The Bizarre Tale of Fisker Ocean: NYC’s Unexpected EV Fleet

If you’ve visited New York City recently and hopped into an Uber or Lyft, you might have found yourself riding in a sleek electric SUV you’ve never seen before – the Fisker Ocean. This isn’t just coincidence. In a strange twist of automotive fate, thousands of these vehicles have become an unexpected staple of NYC’s rideshare landscape, turning the Big Apple into perhaps the only place in America where you’re likely to encounter this particular EV.

But how did an ambitious electric vehicle end up almost exclusively shuttling tourists between Broadway shows and Wall Street? The story involves a spectacular corporate collapse, questionable manufacturing decisions, and a perfect storm of opportunity created by New York City’s green transportation initiatives.

The Rise and Spectacular Fall of Fisker

Henrik Fisker is no stranger to automotive ventures with troubled endings. After founding Fisker Automotive in 2007 (which went bankrupt in 2013), he launched Fisker Inc. in 2016 with grand ambitions for the Ocean – an electric SUV boasting eco-friendly materials, innovative features like a full-length sunroof with solar panels, and the quirky “California mode” that drops all windows simultaneously for an open-air experience.

In 2023, Fisker manufactured approximately 10,000 Oceans but delivered fewer than half to customers. Those who did receive their vehicles quickly discovered numerous troubling issues:

• Missing basic features like cruise control
• Unreliable key fobs
• Driver doors that wouldn’t open from inside
• Hoods flying up while driving on highways
• Non-compliant warning lights

The company’s decline was as swift as it was dramatic. Just six months after delivering its first vehicles, Fisker was already under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The timeline reads like a corporate horror story:

• January 2024: First NHTSA investigation
• February 2024: Second investigation and damaging reviews
• March 2024: Price slashed by nearly 40%; NYSE halts trading
• April-May 2024: Additional investigations
• June 2024: First official recall, followed days later by bankruptcy filing

Perhaps most telling of the company’s dysfunction was its inability to track customer payments – reportedly delivering $70,000 vehicles without collecting payment and losing track of millions of dollars in the process.

From Corporate Disaster to NYC Rideshare Mainstay

When Fisker declared bankruptcy, their primary remaining assets were 3,231 unsold Oceans. Enter American Lease – the largest company that rents TLC-plated (Taxi & Limousine Commission) cars to rideshare drivers in New York City.

American Lease saw an opportunity born from regulatory necessity. NYC’s Green Rides Initiative, established in 2023, mandates that all rideshare vehicles must be either wheelchair accessible or zero-emission by 2030. The company needed to transition its primarily Toyota-based fleet to electric, but most EVs retail for around $40,000 each – a prohibitive expense for fleet-wide replacement.

When an American Lease executive read about Fisker’s downfall, they spotted a potential bargain. The company ultimately purchased approximately 2,800 Fisker Oceans for about $16,000 each – a fraction of their original price.

The Second Life of Fisker Ocean

The fleet began operating on New York streets in March 2025, with about 1,000 vehicles in service by late summer. American Lease aims to deploy 2,500 Oceans as active rideshare vehicles, keeping the remainder as replacements or parts donors.

For drivers, these vehicles present a mixed blessing. The rental cost is attractively low – starting at just $280 monthly, less than a Toyota Camry. However, drivers must contend with charging logistics and occasional software glitches, including the infamous “California mode” getting stuck active – an open-air experience few would welcome during a New York winter.

All maintenance happens at BHP Service Center, which has developed specialized expertise in repairing these out-of-production vehicles. The shop has proactively purchased damaged Oceans and spare parts, and is even developing manufacturing capabilities for replacement components – something Fisker itself showed little interest in providing.

Why the Ocean Works as a Rideshare Vehicle

Despite its troubled origins, the Fisker Ocean offers several advantages as a rideshare vehicle:

• Spacious backseat described as offering “the best backseat experience of any competitive EV”
• Ample trunk space for airport luggage runs
• Electric powertrain reducing operational costs
• Distinctive appearance that stands out in traffic

American Lease expects these vehicles to survive 150,000-200,000 miles or approximately four years in rideshare service. Ironically, this isn’t quite long enough to reach NYC’s 2030 Green Rides deadline, suggesting the company will need another solution before then.

The Future of Budget EVs in America

The Fisker Ocean’s unusual second life highlights a broader issue in the American EV market – the challenge of finding affordable electric vehicles. While other global markets offer EVs at the $16,000 price point through normal channels, U.S. consumers typically face much higher entry costs.

The shifting political landscape and inconsistent government priorities regarding electric vehicles make it difficult to predict whether truly affordable EVs will become widely available in America by 2030. For now, the Fisker Ocean joins vehicles like the Nissan NV200 and Checker Marathon in the pantheon of cars primarily seen as for-hire vehicles in New York City.

Next time you visit the Big Apple and order a ride, keep an eye out for this distinctive electric SUV. Your Fisker Ocean ride might be the most accessible way to experience this short-lived chapter in automotive history – a peculiar saga where corporate failure transformed into an unexpected second act on the streets of New York.

This post was generated automatically using LLM.
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