Fisker raises $US50m, edges closer to launch of all-electric SUV with solar roof

California-based electric car aspirant Fisker announced on Wednesday that it had completed a $US50 million Series C financing round, intended to support the next phase of engineering work on the company’s revolutionary Fisker Ocean all-electric luxury SUV.

The company claims that the Fisker Ocean will be “the world’s most sustainable vehicle” thanks in part to a full-length solar roof and a “state of the art” 80kWh battery.

The car maker unveiled new video footage back in March showing off the Ocean’s full-length solar roof which it said would feed into the vehicle’s battery and provide “1,000 free, clean miles per year.”

The new round of financing was funded by Moore Strategic Ventures, LLC, the private investment vehicle of American billionaire investor Louis M. Bacon.

“Since we first showed the car at CES earlier this year, the reaction from customers and investors has been extremely positive,” said Henrik Fisker, chairman and CEO of Fisker Inc.

“We are radically challenging the conventional industry thinking around developing and selling cars and this capital will allow us to execute our planned timeline to start producing vehicles in 2022.”

The news was announced at the same time as the company appointed key executives in permanent and advisory capacities, including Burkhard Huhnke, who was named Chief Technology Officer.

Huhnke, who has served as the former vice president of e-mobility for Volkswagen America and vice president of automotive at chip maker, Synopses, will lead Fisker’s R&D activities in Los Angeles as well as the newly established Fisker Innovation Lab in Silicon Valley, which houses the company’s investments in software innovations for future vehicles and services.

Martin Welch, who has been leading Fisker’s engineering function and, since early 2019, the development of the Fisker Ocean program, was also named as senior vice president of engineering, while Simon Sproule was named as communications advisor to the CEO.

“As we accelerate the development of the Fisker Ocean, I am excited to keep building an executive team capable of delivering our brand, product and service experiences,” said Fisker.

“We are seeing a profound disruption in the automotive industry, where digital customer experiences and software will join emotive design to become major brand pillars for any future car company. Fisker Inc. is ideally positioned to take full advantage of this transformation.”