This new EV has a 'California mode,' and it's as chill as it sounds
The rest of the country is going to snicker, but Fisker's upcoming all-electric SUV, called Ocean, unveiled a feature this week to honor the car's West Coast roots and SoCal vibes.
With one button Ocean drivers can open nine windows and openings throughout the car including a back hatch and sun roof. Let the ocean air flow in and breathe in and out. If that isn't California dreaming we don't know what is. The feature is called, of course, California mode. Iconic car designer Henrik Fisker is based in the Los Angeles area.
Reservations-holders for the Fisker Ocean are privy to an exclusive video demonstrating how it works, but it's only on the Fisker app. We were told we could see the video next week after future-owners got a chance first. Reservations require a $250 deposit. The eco-friendly vehicle built with recycled materials and solar panels on the roof is supposed to start production in 2021 and arrive by 2022.
The company patented the California mode process, which sounds simple but apparently is hard to pull off. Fisker said the patent involves redesigning the car's body structure and the second row seat belt mounting structure. A new method will let the glass slide into a separate partition without water seeping into the main cabin for when it rains or if there's overnight dew or heavy fog. Usually cars have permanent glass pieces bonded in the rear part of the car to form an airtight structure. So it makes sense why you've never been in a car where one touch controls all the windows including the rear one. The back windshield doesn't usually open at all!
All models except the base will offer California mode, which will be an included feature. You can't have an Ocean car without some of that open-air Golden State love flowing through. Car pricing hasn't been specified yet but when the car was first discussed it was supposed to come in around $40,000.
The Fisker Ocean will be revealed for the first time at CES in Las Vegas in early January. Where's that "Nevada mode" when you need it?
UPDATE: Dec. 23, 2019, 11:11 a.m. PST Fisker shared a rendered video demonstrating California mode Monday morning, as promised. Ironically, the nine windows open on a snowy road and the quick video finishes off with a realistic, but animated Santa throwing a Christmas tree into the open back window.
Fisker has yet to show any images of the real car.
Topics Electric Vehicles
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
