Fisker teases “extreme” off-road version of electric Ocean SUV

Fisker Inc CEO and founder Henrik Fisker has teased fans of the upcoming Fisker Ocean SUV with a rendered off-road version that, if produced, would be aimed at emergency and military services.

The Fisker Ocean, if it hasn’t come across your radar yet, is billed by the reincarnated EV startup as the “world’s most sustainable vehicle”.

Unveiled at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, the eco-friendly SUV that features vegan and recycled materials inside and in-built solar panels in the roof, will rival Tesla’s Model 3 with a price of just $US37,499 ($A61,044) and also be offered under lease by the company.

Henrik Fisker has twice confirmed that the base mode, at the very least, will be made available to right-hand drive markets including Australia, and we have to say that an off-road version of the vehicle would make a welcome addition here also.

As an emergency or military vehicle, it makes an interesting and potentially realistic proposition.

Responding to UK auto channel Top Gear about the off-road render, Fisker said that: “The low centre of gravity and wide track brings added stability and makes the Fisker Ocean a perfect clean sustainable utility vehicle, that can be used by international organisations, which needs to deploy rescue vehicles in rural areas.

“It can also be used as a zero emission military version to transport military personnel, as oil is one of the largest expenses for the military,” he was quoted as saying.

The rendered sketch teased by Fisker, which only shows the vehicle from the rear, reveals sturdy wide tires on which the off-road electric SUV sits with even wider wheel arches.

The staunch wheelbase is complemented with a more angular, aggressive body with external features like a roof rack, and a strapped on shovel and a tough-looking charging box on the rear tailgate – which given the base Ocean SUV’s charge point is on above the rear right wheel of the vehicle, we assume would offer charging points for other devices, perfect for rescue missions and the like.

Asked if the bigger wheels made use of airless technology, Fisker responded on Twitter that, “Hard objects could quickly damage the spokes if caught up inside, sand, mud, or snow could clog them, causing the wheels to become unbalanced.

“The design will have to be able to withstand hours of high-speed highway driving without overheating, delaminating, or otherwise failing.”

Instead, the off-road Ocean will come with a hidden spare tire, said Fisker despite the initial image shown with tire on top of the vehicle. Fisker will reveal the location of this in coming days.

Will it actually be produced though? It seems it is definitely on the cards, going on comments Fisker made to Top Gear. “We will show this extreme utility version next year,” he was quoted as saying by Top Gear.