2017 Fisker Emotion revealed with over 600km range

The Fisker Emotion will launch on 17 August with a 400-mile (640km) plus range from its electric powertrain, company founder Henrik Fisker has confirmed.

As well as the class-leading range, the Emotion will be able to charge in nine minutes, and will have what Fisker describes as 'state-of-the-art' battery chemistry with the world's highest energy density, as well as a level of autonomy and connection to its environment; necessary puzzle pieces for full driverless capability. 

A Lidar sensor is hidden in the car's front central darkened area - there's no grill as the Emotion is electric - although Fisker hasn't clarified which of the levels of autonomy the Emotion will be capable of. BMW will be launching a car betweeen levels three and four in 2021, which means it'll be capable of fully driverless travel some of the time. 

Previous images showed its butterfly doors from the front. Earlier images showed the car's other angles and rear doors, which open in the same way.

The electric model, which makes use of innovative graphene battery technology, has been designed by Henrik Fisker, the man behind the original Fisker brand and designer of models including the Aston Martin DB9 and BMW Z8.

In an earlier conversation with Autocar UK, Fisker claimed that clever packaging enabled leg room and interior space to be maximised in the Emotion. "The entire cabin has been moved forward very much, and we lowered the bonnet of the vehicle to get better aerodynamics," he said. "Because of the better packaging of an EV model, we have been able to create a more dynamic and sporty design but the leg room is on par with large luxury saloons."

Fisker said that he decided to "take a risk to change the proportions" because he wants the new model's design to be original. "It’s a risk because people aren’t used to it," he explained.

Powering the new model will be batteries developed by Fisker Nanotech, Fisker Inc's sister company and battery division. The company claims graphene technology will enable longer range, faster charging times and longer battery life.

The finished car will be launched as the first model from Fisker Inc. It will be an expensive low-volume model with a carbonfibre and aluminium structure and batteries stored low in its floor.

The car will be built by VLF - a manufacturer Fisker partly owns - and will have the necessary hardware for autonomous driving modes. The software for this will be developed and supplied by external companies, in a move that Fisker believes will help to streamline costs and maximise efficiency.

Second model to follow

"There will also be a second, higher volume and lower cost model to follow," Fisker confirmed. "Production for that will be handled by an established car maker, because the established car brands have really mastered high-volume, high-quality car production."

While he refrained from going into further detail as to what brand he hopes would produce this car, Fisker did at least confirm the model will be built upon a modular EV platform. "It will be scalable, so more models can be created from it in the future," he said.

With more models planned for the future, Fisker Inc could become a rival to the likes of Tesla and electric brands from mainstream car makers, including Mercedes’ new EQ sub-brand.