Fisker is issuing the first recall for its all-electric Ocean SUV because of problems with the warning lights, according to new information published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The recall technically only applies to all 6,864 Ocean SUVs in the US, as other regions have their own safety regimes.
The recall comes after months of problems with the Ocean SUV, and at a time when Fisker is on the brink of bankruptcy.
This recall is not related to any of the four active investigations NHTSA has launched into the Ocean.
With those, the agency is probing inadvertent automatic emergency braking, sudden braking loss, vehicle rollaway and doors that won’t open.
It created an electric pickup and an electric SUV while prepping a monster IPO.
It now plans to sell an even cheaper SUV that could make Rivian a dominant EV player for years to come.
These changes mean that, for the first time since the company broke stealth in 2018, Rivian’s immediate future is actually remarkably clear.
Fisker is on the brink of bankruptcy after dealing with underwhelming sales of its electric SUV and myriad quality and service problems.
If Rivian wants to survive long enough to ship its more affordable mass-market R2, it really needs these revamped vehicles to sell well.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a third investigation into EV startup Fisker’s Ocean SUV, this time centered on problems getting the doors to open.
The agency says the complaints point to a an “intermittent failure” of the door latch and handle system.
The Ocean SUV is already being investigated by ODI over problems with its braking system, and for complaints about the vehicle rolling away on uneven surfaces.
It paused production of the Ocean in March and reported just $121 million in the bank.
But the new safety probe suggests a deeper problem with the SUV’s doors.
Lucid Motors is stuck in a fight over the name of its Gravity SUVLucid Motors is at risk of losing the trademark for the name of its Gravity SUV, just months before the company is supposed to start production.
Google Ventures-backed EV charging company Gravity Inc. filed a “petition for cancellation” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) in December asking for Lucid’s Gravity trademark to be revoked.
“We feel very, very confident about it,” Moshe Cohen, Gravity Inc.’s CEO, said of the petition in an interview with TechCrunch.
Lucid, in its answer to the petition filed last week, says that Gravity does not currently operate an EV fleet and argues that consumers would not be confused by the two different uses of the Gravity name.
“[Lucid] believes that it is being and will continue to be damaged by [Gravity Inc.’s] registration,” the company writes.
Rivian has a little cinematic surprise tucked in its new “treehouse” rooftop tent, one of the many accessories the automaker plans to sell alongside its next-generation R2 SUV and future R3 EVs.
The rooftop tent, which Rivian calls the treehouse, is equipped with a movie projector, which is run using power from the Rivian, Brian Gase, Rivian’s senior director of prototype and special projects, told TechCrunch during a customer event in Laguna Beach, California.
The customer event was held Thursday evening, several hours after Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe unveiled the all-electric R2 SUV and the sporty R3 and R3x hatchback vehicles.
The treehouse, as Rivian has branded it, is different from the white-labeled Yakima tent designed for its flagship R1T truck.
This new treehouse product is contained in a hardshell, which then opens up into a large rooftop tent.
The Rivian R2, an all-electric sport utility vehicle that’s smaller and more affordable than the automaker’s flagship SUV, appears to be a hit with potential customers.
At least, if the number of reservations for the R2 is any guide.
Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe posted Friday on Instagram that the company had received more than 68,000 R2 reservations less than 24 hours since the vehicle was revealed at an event in Laguna Beach, California.
The R2 is a five-seat, all-electric midsized SUV that will have more than 300 miles of range and a base price of $45,000.
Rivian also revealed Thursday the R3 and the R3x, all-electric hatchback vehicles with sporty Honda e vibes.
The occasion was the unveiling of the Rivian R2, a smaller and more affordable all-electric SUV, and a vital vehicle for the EV upstart hoping to show the world it’s here to stay.
The air was filled with conversations about their Rivian vehicles, exclamations and congratulations, hugs and handshakes, and discussions of their hopes for the R2.
When the Rivian R2 did arrive — it did not come alone.
The R2, a two-row all-electric SUV that will have an estimated range of 300 miles and a base price of $45,000, was the main event.
Today, Rivian produces four vehicles at its sole factory in Normal, Illinois: its two consumer vehicles, the R1T truck and R1S SUV, and two versions of its commercial van.
Lucid Motors plans to build just 9,000 electric vehicles in 2024, only 500 to 1,000 more than it made in 2023, as it struggles with demand for its luxury sedans.
And it’s a sign of the brutal reality Lucid now faces: that it’s still scrambling to find buyers and losing money on every EV it builds.
The modest projection comes a few days after the company slashed the prices of its Air sedan by $8,000.
The Gravity is one of the reasons Lucid originally forecasted being able to make and ship 90,000 vehicles in a few short years.
In fact, in the presentation Lucid used to promote its 2021 merger with a special purpose acquisition company, it predicted the Gravity would outsell the Air sedan in 2024.
The 2024 Chevy Blazer EV RS first drive: A worthy but pricey all-electric SUV This roomy midsize SUV gets a lot right.
The Chevy Blazer EV will be offered in three trims: the LT, RS and performance SS.
The Chevy Blazer EV RS trim in all-wheel drive is already in production at GM’s factory in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.
The press drive held in San Diego put reporters behind the wheel of the rear-wheel and all-wheel drive versions of the Chevy Blazer EV RS trim.
Those specs combined with a lower roofline and athletic stance give the Chevy Blazer EV a sleeker appearance than its gas-powered cousin.
The all-electric Gravity SUV is a sign that Lucid is progressing quickly. The company plans to have a completely electic lineup by 2020, and this test Certification shows that they…
