When this EV manufacturer collapsed, its customers became a car company

Christian Fleming paid about $ 70,000 for his dream car, which is the Fisker. It was attracted to the new 350 -mile Ev collection, an environmentally friendly image, and twisted features such as “California models”, which rolled almost in each window simultaneously.

“I always bought my cars because I love the way you look,” says Fleming. “Maybe this is my first mistake.”

But his joy quickly turned acid. In June 2024, seven months after the purchase BankruptcyAfter delivering only 11,000 vehicles.

The first adopters were left with the cars that were afflicted with battery failure, glossy programs, uneven Fobs, and door handles that have not always opened. With the departure of the company, there was no way to fix any problems. The organizers recorded dozens of complaints with the disappearance of alternative spare parts. The emotional owners who spent the top of the dollar on sophisticated edges witnessed that their cars were reduced to expensive passages.

Instead of accepting the defeat, thousands of ocean owners in their temporary car company organized. Fisker Maliki Association (FOA) is a non -profit institution that has been launched third -party applications, built a supply chain for global parts, and has gathered around the future of their orphan cars. It is part of the auto club, the start of technological operation, the task of survival. Fellang is now as president of the organization.

“Everyone who has an ocean he loves,” says Klent Bagly, one of the early adopters in the California Gulf area and the FOA box. “Until the key stops to work again and you cannot enter it.”

FOA calls itself the first EV fleet, which is fully controlled by the owner in history. To date, 4,055 ocean owners registered, and they paid $ 550 annually as dues stating that the group estimates would raise about 3 million dollars annually, or about 0.1 percent of the Fisker peak assessment. Only verified ocean owners can become complete members, but anyone can donate.

Delorean Diehars and Saab lovers kept their favorite brands alive after the factory closed. But those efforts focused on maintaining aging vehicles. FOA is trying a different thing: actual time updates and devices improvement for a two -year -old EV fleet.

“I was a mill car throughout my life, so I am in the situation we are now – with the ability to get inputs in the future direction of the car that I love driving every day – is a unique experience,” says Andrew Book, a FOA member.

The organization generated three separate companies. Tsunami deals with spare parts in North America while covering the tidal wave Europe, covering insurance auctions and contracting with tool manufacturers to reproduce components. Hidden cars, run by the former Google and Apple engineers, focuses on software solutions.

The first product of UnderCurrent is Oceanlink Pro, a third -party mobile application now used by more than 1,200 members that restore basic EV features, such as remote battery monitoring and climate control. The accompanying device called Oceanlink Pulse Carplay and Android Auto adds, with plans for future promotions including entry without a key.

“These are things you expected to be in a luxury car worth $ 70,000,” says Bajali. “However, as you know, we are pleased to provide what a billion dollar auto industry has not been able to.”

Car industry analysts are divided into FOA prospects.

“For the owners of any EV company that stops production, it makes sense to form an institution to share resources and maintenance ideas,” says Seth Goldstein, an EV analyst at Mooringstar. “This is a good way for Fisker owners to be able to keep their cars and promote them over time.”

Meanwhile, the informed say that Fisker executives, including the CEO and its founder, Henrik Fiscer failed to maintain operations while making a decent product.

“I think the Malik group’s team’s vision is a specific vehicle together, cooperation, developing solutions to problems and making updates for their cars without the help of Fisker itself, but I salute their efforts,” says Ruby Dairef, director of products and consumer at autopacific, says, says. freedom. “It is a shameful and pseudo matter, frankly, that Henrik Fishistan has disappeared in the air and left thousands of ocean owners to their motivation for themselves.”

“They are dangerous”

The remaining obstacles are severe. Re -sale values ​​have decreased by more than 40 percent since Fisker, according to Cargurus. Karl Barth, a lawyer Representing ocean owners in continuous litigationSome cars say some customers have been closed in the middle of the rotation, while others have received commercial offers of $ 3,000.

“They are dangerous,” says Barth, citing the summons of the brake program, which reduced the regenerative brake after hitting the bumps. It covered 7,745 vehicles.

However, like FOA, companies also see value in vehicles. In July, the American Lease, a Taxi company in New York, bought more than 3,200 not built for $ 46 million, and now rented it to Uber drivers and Left from a parking lot in Bronx. FOA was initially hoped for a partnership with the American Lease on Progrome Updates, but Bagley says the relationship is tense about the differences on processing recovery processes.

Fisker and American League did not respond to several requests for comment.

Despite the opposite winds, FOA remains optimistic about its unprecedented experience. Whether the volunteer organization can succeed as a billion -dollar startup, it remains an open issue.

Currently, the ocean’s future depends on those with determination to do what Fisker has not been able to keep their cars. If FOA does not succeed, Bagley is similar to Fisker at the Fyre Festival, but instead of built -in cheese and glossy rejevision, Ocean buyers got a luxurious EV that may stop working at any moment.