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Things You Didn't Know About Fisker

There are many things you didn't know about Fisker Inc. and the man behind these well-designed, electric cars. Let's take a look at Fisker's story from the beginning.

By Morgan E. WestlingPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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Henrik Fisker is a Danish designer living in Los Angeles, CA. He is responsible for designing famous cars, such as the Aston Martin DB9 and the BMW Z8. He co-founded the car company Fisker Automotive in 2007, and revolutionized the industry for electric vehicles. With this success though, it's important to consider that the auto industry is always changing, and there is a lot of money involved in the game. For Fisker, it has been somewhat of a bumpy road. However, each time the car company has faced challenges, they’ve managed to come back strong. Here are some things you didn’t know about Fisker and their journey from the beginning until today.

Fisker came into the game in 2007 and the Tesla Motor Company was their biggest competition. This is one of the things you didn’t know about Fisker because Tesla is probably the main electric car company that comes to mind for most people. Fisker succeeded in competing with Tesla due to their plug-in hybrid car—the Fisker Karma. Tesla filed a lawsuit against Fisker in 2008 because Fisker allegedly stole the Tesla model technology to create the Fisker Karma. However, Fisker won the lawsuit.

Henrik Fisker proceeded to brush off the lawsuit with Tesla and released the Fisker Karma in 2009, which brought the car company a lot of success. Customer’s loved the car design, the A123 battery technology, and the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Fisker Automotive was revolutionizing the auto industry. Fisker automotive thought this was just the beginning, but their success would be short lived.

Unexpectedly in 2012, A123 systems, Fisker Automotive’s battery supplier, went bankrupt. At first, the batteries began to be recalled one after the next. Eventually, Fisker noticed that there was a significant problem with their supplier. They were needing replacements for the recalled batteries in their customer’s cars, and A123 was unable to provide them.

During the hardships with the loss of the battery supplier, Henrik Fisker resigned as chairman of Fisker Automotive in March 2013, claiming “disagreements in management.” The company, at this point, was obviously having many financial issues and trying to figure out how to survive in the auto industry. They laid off many workers, changed CEOs, and, overall, had a rough year trying to stay above water. They struggled, yet somehow, they didn’t give up completely.

Another one of the things you didn’t know about Fisker is the reasoning behind their bankruptcy. While many people have heard that Fisker Automotive went bankrupt, they may not know that it was because of their battery supplier not being able to provide anymore. Because A123 systems was the only battery pack and battery technology that Fisker could use in their electric vehicle, as a result, Fisker Automotive also ended up going bankrupt in 2014. They had no one to supply their batteries to build their cars. The bankruptcy was something Fisker could not avoid. However, after a lot of turmoil, Wanxiang Group bought Fisker Automotive’s assets and turned it into Karma Automotive, which then launched the vehicle known as the Karma Revero. Henrik Fisker was able to retain the Fisker brand name for later use.

Because the Danish designer played smart in the downfall of Fisker Automotive, he was able to retain his brand name and create Fisker Inc. from the ashes of Fisker Automotive. Henrik Fisker, being the extraordinary entrepreneur he was never gave up, and he showed this through the creation of his second company after the failure of his first. Henrik Fisker came back with a bang, ready to make Fisker Inc. even better than before.

As mentioned before, Wanxiang Group purchased all Fisker Automotive’s assets in 2014 and created Karma Automotive. Karma Automotive finally released their plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the Karma Revero, this year, and based it off Fisker’s original model, the Fisker Karma. Though this is not associated with Henrik Fisker, the release still helps Fisker because it keeps his name out there, and reminds customers of his previous company as he begins to create new plans for Fisker Inc. His plans for the future are almost guaranteed to change the face of the auto industry.

Henrik Fisker has done many interviews to promote Fisker Inc. and the plans he has coming for his revitalized company. One of his ideas is to create a Fisker model electric vehicle that can compete with cheaper electric cars on the market, somewhere in the $40,000 range. He hopes to release this plug-in hybrid vehicle in 2020, and he wants it to compete with the Chevrolet Volt. However, because Henrik Fisker is an expert in car design, his model will be a work of art.

One of the things you probably didn’t know about Fisker is that he also has huge and innovative plans to create state-solid batteries, as opposed to the thin-film batteries that electric vehicles use now. These current batteries have issues in generating enough power for the car, and they are also expensive, something about electric cars you might not have known. He hopes to create a new kind of battery that can withstand cold temperatures better, and will charge much faster than previous battery technology.

Fisker’s last innovative idea for the future with Fisker Inc. is to make charging for electric vehicles both faster and more convenient. He hopes that customers will one day be able to charge their hybrid vehicles within minutes without ever having to get out of the car. Knowing more about EV will be the biggest stepping stone for Fisker Inc. One of the things you didn’t know about Fisker is that his ideas seem far-fetched, yet he always seems to make them happen. So, with that being said, we are excited to see what’s next for Henrik Fisker and Fisker Inc.

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About the Creator

Morgan E. Westling

Avid Reader, Freelance Writer/Editor, and Lifestyle Blogger

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