It might be rather cliché to say, but the UK doesn’t see much sun. That, however, hasn’t deterred Fisker from including a California mode on its new Ocean electric SUV.
This opens all windows of the car, including the rear screen and sunroof, somewhat simulating a convertible to give a breeze all through the car.
It's a niche feature perhaps, given that one puddle will have the whole family splashed with dusty water, but it’s an interesting one nonetheless.
Fisker has several of these unique features up its sleeve. There’s a 'doggie window’ mode to keep your pets comfortable and safe in the summer, a rotating central infotainment screen and trick torque-vectoring for improved stability.
The company even claims that you will feel like a Formula 1 driver if you push the Ocean hard in the corners.
It’s these features that will help the Ocean stand out in an increasingly congested segment. Perhaps even to the extend that the model will stack up favourably to the technology-laden Tesla Model Y.
While choosing a portrait or landscape orientation for your touchscreen is indeed a useful feature, the most significant seems to be the Solarsky roof, which could be a bit of a game-changer as well as a moneysaver. It's a feature that has largely been ignored in a world flooded with semi-autonomous driving tech and touchpad-infested interiors.
The Ocean features photovoltaic solar panels integrated into its panoramic glass roof, which Fisker claims can “generate free energy” – in ideal conditions, up to 1500 miles' worth per year.
“Ideal conditions” in Fisker’s eyes assumes a level of solar irradiation equal to 5.4 kWh/m2 a day, with steady commuter driving. Not quite what we get in the UK, then.
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Money where Mouth is springs to mind here, and it won't be a Car for the masses either, I'm not being cynical, it's just annoying, and nobody can reliably say how good they'll be five,ten years down the Road.