Fisker Partners With ChargePoint For Public Charging In North America
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EV charging is most often done at home because it’s convenient and cost-effective. Being able to charge an electric vehicle on a regular basis from the comfort of one’s own home allows drivers to plan their trips with confidence (always starting with a full battery). Home charging also tends to be much cheaper than having to pay for public charging stations, making it the preferred option for most EV owners.
But, that doesn’t mean that public charging isn’t still essential for EV drivers. Sure, the average American drives around 13,476 miles per year, according to the Federal Highway Administration. This works out to about 36.6 miles per day. It is important to note that this number varies depending on factors such as age, gender, and location. For example, men tend to drive 66% more than women do and people in rural areas typically drive more than those in urban areas (due to the lower population density). Additionally, younger drivers tend to drive more than older drivers for various reasons. But, few people drive more than the range of the average EV in 2023.
That having been said, averages can be deceiving. Not every driver is the average driver, and even people who drive the average can have those days that are anything but average, and push the range of an EV to its limits, even without going on a road trip.
Whatever pushes a driver to need far more range than usual, Fisker seems to understand this and took some steps to help future owners have an easier time on these unusual days.
Fisker Inc., a leading innovator in the electric vehicle space, has recently announced ChargePoint as its North American partner for providing public charging solutions. This strategic partnership will enable Fisker to expand its reach and offer more charging options to EV customers across the continent. With ChargePoint’s extensive network of more than 100,000 public chargers, drivers will have access to convenient charging wherever they may be. This move further solidifies Fisker’s commitment to expanding electrification worldwide and helping make EVs an accessible and reliable option for everyone, even if they aren’t the average driver having an average day.
As a result of their partnership, Fisker customers will gain access to more than 210,000 active ports under management, with over 16,700 DC fast charge ports and over 400,000 roaming ports for convenient charging across the continent. This is especially useful for drivers who are traveling or going on extended journeys, as they can rely on finding a suitable charger wherever they go in North America.
“The minute they get their new Fisker Ocean, our owners want convenient and easy-to-locate public charging stations, a quick, easy experience when using a public charger, and super-simple payment options. Together with ChargePoint, we are providing a class-leading public charging option for Fisker owners at delivery,” Chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker said. “ChargePoint is a leading charging network in North America, and their commitment to sustainable mobility makes the partnership a perfect fit for our customers and our business.”
The company also says that it is putting more effort into this than just giving customers an RFID card or directing them to install an app. Drivers can locate stations both through the central touchscreen of their vehicle and the ChargePoint mobile app. Additionally, they will be able to filter search for DC fast charge locations, do basic EV route planning, and calculate arrival times at charging stops with the app. This makes it easier than ever for Fisker Ocean owners to find suitable public chargers without worrying about running out of power when on extended journeys.
The Fisker Ocean, the company’s all-electric SUV, is now available to drivers in four trim levels: Ocean One, Extreme, Ultra, and Sport. The Fisker Ocean Extreme offers impressive features such as dual-motor all-wheel drive, three driving modes, Revolve 17.1″ rotating screen, SolarSky roof, California Mode, Smart Traction, and many first-to-market safety features including a digital radar — all for $68,999 in the US. Range is about 350 miles, but with this Chargepoing partnership, it’s going to be good for much longer journeys.
The Importance Of Integration On Top Of Partnership
When I was reading the company’s announcement, I couldn’t help but think about my past experience with a base model Nissan LEAF. With no navigation capabilities at all (without a stick-on phone mount), the vehicle definitely didn’t have any way to plan out trips.
That 2018 LEAF was also the first EV I had that had any hope of doing road trips on electric power. I previously had owned a Chevy Volt (road trips happened on gas) and a 2011 LEAF that couldn’t be used for trips. With 150 miles, I thought I could hit the road as long as I didn’t go more than 150 miles between charging stops.
I found out pretty quickly that it didn’t work like that. At all. I learned the hard way that terrain, weather, battery temperatures, and vehicle speed all made for much shorter ranges than EPA ratings on road trips, and that I had to plan accordingly to not get stranded. After running out of charge just a short distance away from charging stations a few times, I figured out that I needed to rely on technology more to make solid plans, and found apps like A Better Routeplanner that make it possible.
But, new EV owners shouldn’t have to go up such a steep learning curve. Tesla did this right, making built-in trip planning software that directs drivers from charger to charger, allowing them to be confident that they won’t get stranded under most circumstances. Now, we’re seeing more manufacturers take this approach (with some doing a much better job than others).
We haven’t had a chance to test the Fisker Ocean’s trip planning software yet, but it’s good to see that they aren’t just putting the car on the road and wishing new owners good luck. If Fisker did a great job integrating the software with Chargepoint and other roaming stations, it will probably make things a lot easier for drivers to rely on.
Featured image by Fisker.
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