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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Nexamp just pulled off something that could speed up clean energy deployment across the US – and potentially lower costs for everyone. The Boston-based solar developer just finished building three new solar farms in Maine and Massachusetts. But instead of waiting on the utility to handle all the grid hookup work, Nexamp did it themselves.
That might not sound groundbreaking at first, but in the world of renewable energy, it’s a pretty big deal. Normally, utilities are in charge of any grid upgrades and interconnection work needed before a new solar project can start sending power to homes and businesses. That process can be very slow and expensive.
Nexamp’s new approach, called “self-performance,” flips the script. It lets developers take on some of that work, like ordering and installing equipment, so they don’t have to sit around waiting for the utility to schedule it. That means solar farms can get online faster, which gets clean power to the grid sooner and keeps project costs in check.
The three projects that kicked off this self-performance effort are:
- Hartland Solar – 1.2 MW DC in Hartland, ME
- Barre Road Solar – 1.3 MW DC in New Braintree, MA
- Summit Farm Solar – 2.6 MW DC, also in New Braintree
Nexamp didn’t go rogue – they worked closely with Central Maine Power and National Grid on the interconnection designs, safety standards, and technical specs. But by handling the actual procurement and construction, Nexamp had way more control over cost, timing, and supply chain headaches.
“Self-performance lets us take much greater control over interconnection procurement and construction,” said Daniel Passarello, Nexamp’s lead consulting engineer for grid integration. “We can move much of the interconnection work forward at the same time as the solar farm build instead of treating them as separate. That helps us bring projects online faster and stay closer to budget.”
It also helps that Nexamp already has solid relationships with suppliers. Instead of going through multiple layers of utility procurement, they can go straight to the source, fast.
That kind of streamlining is exactly what the solar industry needs right now. Community solar is booming – as of the end of 2024, nearly 8 gigawatts of it have been installed across the US, according to the the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), and that number is expected to almost double by 2030. But bottlenecks in the interconnection process slow things down.
Sara Birmingham, VP of state affairs at SEIA, called Nexamp’s move a step in the right direction. “We must modernize and streamline the interconnection process to keep pace with fast-growing demand,” she said. “Self-performance is one of several innovative approaches that can accelerate project timelines and lower costs, which benefits all ratepayers.”
Read more: Walmart and Nexamp are rolling out 31 solar farms in 5 states
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When Genesis first previewed its full-size electric SUV, the coach doors were one of the biggest highlights. It looks like it will actually make its way into the production vehicle. A Genesis GV90 model was spotted in the US for the first time with coach doors, offering a glimpse of the upcoming ultra-luxury SUV.
Genesis GV90 spotted with coach doors in California
We got our first look at the full-size luxury SUV after Genesis unveiled the Neolun concept at the NY Auto Show last March.
Genesis said the concept was its “ultra-luxe vision of luxury SUVs,” and it wasn’t kidding. When it arrives, it will be sold as the GV90 as the brand’s new flagship vehicle.
The GV90 is not just a pretty-looking luxury SUV. It’s also loaded with Hyundai’s most advanced software and tech. According to Luc Donckerwolke, Genesis’ head of creative design, “it’s the epitome of timeless design and sophisticated craftsmanship.
Last month, we got a sneak peek of the interior after a production-ready GV90 was caught in California. Although somewhat toned down from the original concept, the cabin still featured many of the same elements.
Another Genesis GV90 was recently spotted in California, with actual coach doors. The new images from KindelAuto (via TheKoreanCarBlog) show a camouflaged vehicle with a hinge at the rear, where the coach doors will open.
Genesis said that B-pillarless coach doors are now feasible in production vehicles, like the GV90. However, don’t expect it to come standard on all models.
The feature will likely be reserved for higher-priced trims. We’ve seen other variants, featuring traditional doors, that are being tested in the US and Korea.
Genesis is expected to launch the GV90 in mid-2026. We will learn prices and final specs closer to launch, but the flagship electric SUV is set to debut on Hyundai’s new eM platform.
Hyundai said the platform is designed for EVs across all segments and will “provide a 50 percent improvement in driving range” compared to current EVs. It will also support Level 3 or higher autonomous driving capabilities and OTA software updates.
Source: KindelAuto, TheKoreanCarBlog
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Elon Musk has finally confirmed that Tesla’s new ‘affordable’ electric car is just going to be the Model Y in a cheaper format.
Musk has ended months of speculations and misinformation, which he partly created, about Tesla’s upcoming cheaper electric vehicle model.
Since last year, Tesla has guided “launching new affordable models” in the first half of 2025.
We are past the first half of 2025, but Tesla confirmed yesterday that the “first build” of the new model was produced in June, and it will launch later this year.
During the shareholders’ call following the earnings results yesterday, Tesla was asked about what the new affordable model would look like. Tesla’s CFO, Vaibhav Taneja, initially stated that they wouldn’t disclose details about the design, but then Musk interrupted him and said, “It’s a Model Y.”
It’s hard to hear exactly on the call because he talked over Taneja, but he said, “the cat is out of the bag” and confirmed that the new vehicle is simply a Model Y.
Electrek has been reporting on this fact all year. We have known for months that Tesla’s upcoming “new affordable models” are Model 3 and Model Y with a stripped-down interior with fewer features, like no rear screen, and cheaper materials:
However, this fact was not accepted in the Tesla community because CEO Elon Musk falsely denied a report last year about Tesla’s “$25,000” EV model being canceled.
The facts are that Musk canceled two cheaper vehicles that Tesla was working on, commonly referred as “the $25,000 Tesla” in early 2024. Those vehicles were codenamed NV91 and NV92, and they were based on the new vehicle platform that Tesla is now reserving for the Cybercab.
Instead, Musk noticed that Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y production lines were starting to be underutilized as the Company faced demand issues. Therefore, Tesla canceled the vehicle programs based on the new platform and decided to build new vehicles on Model 3/Y platform using the same production lines.
Now, only the new Cybercab is going to be based on the new unboxed platform.
During the conference call last night, Musk stated that the primary goal of the more affordable Model Y is to expand the market by making the vehicle more accessible to a broader audience. He suggested that it will go on sale in Q4.
Electrek’s Take
Finally, we can put this to rest. I think we can expect something similar to what Tesla did with the Model 3 in Mexico.
I think we can expect changes, such as using cloth materials instead of vegan leather, no rear display, no ambient lighting, and a lesser audio system.
In the case of the Model Y, Tesla may consider dropping some exterior lighting features, such as the light bars.
I wouldn’t be surprised also to see some powertrain changes. Maybe a less powerful RWD motor.
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