Fisker, the California-based automaker established by car designer Henrik Fisker, has completed and met all applicable US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for its upcoming all-electric Ocean crossover, as well as meeting New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) standards for a five-star rating.
In other words, the Fisker Ocean meets the safety standards imposed by US legislation for any new mass-produced vehicle, but it hasn't yet gone through actual crash testing carried out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Instead, Fisker says it used the services of an internationally-recognized agency to carry out the testing, without disclosing the name of the agency, and is certain that the Ocean EV will receive a five-star rating from the NHTSA if the government entity decides to put it to the test.
"Fisker engineered the structure of the Fisker Ocean to achieve a five-star crash rating according to the NCAP," said Chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker. "An official five-star rating will now be possible should NHTSA select a Fisker Ocean for testing."
The American EV brand is also pursuing an official Certificate of Conformity (CoC) with the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to validate the driving range of the Ocean in its Extreme variant, with the hope that the EPA will confirm the company's 350-mile estimate. Additionally, Fisker is waiting for certification from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), as well as 17 other jurisdictions in the US.
Last month, the Fisker Ocean Extreme was certified in Europe with a WLTP range of 440 miles (707 kilometers), thus becoming the longest-range EV SUV available on the Old Continent.
Gallery: Fisker Ocean Production Model
This means that Fisker’s inaugural electric model will first go on sale in Europe in late April, with a ramp-up in production scheduled for April 20, followed by US-bound vehicles which are set to go into production in the first week of May, ready to ship before EPA approvals.
Initially, Fisker wanted to build 300 units of the Ocean EV that would have been ready for delivery after all the certification programs, but now it says it has changed its strategy so that it wouldn't be left with cars that can't be sold in either Europe or North America.
"This strategy ensures we can maintain a steady production ramp and have a sufficient quantity of vehicles ready for initial deliveries in Europe and the US while avoiding the cost of vehicle storage until approvals arrive," Henrik Fisker said. "Homologating simultaneously places an extra workload on our teams, but we are utilizing the benefits of an agile organization by opportunistically shifting our plans and delivering vehicles in Europe first. I appreciate the patience of our reservation holders and am excited to get vehicles in the hands of our customers."
The Fisker Ocean will be assembled by Magna Steyr at the manufacturer’s carbon-neutral factory in Graz, Austria.
