Fisker needs a major financial lifeline, and Nissan could be the one heeding the call.
- Nissan in talks with Fisker for EV co-development
- A $400 million investment is reportedly on the cards
- A future Nissan-branded electric truck could be underway
After recently confirming that Fisker is working on an investment deal with a major automaker, a new report has surfaced stating that Nissan is in “advanced talks” with the American EV startup for a potential deal.
According to unnamed sources who spilled the beans to Reuters, the deal could give Fisker the financial lifeline it direly needs while also giving Nissan access to developing an electric pickup truck. However, the negotiations are still underway and haven’t been finalized, but could close this month.
Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker confirmed the importance of a “strategic OEM partnership” for its upcoming cars, the Pear SUV and Alaska pickup truck. CFO Geeta Gupta-Fisker said the continued development of the Alaska relies on the result of the ongoing talks.
Financial Aid & Joint Development
According to the sources, Nissan will be investing $400 million in Fisker’s truck platform, including the production of the Alaska truck by 2026 in one of its plants in the US. In turn, the Japanese automaker will build its version of the electric pickup, possibly filling the void the Titan will leave by summer 2024.
Fisker refused to confirm the intel to Reuters, stating that the company doesn’t comment on speculations. Of note, the EV startup firm posted losses of $463.6 million for Q4 2023.
Revealed in August last year, the Alaska EV truck has two battery packs, 75 kWh and 113 kWh, promising a range of up to 340 miles. It’s 208.8 inches long – quite shorter than the 232.7-inch Ford F-150 Lightning – but touts a ‘Houdini partition’ that allows the bed to expand from 4.5 to 7.5 feet.
What About Renault’s Ampere?
Last year, Nissan announced a €600 million (approx. $666 million) investment into Ampere – a Renault Group-owned EV and software unit – as part of the renewed partnership between the two automakers. However, the partnership didn’t mention the development of an electric truck, focusing mainly on high-value projects in Latin America, India, and Europe.
According to one of the sources, the renewed partnership between Nissan and Renault has removed restrictions and allowed the former to develop EVs and software without Renault. That said, Nissan is looking into “many, many opportunities,” said the source.
