For the next few years, New York City will be just about the only place you’ll stand a good chance of spotting (and perhaps riding in) a Fisker Ocean, a luxury electric SUV whose manufacturer was once poised to take on Tesla — until it declared bankruptcy in 2024. The city’s largest fleet operator, American Lease, acquired about 2,800 unsold Ocean SUVs to lease to ride-hailing drivers, ahead of the 2030 deadline for a mandate requiring all Uber and Lyft rides in NYC to be either wheelchair-accessible or zero-emission. 

The model has a sleek design and lots of unique features, including a solar roof. But drivers are also dealing with some of the gremlins that helped doom the fledgling automaker, with lights that randomly come on, glitchy gadgets, and gears that can shift into park suddenly. Fixing the Ocean’s buggy software has been an ongoing challenge. But at just $16,000 per car — a fraction of the price of a mainstream EV — American Lease said they’re willing to take a chance, Raphael Orlove reports. Today on CityLab: Why New York City Has a Fleet of New EVs From a Dead Carmaker

— Arvelisse Bonilla Ramos

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