Fisker Ocean now $25k - cheapest EV

https://www.carscoops.com/2024/04/fisker-ocean-totaled-over-door-damage-due-to-lack-of-parts/

If you do manage to find an Ocean, avoid any sort of damage. At all. 

Spearfishin said:

Saw this on my ride home today:

What is even the point of those useless back windows?!

In reply to Duke :

Gun ports?

Duke said:

Spearfishin said:

Saw this on my ride home today:

What is even the point of those useless back windows?!

 

Something new for my favorite tint guy to bitch about. 

Well, it appears that even Magna is figuring Fisker is done now, or at least they're not predicting any more production. That's unfortunate. I'd  like to see a good post-mortem since it really seems like all the issues were software-related. The problem doesn't seem to be unique to Fisker, though. They just weren't big enough to survive them.

https://qz.com/fisker-ocean-production-bankruptcy-evs-magna-1851460698

IMO software is the Final Frontier for automakers. They have metal-bending and related engineering down cold, have learned EV propulsion, and know how to build and distribute complex products.

But they don't understand software and only recently have begun to realize that they don't understand it.

In reply to paddygarcia :

It's incredible that it hasn't stopped them from finding ways to completely screw it up though. Just look at the current GM private data debacle or the reported E36 M3 show from inside the VW group. It's staggering how badly they've missed the mark with software despite it being a very mature field.

I understand, from working in enterprise software, that most companies see IT and infrastructure as a cost center (stupid IMO but I'm biased). Yet they keep screwing it up, or trying so hard to actively trying to turn it into another revenue stream, that it becomes self fulfilling prophecy instead of something that fades into the background supporting the other engineering. That's in spite the fact that there are entire fields of study devoted to building good interfaces and creating good industrial control software.

It has to be either a E36 M3ty Google like corporate culture or malfeasance at this point.

I agree, it is amazing. My takeaway from 30+ years building SW, a few years with the VW group in a non-software role and some consulting with other OEMs: it's a culture/mindset problem.

VW figured they could free their vehicle SW problem by spinning it off, but then staffed the place with veterans. The resulting institution has the tiny imagination, turtle-like speed and putting-the-k-in-quality strengths of internal enterprise IT, plus giant company processes, metal-bending product release thinking, and a general resistance to incorporate anything the outside world is doing. #Winning!

I think the industry will get past the worst of the stupidity, but the incumbents will never truly innovate. In some ways that's OK - my 2005 analog cellphone wouldn't connect even if it still worked, but the infotainment in my 2005 car works pretty much like it did in 2005. Products that are Good Enough, reasonably reliable, and serviced for a good long horizon are better than orphans.

Plodding can eventually catch up with the Kool Kids. I recently rode in a well-equipped Bolt EUV and a Polestar 3. The metal-bashers at Chevy and Geely/Volvo put together a nicer car than Tesla, including the infotainment. Even better, the Chevy at least might not cost the same $14,000 that my friend's Tesla 3 required for literally a fender-bender.