These days announcing an electric car is only just half the battle. The technology arms race is continuing to heat up and everyone wants to know what kind of autonomy features or cool software quirks a car might have. So it was only a matter of time before Fisker took the next step with their Ocean electric SUV and announced that they would be working on an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) of their own.
Not wanting to miss out on having a memorable name for the ADAS that would make consumers instantly relate it to the Fisker brand, Fisker has dubbed their system the Fisker Intelligent Pilot, or simply FI-Pilot. The system will be worked in collaboration with Magna, who is building the cars for Fisker and will debut on the Fisker Ocean when it hits the roads in late 2022. Not many specifics were given, but here were the bullet points that Fisker gave:
- Multi-function autonomous systems supporting Fisker-unique feature sets
- Over-the-air updates (OTA) powered by the Fisker AI cloud and able to deliver incremental new advanced product features through the lifecycle of the vehicle
- Advanced industry-leading sensor set, including digital imaging radar and high resolution cameras supporting driver assistance features capable of higher levels of autonomy
- Cybersecurity compliant and tailored to the Fisker ownership experience
Additionally, the press release stated that the Fisker Ocean will be engineered in such a way that it will be able to accept later hardware upgrades to increase its autonomy level. The starting autonomy level of the system was given, but given that the system at this point looks to consist of radar, ultrasonic sensors, and cameras, I would imagine it stops at level 2 autonomy. While Tesla has been able to get away from using LIDAR in their cars, basically every other automaker has plans on using the sensor if they want to get to the higher levels of autonomy. However, it is still good that the Ocean is being built with upgradability in mind.
Henrik Fisker had the following to say regarding the announcement:
“We are developing the FI-Pilot technologies to deliver unique features for our Fisker Ocean customers. With state-of-the-art hardware and software packages, Fisker will deliver a new type of mobility experience that will stay relevant to the customer through the lifecycle of the vehicle. We will announce further product details closer to our launch in Q4 next year. Customers can expect FI-Pilot to deliver innovative and industry-unique features that are being created to enhance the mobility experience expected from a modern, premium electric vehicle.”
So far Fisker has been checking off many of the boxes required to get an electric car on that road that people will care about. It’s still a long way to the finish line, but we will stay cautiously optimistic.
What do you guys think of the FI-Pilot? Let us know down in the comments below.
