Looks like the Bolt EUV and Equinox EV 1LT could have some competition.

Still, for those who buy and hold, what Fisker's plan for 10+ year battery maintenance (brick replacement)?

 

Not really. This Fisker has dreadfully ugly interior. The only thing I like about is that rear lighting around the hatchback window.

 

One of the reasons I put my name for the PEAR rather than the Ocean is that the earliest I'd get a PEAR in Canada would likely be 2026. If Fisker survives until then, it will be a good sign.

Beyond that, if the PEAR sells one third as well as Henrik Fisker predicts (you have to take his predictions with a grain of salt), you'd still have a market develop for aftermarket parts. By 2030, Mazda may be bankrupt too, but I suspect there would be parts for those cars for several years after they close.

If GM, Toyota or VW come out with a model that's competitive with the PEAR, buying from an established OEM that is more likely to stay in business for many years is certainly a major advantage. I'm not, however, yet ready to exclude Fisker from consideration. For now, I'll wait and see.

 

One of the reasons I put my name for the PEAR rather than the Ocean is that the earliest I'd get a PEAR in Canada would likely be 2026. If Fisker survives until then, it will be a good sign....

Ha-ha! Vote of confidence but with fingers crossed..... 🤞

 

If GM, Toyota or VW come out with a model that's competitive with the PEAR, buying from an established OEM that is more likely to stay in business for many years is certainly a major advantage.

Yes, if people are afraid to buy a year one car from a major automaker, they should be very, very concerned about buying a year one model from a new automaker who may or may not survive longer term, Andre. What happens after warranty is yet another concern for me.

If you just want a 3 year ownership experience before you dump the car, these are likely less of a concern.

 

The best thing to do when buying from a start-up is mainly the research. Forms like this site have taught me more about the EQ than any salesman possibly could. Fiskerati is the go-to place to find out about the owner's experience with their latest offering, the Ocean. The site also has information about the PEAR as it rolls out. They are also in contact with Henrik Fisker, CEO of the brand and he sometimes responds to questions on their forms or in podcasts.

Yes, the elephant in the room is of course repairability for the newcomer. I don't know if it has brinks or not or is anything like the Ultimum setup but I am sure readers will find out on that site. Also, will it last in the next 10 years? I don't have that answer. I still do see some Saturns, Pontiacs, and Smarts on the road. Even if they don't survive a hungry dealer will take it as a trade-in and they will have parts available. EBay still sells SAAB parts, lol.

As you guys pointed out it is a contender with the Boltium/EQ.

My only advice is to look at all your choices in person and test-drive each one. Whichever model you feel comfortable in and able to afford is the model for you.

 

I still do see some Saturns

I've owned 3 Saturns in my lifetime. I must be a wild and crazy guy!

 

The PEAR (179") will be shorter than the Equinox EV (190"), but longer than the current Bolt (164") or even the Bolt EUV (169.5").

I don't really see the PEAR as a Bolt or LEAF competitor. It will be between the Kia Niro (174") and the VW ID.4 (180.5"). The PEAR is not a "city" car by European or even Montreal standards. It's a "city car" for Los Angeles.

 

I've owned 3 Saturns in my lifetime. I must be a wild and crazy guy!

Hah, when I was looking at the pics and the marketing stuff I thought, "If only they had made the exterior skin like Saturn did.".

 

The Pear sounds like a very compelling vehicle, but, as was already highlighted here, my concern is with Fisker’s long term survival. I wouldn’t want to be stuck with a vehicle where the parent company goes out of business right after I purchase their product.

GM created Saturn as a unique division, with an emphasis that their vehicles were competitive with the Japanese manufacturers of their time. GM also instituted a “no haggle” pricing strategy. By the time GM axed Saturn, there was not much different between Saturn and any other GM division. I owned a Saturn Vue for 10 years and loved that vehicle.

 

The Pear sounds like a very compelling vehicle, but, as was already highlighted here, my concern is with Fisker’s long term survival. I wouldn’t want to be stuck with a vehicle where the parent company goes out of business right after I purchase their product.

GM created Saturn as a unique division, with an emphasis that their vehicles were competitive with the Japanese manufacturers of their time. GM also instituted a “no haggle” pricing strategy. By the time GM axed Saturn, there was not much difference between Saturn and any other GM division. I owned a Saturn Vue for 10 years and loved that vehicle.

They also used Opels for some of their models which didn't have the rubber materials on their doors.

 

Saturn was used for experimentation. They tried a few things. There was no-haggle shopping (which would be more popular today), the polymer body panels in the first years and, in later years, rebadging Vauxhall/Opel models.

 

In the early 2000s, there was the epsilon platform that was used across all GM lines, including Opel and Saab. I knew a Saab owner that had a pre-GM vehicle and he was quite dismayed that the newer Saabs were sharing the same platform as the “lowly” Chevrolet.

 

I liked the Saturn no dent, no rust body panel idea. But very expensive tooling, a large defect rate, and surface panel waviness were issues that led to it's demise.

From a decade old interview with Maureen Midgley, then executive director of GM's global paint and polymers center:

"General Motors Corp.'s Saturn Division used dent-resistant thermoplastic body panels as a selling point when the import-fighting brand launched in 1990. But in a bid to revitalize Saturn with more dramatic styling and tighter body-panel gaps as well as to commonize vehicle architectures globally GM opted for steel when it launched the new Saturn Sky roadster, Aura sedan and Outlook cross/utility vehicle"

"With some auto makers reporting sheet steel prices up about 30% this year, GM insiders aren't ruling out a switch back to plastic panels in certain, limited applications. But huge hurdles remain."

"After a panel discussion at the recent SPE Automotive TPO Global Conference in Sterling Heights, MIn, Midgley says there is no concerted migration back to plastic body panels within GM, and designers are not pushing in that direction. But she says GM will consider other exterior applications for plastics, and that designers within GM hold the key."

"Exterior plastics already are used extensively in front and rear fascias and for rocker panels, and Midgley says plastic body panels could be considered for small, niche vehicles."

"She remains “pained” by the large number of reject body panels that ended up in landfills, and she recalls extreme challenges associated with tooling up for the panels and achieving proper fits and surface flushness."

"Asked if GM plans to step up its applications of thermoplastic olefin parts, Midgley says TPO certainly makes sense for recyclability and weight reduction, but surface quality and the “waviness” of body panels remain as severe hurdles for auto makers."

GM Won't Rule Out Plastic Panels

General Motors Corp.'s Saturn Division used dent-resistant thermoplastic body panels as a selling point when the import-fighting brand launched in 1990. But in a bid to revitalize Saturn with more dramatic styling and tighter body-panel gaps as well as to commonize vehicle architectures globally...

www.wardsauto.com

 

I liked the Saturn no dent, no rust body panel idea. But very expensive tooling, a large defect rate, and surface panel waviness were issues that led to it's demise.

From a decade old interview with Maureen Midgley, then executive director of GM's global paint and polymers center:

"She remains “pained” by the large number of reject body panels that ended up in landfills, and she recalls extreme challenges associated with tooling up for the panels and achieving proper fits and surface flushness."

Why, pray-tell, did all the rejected body panels end up in landfills? They were recyclable...

 

no rust body panel idea. But very expensive tooling, a large defect rate, and surface panel waviness

Sounds like a Cybertruck.

 

I was thinking Delorean, Andre. Still a nice looking car.

 

Unpainted stainless steel is a bear to work with and even minor imperfections stand out.

Steel wool or wet & dry instead of wax, Jim?

 

Drivers have a choice between a 180-mile range, optimized for lightweight sustainability, and a 320-mile range for longer journeys.

For some reason, I think the 320-mile range model will be "slightly" more expensive than $29,900.

 

Exactly! GM could easily sell the Equinox EV for $29,900, with just a 180 mile battery pack.

 

 

Exactly! GM could easily sell the Equinox EV for $29,900, with just a 180 mile battery pack.

A so-called "city car", Spicy. But with a larger size. Same could be done for a Boltium.

The challenge is most people who have a commuter vehicle think they need 500 mile range and 10 minute recharge for an EV to be acceptable.

 

While I mostly agree with that statement, there are other factors. Realistically, I only need a 370 km range (round trip) about once every 2-3 years, but a 100km range will be fine for 99% of my commutes.

That said, I need these to work with the heater on, in -20⁰c winters, and after 8 years of ownership. That means I actually need a 500km range.

I don't want to have to stop for 30 minutes to charge when I'm going to Montreal to pick someone up from the airport. I mean, I can live with that if it saves me $10K or so when I buy the car, but that's usually isn't the case.

 

I think Tom Moloughney is correct when he says 250 miles/400 kms of range is the sweet spot for most people.....🤔

Mind you, I gotta have that 300-mile battery pack for my EQ EV..... 🤭

 

I think most people, myself included, are tempted to buy too much car by giving edge use cases too much weight in our selection criteria.

A family of 4 like ours might choose a mid-sized PHEV SUV for 2 annual family trips, when a compact or sub-compact EV with 200 miles of summer range would be fine for 95% of commutes, since there are rarely more than 2 people in our cars and, on average, each of our cars are driven less than 300 miles per week.

There is also the fact that many middle class families in suburbs have more than one car. You might need one car with a long range. How many families actually need two cars with long ranges? Some, but certainly not most.

 

Mind you, I gotta have that 300-mile battery pack for my EQ EV...

I've already got 247 in my EUV. I've got to have at least 100 more to make the boot over and above my EUV's trade value worthwhile. The new Model 3 LR might get well over 400, but let's see how low Elon can keep the MSRP.

 

The "stripped" version without any optional stuff at all is still over US$40k ordered with the "on the lot, not really selling" discounted ones scrubbing up over $37k minimum. And that's with all the ballyhooed "price cuts" lately.

 

I don't want to have to stop for 30 minutes to charge

That, of course, is the 800 pound gorilla in the EV room, even more than range. A 247-mile range (actually about 200 @ the recommended 80% max) wouldn't be an issue if the charge time was enough to use the restroom, stretch my legs and get an ice cold can of root beer out of my cooler. The EQ EV will charge at 150 kWh for 2024 but, hopefully, increase that with the NACS charging port in 2025. The new Model 3 is supposed to do 250 kWh, still a far cry from Koreans that supposedly will do up to 850 kWh, although the current US charging infrastructure won't be there for years to come. I did plot an August 2024 route from my Texas home to Ft. Leonard Wood, MO (50th anniversary of reporting to boot camp), up to Eau Claire, Wisconsin and then back to Texas. With my EUV, the drive time, including DCFC, would take 65 hours and 40 minutes. With a current Model 3 Long Range with 19" wheels (standard on the new M3 LR?), the same route would take 47 hours and 14 minutes.

I don't know about how everyone else values vacations, but 18 hours and 26 minutes means 2 additional LONG days* on the road, adding nearly 50 PERCENT to my travel time and Electrify America doesn't build chargers next to exciting things to visit.

*And 2 additional motel stays...even my cheapskate self can't do that for less than, say, $60 per night in fleabag motels.

 

Yeah, and also, I don't really need to stretch my legs after a 2-hour drive. Every 4 hours is good enough for me.

I just picked up my brother-in-law from Montreal 4 days ago, never had to stop to fuel up at all. I'm not one of those who ask that I want to be able to tow 4000lbs for 800km or something, I just think a realistic (worst conditions) 400km range isn't a huge ask. But again, if the deal is really great, and I won't get that range, I'll still take the car... That's because I never go further than 400 km round trip.

 

That's because I never go further than 400 km round trip.

I rarely do, either, but I want the option. When I bought my first Bolt EV (259-mile range), I figured I'd just rent an ICE for trips. But, it had been about 5 years since my last car rental and what used to cost "dirt" for a 7-day rental, now costs "gold dust." It wasn't that long ago that an econobox would cost as little as $15 per day. Good luck renting a 2-door, 3-cylinder "Speck" for under $80 per day.

 

Yeah, make that 150\day in Canada. But unlike you, I don't even need the option. Over 100km round trip happens about once every 2 years for me, and over 500km... Never happened, and I don't see it ever happening. Maybe if I'll retire in Newfoundland, but then it will be that one time, and never again... So I'm fine with that. If I ever go to Toronto (every 6 years or so), I'll just catch a flight. The public transport there is pretty good, and my friends will drive me around anyways.

 

If I ever go to Toronto (I've every 6 years or so), I just catch a flight.

That's my story as well, Maybe. I take a plane for long trips.

But reading stories like the Canada Air pilot having two women escorted off the plane and threatening to put them on a no fly list because they refused to sit on vomit covered seats for 5 hours gives me pause (google Vomitgate). Or the recent Delta Diarrhea flight (even worse than it sounds). Or the drunk molester, or the crazy lady claiming her seat mate was NOT A PERSON!!!, the list goes on. Flying seems to have degraded even more than it had. At least we now have AirTags to track where our lost luggage is located! lol.

 

That's my story as well, Maybe. I take a plane for long trips.

But reading stories like the Canada Air pilot having two women escorted off the plane and threatening to put them on a no fly list because they refused to sit on vomit covered seats for 5 hours gives me pause (google Vomitgate). Or the recent Delta Diarrhea flight (even worse than it sounds). Or the drunk molester, or the crazy lady claiming her seat mate was NOT A PERSON!!!, the list goes on. Flying seems to have degraded even more than it had. At least we now have AirTags to track where our lost luggage is located! lol.

These cases are still rare. I was on at least 200+ flights in my lifetime, and never experienced a really bad incident. Worst thing I had happening is the flight was cancelled, or they lost my baggage. No, I'm not rich, I just used to live next to Europe (Israel), and many times, if you're flexible, you can get a 2-4 hour flight to certain destinations in Europe for under 100 CAD (sometimes even under 40 CAD). Internal flights in Israel were also very cheap when I was younger (40-60 CAD for a one hour flight, about 10 years ago). Since I became a Canadian, I fly less frequently. Once every 2 years to Israel, and once every 6 to Toronto.

 

Here's the first video I found with someone actually sitting inside of the PEAR. The host is German. You can use YT's translation feed if you don't know Deutsch.

 

Here's the first video I found with someone actually sitting inside of the PEAR

Sehr gut! What he said.

 

Fisker released some new information about their PEAR EV. It will have a starting price of $29,900 before incentives and deliveries are to start in July 2025.

So what does PEAR stand for? Why is it being written as though it is an acronym?

 

Personal Electric Automotive Revolution

Also Fisker having fruit pun fun with the fact Foxconn also assembles Apple products.