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Fisker Ocean faces another preliminary probe over braking issues

Credit: Fisker

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Safety regulators in the U.S. have opened an investigation into Fisker’s Ocean electric vehicle (EV), following fresh complaints of a braking issue that has caused some vehicles to brake unexpectedly.

The National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTSA) opened a preliminary investigation into the braking issue last week, marking the Ocean’s second braking issue this year. In the report, dated May 8, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received eight complaints alleging inadvertent deployment of the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system on model year 2023 Fisker Ocean vehicles, causing sudden deceleration and increasing the risk of a crash.

Three of the complaints claimed that the issue resulted in an injury, with the severity of braking issues varying widely across them, according to the regulator’s investigation report.

“The braking applications range from momentary, partial application resulting in rapid loss of speed to full application, which brings the vehicle to a complete stop in the travel lane,” writes the ODI in the report.

The investigation will look into approximately 6,813 Fisker Ocean units, and You can view the full ODI investigation report below.

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Following a preliminary investigation, the NHTSA will decide whether or not to escalate the case to recall status.

The preliminary probe follows a separate investigation into the Fisker Ocean opened by the NHTSA in January, alleging a partial loss of braking power over low-traction surfaces. In February, the NHTSA also opened a probe into the Ocean over complaints of unintended vehicle movement, along with an inability to shift into park or other gears.

The struggling EV company has also been facing non-compliance with the New York Stock Exchange, after its shares dropped below $1 on average for 30 days. Similarly, it has filed for reorganization in Austria. A few weeks ago, the company also said it would need to file for bankruptcy with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) if it didn’t receive additional funding within a month.

“If the Company does not receive adequate relief from its debt holders and additional sufficient liquidity from potential liquidity providers to meet its current obligations, it expects to seek protection under applicable bankruptcy laws in multiple jurisdictions within 30 days from the issuance of these financial statements,” wrote Fisker in the late 10-K filing.

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Henrik Fisker is selling his Hollywood home for $35 million

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving’s new version officially gets a wider rollout

So far, v14 has introduced a handful of new features and improvements, but the first versions needed refinement before Tesla made an effort to expand the population. It had issues with a brake stutter, but this has been mostly resolved.

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Credit: Tesla Europe and Middle East | X

Tesla’s newest Full Self-Driving version is officially rolling out wider to customers outside of the Early Access Program (EAP), in preparation for a total launch of the new v14 suite.

Over the past several weeks, Tesla has been working to refine its new v14 Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in an effort to have it ready for the entire fleet of vehicles in the United States. We are lucky enough to be in the EAP, so we’ve been able to test new features and rollouts first-hand.

So far, v14 has introduced a handful of new features and improvements, but the first versions needed refinement before Tesla made an effort to expand the population. It had issues with a brake stutter, but this has been mostly resolved.

Additionally, the rollout of the new Mad Max Speed Profile has gathered some attention.

Now that Tesla has started rolling out v14.1.3 yesterday to EAP members, the company ultimately decided that it was time to expand the software to more vehicles, as many owners are reporting that they’re receiving it:

Additionally, the suite has started to expand to Model S and Model X vehicles, so this rollout is not exclusive to Model 3 and Model Y:

The only issue with this rollout is that it still appears to be missing the Cybertruck, which Tesla was transparent about earlier this month. Although the company planned to release v14 to Cybertrucks by the end of the month, there has been no hint that this is going to happen.

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This is already the third iteration of v14 in the past two weeks, indicating that Tesla is truly addressing the shortcomings of past versions and rolling out updates as quickly as possible.

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Tesla makes crazy move to spur short-term demand in the U.S.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has made a crazy move with its leasing terms in the United States to spur demand in the short term, as Q4 is moving along quickly.

The move is one that is pretty crazy in terms of the lease price, as one of the deals shows a drop of nearly one-quarter of the previous pricing. These deals are obviously being started to really drive demand over the next week and a half.

Tesla has offered new leasing terms on the Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck, cutting lease prices by 23 percent for the Model 3, 15 percent for the Model Y, and 7 percent for the Cybertruck.

New prices on these leases are as follows:

  • Tesla Model 3: $329/mo, down from $429 — 23 percent discount
  • Tesla Model Y: $449/mo, down from $529 — 15 percent discount
  • Tesla Cybertruck: $699/mo, down from $749 — 7 percent discount

The lease terms are $3,000 down, a 36-month lease term, and 10,000 miles per year. Tesla is also showing $0 down lease prices automatically on its website.

For the Model 3, these same terms with $0 down would be $419. The Model Y with $0 down would be $543 a month, and the Cybertruck would be $851 a month.

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These terms are also for the entry-level configurations of each vehicle, so for the Model 3, it’s the Model 3 Standard. The Model Y price is for the Model Y Standard, and the Cybertruck is the All-Wheel-Drive.

Tesla launches two new affordable models with ‘Standard’ Model 3, Y offerings

Tesla shows on their website that these lease deals are incredibly short-term and will adjust accordingly on November 1.

Why Tesla is launching these deals for ten days is not necessarily known, but it seems as if the company might be testing demand, as lease deals for the latter half of Q4 could be in the works.

Tesla traditionally launches some pretty tasty deals at the end of each quarter, but this move is somewhat interesting simply because it is not even remotely long-term.

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It will be a good test to see if people are more incentivized to wait for these deals now that the $7,500 tax credit has been removed.

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Tesla Sweden faced with fresh strike from elevator company

Telecom and elevator service providers are the latest to join the widening labor blockade against the EV maker.

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Credit: NicklasNilsso14/X

Tesla’s operations in Sweden are facing fresh pressure as multiple unions intensify their long-running dispute against the electric vehicle maker. Industrial groups IF Metall and Seko have announced new blockades affecting elevator maintenance and telecom services, escalating their ongoing conflict with Tesla Sweden.

Work stoppages expand to elevator maintenance

Starting October 29, elevator manufacturer Cibes Kalea Sverige will halt all service and maintenance work at Tesla’s facilities under a full blockade ordered by IF Metall. The union’s move targets elevator service visits, which are typically required four times a year in Sweden. Cibes Kalea employs around 70 workers across six sites in Sweden and provides both passenger and freight elevator systems to clients, including Tesla, as noted in a report from Dagens Arbete.

The industrial action follows months of escalating measures from IF Metall, which has aimed to pressure Tesla into signing a collective bargaining agreement. Since early September, the union has initiated several blockades across Tesla’s Swedish network, including work stoppages involving suppliers like Holtab and Linde Material Handling.

This was despite Sweden’s Mediation Institute throwing in the towel at the unions and Tesla’s conflict. “We have tried in every possible way to get the parties to come closer to each other in a way that allows this conflict to end. But now we have come to the end of the road and have realized that it is just as good to end the case,” Director General Irene Wennemo said.

Telecom workers join expanding blockade

In a separate escalation, Seko, another major Swedish union, announced a strike targeting Tesla’s telecommunications infrastructure. “We are now putting a notice on the telecom area and this means that when it comes to networks, fiber or telephony, for example, we will not help where Tesla needs either service, maintenance or new installation of these parts,” Seko chair Gabriella Lavecchia told Sveriges Radio.

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Seko has already initiated blockades against Tesla’s postal service and charging stations. The union expects the telecom blockade to have even broader effects given Tesla’s reliance on connectivity for its charging and digital services. “There aren’t many companies in Sweden today that don’t need telephony, fiber, networks, and I would guess that Tesla needs it more than many others,” Lavecchia said.

With 12 strike notices issued in just a few weeks, the conflict shows no signs of easing as unions continue to coordinate pressure through multiple sectors.

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