California-based EV Company Fisker sets up India HQ in Hyderabad, Auto News, ET Auto

New Delhi: California-based electric vehicles and advanced mobility solutions provider Fisker Inc has established its India headquarters in Hyderabad, Telangana.

“Our expansion into India represents both a strategic market opportunity and a significant boost to our global engineering capabilities. We have started local hiring in India and expect our new team in Hyderabad to be fully operational and to engage in multiple product programmes within weeks. Our talent pool in India will help us pave the way for the launch of Fisker Ocean and Fisker PEAR in India,” Henrik Fisker, chairman and CEO, Fisker Inc, said on Tuesday.

Fisker Vigyan India Pvt Ltd, the company’s operating entity in Telangana, will focus on software development and embedded electronics, virtual vehicle development support functions, data analytics, and machine learning. The Hyderabad office will work alongside the Fisker engineering and product development facilities in California, USA.

“In the global race for leading technical talent, we see our new operation in Hyderabad as a major strategic advantage. I would also like to thank the State of Telangana for their support and enabling us to make a fast start as we set up our initial operations. We are excited to tap into the growing talent pool in India,” Fisker said.

Fisker currently has a global team of over 450 employees, with new hiring in the US, Europe and India projected to boost that number to over 800 by the end of 2022, with 200 potential jobs being created in India.

According to the company, Fisker will commence production of the Fisker Ocean SUV from November 17, 2022, at the carbon-neutral factory of Fisker’s manufacturing partner, Magna Steyr, in Graz, Austria. The Fisker Ocean, in Sport trim level, will have an estimated range of 250 miles (EPA test cycle) / 275 miles or 440 km (WLTP test cycle) as well as innovative automotive technology and a sustainable interior made from recycled materials.

Fisker Ocean Extreme will deliver up to an estimated range of 350 miles (EPA) / 390 miles or 630 km (WLTP). Fisker worked extensively with battery supplier CATL, using two different chemistries, to maximize performance and minimize cost for the Fisker Ocean lineup, the company said.