Fisker shows its upcoming PEAR small SUV, at optimistic $30k base price
Fisker has been teasing us about its upcoming PEAR SUV for over a year now, and we finally got a chance to see the upcoming small SUV in the flesh today.
Fisker held its “Product Vision Day” today in Huntington Beach, California, and showed us prototypes of some upcoming vehicles, and we got to see the PEAR in the flesh for the first time.
The PEAR is Fisker’s second SUV, a little smaller than the Ocean, but intended to have a much lower base price – $29,900, before tax credits. This means $22,400 after tax credits, which is about as low a price anyone can ask for from a small SUV these days.
And Fisker does plan to produce the vehicle in the USA, at the old Lordstown plant, which will enable it to qualify for tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act.
To enable this low price, Fisker says that the PEAR will have 35% fewer parts than the Ocean, making for simpler production and therefore lower costs. It’s calling the platform “SLV1,” which stands for “Simple, Light, Volume.”
As one example, Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker stated that all four seats will use the same armrest design, so instead of making four different parts, Fisker only needs to make one.
The PEAR will be made of steel, which is cheaper (but heavier) than aluminum, and Fisker would like to eventually hit 1 million vehicles annually – but that aspiration is obviously way off in the future.
Fisker still says that every vehicle it makes must have at least a few unique features, and one of PEAR’s highlights is its unique “Houdini door.”
This is the company’s name for its rear hatch which vanishes into the car body, leaving a big opening that won’t swing out and hit anything or cause you to bonk your head on it. You can see it in action in this portion of Fisker’s video (timestamped at 1:03:20).
In addition to rear storage, the PEAR will have a front drawer-like storage area, which Fisker is trying to call a “froot,” a portmanteau of front + boot, and which everyone else is just going to call a frunk anyway. You’re too late on that one, Fisker.
But it is different than a lot of frunks we’ve seen – instead of being under the hood, it slides out from behind the front grille area, potentially providing a flatter space than most frunks do. Fisker said that it was insulated, and thus could be used for transporting hot or cold items – though we didn’t hear whether it has its own HVAC. We didn’t get to see it in action, but you can see a glimpse of it in this part of Fisker’s video (timestamp 1:01:03).
The interior of the PEAR we saw today is nothing like initial interior images, with a much more spartan feel to it. Of course, this is still a prototype (which, as we overheard at the event, was finished this morning), so nothing is final, but we would imagine that a spartan interior might be necessary to get a price under $30k.
And frankly, from what we saw, it looked pretty cool. It gave off Honda Element vibes, a vehicle that was famous for having a simple and usable interior that you didn’t mind getting a little dirty, a feature which owners really liked. More focused on utilitarianism than cushiness.
But Fisker also wanted to highlight just how much interior space the PEAR has. It will have both 5- and 6-seat options, with the 6-seat option coming with a bench seat in the front. To demonstrate the PEAR’s capacity, Fisker had 6 employees pile out of the car at the beginning of the presentation:
The PEAR will have a feature Fisker calls “Lounge mode,” which will reconfigure the seats (including the front seats) to create a flat space within the car for lounging around, and which will be large enough to lay down in. Should be great for car camping.
And all of this is supposedly coming in 2025. Between this car, the Alaska, and the Ronin, Fisker will go from having one car which just started shipping in 2023, to four cars in just two years time. Quite a big ask, particularly from a company with 1,000 employees, so we wouldn’t be surprised if we see some delays.
But if you want to get in line for whichever year the PEAR comes, reservations are open now on Fisker’s website, at $250 a pop.
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After a month off trying to wrap our heads around all the chaos surrounding EVs, solar, and everything else in Washington, we’re back with the biggest EV news stories of the day from Tesla, Ford, Volvo, and everyone else on today’s hiatus-busting episode of Quick Charge!
It just gets worse and worse for the Tesla true believers – especially those willing to put their money where Elon’s mouth is! One believer is set to lose nearly $50,000 betting on Tesla’s ability to deliver a Robotaxi service by the end of June (didn’t happen), and the controversial CEO’s most recent spat with President Trump had TSLA down nearly 5% in pre-morning trading.
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Hyundai is getting ready to shake things up. A new electric crossover SUV, likely the Hyundai IONIQ 2, is set to debut in the coming months. It will sit below the Kona Electric as Hyundai expands its entry-level EV lineup.
Is Hyundai launching the IONIQ 2 in 2026?
After launching the Inster late last year, Hyundai is already preparing to introduce a new entry-level EV in Europe.
Xavier Martinet, President and CEO of Hyundai Europe, confirmed that the new EV will be revealed “in the next few months.” It will be built in Europe and scheduled to go on sale in mid-2026.
Hyundai’s new electric crossover is expected to be a twin to the Kia EV2, which will likely arrive just ahead of it next year.
It will be underpinned by the same E-GMP platform, which powers all IONIQ and Kia EV models (EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, and EV9).
Like the Kia EV3, it will likely be available with either a 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh battery pack option. The former provides a WLTP range of 267 miles while the latter is rated with up to 372 miles. All trims are powered by a single electric motor at the front, producing 201 hp and 209 lb-ft of torque.
Although it may share the same underpinnings as the EV2, Hyundai’s new entry-level EV will feature an advanced new software and infotainment system.
According to Autocar, the interior will represent a “step change” in terms of usability and features. The new system enables new functions, such as ambient lighting and sounds that adjust depending on the drive mode.
It’s expected to showcase Hyundai’s powerful new Pleos software and infotainment system. As an end-to-end software platform, Pleos connects everything from the infotainment system (Pleos Connect) to the Vehicle Operating System (OS) and the cloud.
Pleos is set to power Hyundai’s upcoming software-defined vehicles (SDVs) with new features like autonomous driving and real-time data analysis.
As an Android-based system, Pleos Connect features a “smartphone-like UI” with new functions including multi-window viewing and an AI voice assistant.
The new electric crossover is expected to start at around €30,000 ($35,400), or slightly less than the Kia EV3, priced from €35,990 ($42,500). It will sit between the Inster and Kona Electric in Hyundai’s lineup.
Hyundai said that it would launch the first EV with its next-gen infotainment system in Q2 2026. Will it be the IONIQ 2? Hyundai is expected to unveil the new entry-level EV at IAA Mobility in September. Stay tuned for more info. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
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Tesla has unveiled its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cell factory in Nevada and claims that it is nearly ready to start production.
Like several other automakers using LFP cells, Tesla relies heavily on Chinese manufacturers for its battery cell supply.
Tesla’s cheapest electric vehicles all utilize LFP cells, and its entire range of energy storage products, Megapacks and Powerwalls, also employ the more affordable LFP cell chemistry from Chinese manufacturers.
This reliance on Chinese manufacturers is less than ideal and particularly complicated for US automakers and battery pack manufacturers like Tesla, amid an ongoing trade war between the US and virtually the entire world, including China.
As of last year, a 25% tariff already applied to battery cells from China, but this increased to more than 80% under Trump before he paused some tariffs on China. It remains unclear where they will end up by the time negotiations are complete and the trade war is resolved, but many expect it to be higher.
Prior to Trump taking power, Tesla had already planned to build a small LFP battery factory in the US to avoid the 25% tariffs.
The automaker had secured older manufacturing equipment from one of its battery cell suppliers, CATL, and planned to deploy it in the US for small-scale production.
Tesla has now released new images of the factory in Nevada and claimed that it is “nearing completion”:
Here are a few images from inside the factory (via Tesla):
Previous reporting stated that Tesla aims to produce about 10 GWh of LFP battery cells per year at the new factory.
The cells are expected to be used in Tesla’s Megapack, produced in the US. Tesla currently has a capacity to produce 40 GWh of Megapacks annually at its factory in California. The company is also working on a new Megapack factory in Texas.
Ford is also developing its own LFP battery cell factory in Michigan, but this facility is significantly larger, with a planned production capacity of 35 GWh.
Electrek’s Take
It’s nice to see this in the US. LFP was a US/Canada invention, with Arumugam Manthiram and John B. Goodenough doing much of the early work, and researchers in Quebec making several contributions to help with commercialization.
But China saw the potential early and invested heavily in volume manufacturing of LFP cells and it now dominates the market.
Tesla is now producing most of its vehicles with LFP cells and all its stationary energy storage products.
It makes sense to invest in your own production. However, Tesla is unlikely to catch up to BYD and CATL, which dominate LFP cell production.
The move will help Tesla avoid tariffs on a small percentage of its Megapacks produced in the US. Ford’s effort is more ambitious.
It’s worth noting that both Ford’s and Tesla’s LFP plants were planned before Trump’s tariffs, which have had limited success in bringing manufacturing back to the US.
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