ocean, which is arriving here shortly.

Based in the USA on California’s west coast, although European models will be made at the Magna Steyr factory in Austria, the Fisker Ocean offers a high level of sustainability, but beyond that it’s the range that is the real stand-out feature. On the Extreme model, the fully electric SUV can achieve 440 miles on a charge. That makes it the SUV with the longest range: the next closest is the BMW iX which can offer 380 miles.

It was this very factor that attracted Fleet Alliance director Grant Boardman to the Fisker Ocean as his next company car.

The Fisker Ocean, which is 4.8m long, certainly delivers on both counts.

There are four models to choose from for an SUV that rivals cars such as the Audi Q4 e-tron and BMW iX3.

There’s the Sport starting at £35,970, the Ultra at £49,880, and the Extreme and launch model One both at £60,880.

Only the Extreme and One models offer the 440 mile battery range, while the Ultra will take you a still really impressive 379 miles and the competitively priced Sport a useful 273 miles.

So should the Fisker Ocean be my next company car?
Grant is certainly considering the Fisker Ocean as his next company car, which will launch in the UK in spring this year with first deliveries from the summer.

Currently leasing rates are not available so the car cannot be quoted just yet. But Grant adds there’s more to the Fisker Ocean than the outstanding range.

He points to Fleet Alliance’s strong ESG agenda – or Environmental, Social and Governance – and says the new Ocean SUV fits that perfectly.

Car maker Fisker says the Ocean is designed to be the most sustainable SUV on earth, with a crafted interior built with ethically sourced and upcycled materials throughout.

The eco-friendly cabin features high-grade upholstery, carpets and interior details made from recycled plastic bottles and other recycled materials. “By using recycled source materials wherever possible, we lower the carbon footprint of manufacturing these fabrics,” claims Fisker.

“I think this approach is really interesting, because every step should be taken to lower the carbon impact of car manufacture,” continues Grant. “But there is also another really interesting feature I want to explore – and that’s the SolarSky roof – which is standard on Extreme and Ocean One trims. This is a full length solar panel built into the roof which can help generate free energy to feed into the car’s battery.

“Now I understand that Scotland is not the south of France in terms of sunshine, but it does demonstrate the new technologies that are assisting battery electric vehicles go further on a charge.”

Another feature of the Ocean – which is perhaps better suited to more temperate climes – is the ‘California’ mode. Touch a button and all windows lower, including the rear tailgate window, the sunroof opens, and you have (almost) a convertible SUV to enjoy the summer sunshine and breez.

The latter provides a mobile power source which can be used to provide emergency power for your house, provide a fellow EV driver with an emergency battery boost or power up portable electronic devices.

It all makes the Fisker Ocean look like a compelling company car choice – and Grant can’t wait.

“I really want to see the car in the metal first before I finally decide,” continues Grant. “But the Fisker Ocean really does meet all my requirements as an electric company car – especially that outstanding driving range.”