Pioneer Fisker resumes electric car race

Tesla’s former rival in pioneering electric cars, Henrik Fisker, has re-entered the all-electric market with two new models.  Fisker is both veteran and newcomer to the market, the BBC reports. His previous company, Fisker Automotive, was founded in 2007 and built luxury cars popular with celebrities until its high-profile bankruptcy in 2013. For his new venture, Fisker has announced both a high-end car as well as an affordable mass-market model. Reviving his rivalry with Tesla, he promises a “significantly longer battery life and range than any battery currently on the market”. “Both the technology and the market are more mature now than when we first started out as pioneers in the electric vehicle industry, and our new vehicle will be the most innovative and cutting-edge electric car ever created,” he says. Before starting his first electric car company in California, the Danish designer worked for car firms including Aston Martin and BMW. The Fisker Karma model, released in 2012, attracted a lot of celebrity interest with buyers such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber. But after selling around 2,000 vehicles, Fisker left the company and it filed for bankruptcy in 2013, owing US taxpayers NZ$194 million. It later sold its assets to Chinese company Wanxiang. Despite also having failed to ever make a profit, Tesla is preparing the launch of a new mass market model, set to be priced lower than its flagship Model S and Model X cars.