Fisker is back with a new electric car to debut later in 2017

Henrik Fisker, designer of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Aston Martin DB9, is back with an electric car company called Fisker, Inc. – not to be confused with the old Fisker, which was acquired by Chinese auto parts giant Wanxiang and retooled as Karma Automotive. The new Fisker will also be making EVs, though, with an all-electric “spiritual successor” to the Fisker Karma to be unveiled sometime in the second half of 2017, Bloomberg reports.

The new Fisker has been quietly working on battery tech, searching for something that would lead to a “new paradigm,” Fisker told Bloomberg. So alongside the car company, Fisker, Inc. has a new battery division called Fisker Nanotech, too. The work coming out of Fisker Nanotech, and what it does differently from other EV battery makers, is not yet clear – Bloomberg notes that these won’t be conventional lithium-ion batteries, however, like the ones that power the Tesla Model S and Chevy Bolt, though they will still contain some lithium. The company does think they’ll deliver better range and overall charge life, however.

Claims for the unreleased new Fisker vehicle include a 400-mile plus driving range, which would easily be industry leading. It’s also said to have more interior space. Fisker’s plan after the launch of this first, premium vehicle is to follow it up with a mass-market car costing less than $40,000, but again with range that beats anyone else in that price group. The new company also hopes to become a key supplier of battery tech to other OEMs, which, if successful, could help it fund its own car projects.

Henrik Fisker worked on the original design of the Tesla Model S, before Tesla accused Fisker and partner Bernhard Koehler of stealing trade secrets while working for Tesla later used in the formation of the original Fisker Automotive.