Nowadays, it seems like no one is making any money off of the Fisker Ocean—least of all its eponymous founder Henrik Fisker. However, if you happen across a bricked one that bankruptcy has given up on, there might be a cheap fix. But that depends on how much your time is worth.
YouTuber Rich Benoit (@RichRebuilds) bought a 300-mile Ocean One for $10,000. Once upon a time, that price would be considered shocking, but alas, Henrik Fisker would tell you this fairytale is grim as he tries to sell off the company’s leftovers for $14,000 a piece. Vehicles that, when new, were priced upwards of 70 grand.
Of course, there are several issues with Benoit’s EV; the most pressing is that it’s as dead as a doornail. The Ocean was a trade-in and sat for weeks at a dealership until its batteries depleted in shame and sadness. After Benoit’s purchase, a Fisker tech was sent to work on the Ocean but was summarily laid off while on the job. A local EV repair shop had no solution either and returned the vehicle. So, Benoit tackled the troublesome Fisker himself.
The cost was 100 bucks, but also a few days of troubleshooting.
And by troubleshooting, I mean he used a trickle charger. The Fisker charge port light remained either blue or red but never a consistent, steady green. At this point, he’d also done the unplug-replug trick, reset the VCU, and checked the connectors. Those were all good, but the car was still dead.
Benoit then dismantles the charger port itself and sees that the locking pin isn’t functioning properly. He explains that if the lock’s solenoid sensor isn’t working, the vehicle won’t charge. The bad news is Fisker has no parts to sell. The good news is the internet exists.
Benoit purchases a new-to-him charge port and cable harness assembly. Perhaps there’s been an uptick in new customers, but those once-$100 parts are now $284.99. What’s fascinating is the price of other Fisker parts, like a windshield going for $4,500. Sounds like Benoit would make a fast buck just selling his Ocean piece by piece rather than tinkering.
After the replacement parts arrived, he compared the sensors and noticed corrosion on the one from his vehicle. Odd, considering the low mileage. Meh, in goes the replacement piece. The vehicle kinda charges, and Benoit goes for a joy ride to a DC fast charger.
But the Fisker doesn’t want the juice. Dammit.
A new wrinkle is the discovery of the charger safety loop. It’s easy to spot (and accidentally pull) because the handle protrudes out, fully exposed against the A-pillar when the driver’s door is open. You pull that, and you kill your EV.
“Probably one of the worst designs that I have seen for an automobile in quite some time,” said Benoit. “The second you pull this emergency string, this entire [charging] mechanism has to get reset because it no longer knows the position of the locking pin.”
As we’ve learned, if the locking pin isn’t working, neither is the charging. It’s another “Aha!” moment about also having the right tools with you in case you’re stranded somewhere, and this wiring reset could be key to getting you moving again.