By JON BRADY
When car designer Henrik Fisker unveiled his Ocean electric SUV at the end of 2021, he told the Los Angeles Auto Show it was his mission to create the world's 'most sustainable vehicles'.
But 'sustainable' is probably the last word that would be associated with the 10,000 Oceans that eventually made it to production - after the company went bust and took long-term support for its only model with it.
Since deliveries began in 2023, Fisker Oceans have been plagued with issues ranging from the inconsequential - slow touchscreens and no air conditioning - to the downright dangerous, such as complete loss of braking power while driving.
But while Fisker itself is gone, a small but hardy group of Ocean owners have stepped into the breach to keep their cars going for as long as safely possible.
Motorists have clubbed together on Facebook to share tips on how to fix their cars, while others have taken to YouTube with tutorials on fixing pop-out door handles.
Overseas, a group of programmers have created an app that allows people to diagnose glitches and program new car keys.
It's an extraordinary response to an extraordinary situation that would have otherwise left owners in the lurch.
And Fisker drivers have told MailOnline they have no intention of letting their cars go - enamoured with the styling, enviable power and practicality, regardless of any less desirable qualities it might throw at them.
Fisker Ocean owner Teo Bradley bought his car at launch for £58,000 - and says he intends to run it for as long as possible... as long as it 'behaves itself'
Jon Lamb is equally enamoured with his Ocean - and has set about fixing it up himself, sharing his repairs on YouTube for other owners
Mr Lamb, from Hampshire, is a former electronics engineer who has been applying a lifetime of expertise to his SUV (pictured in one of his YouTube videos)
Among them is Teo Bradley, who bought his top-flight Fisker Ocean Extreme in November 2023, handing over £58,000.
He found himself glued to YouTube trying to find information on Fisker's collapse as word got around that the company - Henrik Fisker's second stab at large-scale car production - was in serious trouble.
And as the company went under, taking its infrastructure with it, he found that certain features disappeared.
Among them, the Fisker app, which allowed users to unlock their car with their phone, as well as updates to the satellite navigation.
Regardless, he says he can't bring himself to part with the 'awesome' machine.
'I love the styling of the car and the acceleration is phenomenal,' he said via email.
Mr Bradley has also experienced a number of issues behind the wheel.
These range from the car slamming on its brakes after spotting a non-existent 'phantom' object in front of its sensors as he pulled out the driveway to the interior lights turning themselves on as he drives along.
He did, however, brand the claimed 440mile range - obtained under the industry-standard WLTP testing conditions - an 'absolute lie'.
At best, he managed 290 miles at best on the Fisker's 113 kWh battery.
'There are still minor glitches like bright sunshine affecting the safety alerts like lane assist and emergency stop, and the usual bings and bongs,' he admits.
'I'm happy to live with it so long as it keeps behaving itself.'
After Fisker collapsed many owners rallied together to keep their cars on the road - and to help out others finding the idea of going it alone a bit foreboding.
Among them is Jon Lamb, an electronics engineer from Hampshire, who has poured hours into YouTube videos showing Ocean owners how to perform some of the basic maintenance that Fisker is no longer around to do.
Mr Lamb's videos have been viewed thousands of times as he shows other Fisker owners how to reprogram keys and build bonnet catches
The DIY-loving handyman picked up his Ocean for a song in March and has already shared a series of videos of essential maintenance on YouTube under the name comeinhandynow.
Among his tips and tracks are how to change the car's windscreen, removing the door handles, fixing the NFC reader that unlocks the doors and sorting the 'ghost lights' experienced by Mr Bradley.
He has also made some modifications to the car - installing gas struts and a manual release for the bonnet, which do not come as standard.
Mr Lamb fully admitted to MailOnline he bought the car expecting a challenge - but having spent his life fixing cars he was ready for even the persistent battery issues that see 12V units sucked dry by a myriad of on-board software running at all times.
But he fully capitalised on the collapse of Fisker itself, paying less than £15,000 in March for a car that cost four times that when new.
A line of Fiskers found in Nottingham and later snapped up by an auction house are expected to fetch the same price as they are sold over the next few months to plucky Fisker fans ready to dive in at the deep end.
'You couldn't get anything else for that money and I was prepared to take the risk,' Mr Lamb cheerfully explained.
'I'm quite a convert to electric cars now - I just think they're better. And I have had nothing really major happen.
'When it rained, it was beeping and telling me the cameras and sensors couldn't see but you realise it's just getting blinded by lights and rain blots.
'The only difficult thing has been getting insurance: only one company is covering them and I had to pay about £1,000.'
Mr Lamb is among the Ocean owners doing his bit to keep the cars going - and those backing the car are not going down without a fight.
A Fisker Owners Association was established to build up an established support network of experts and technicians to keep them on the roads.
As for fixing the software issues frying the air conditioning and the brakes, a group of Armenian software developers has created a tool called Freesker to help drivers identify issues at home.
It communicates with a Bluetooth dongle plugged into the car's diagnostic port and can reset systems and even reprogram car keys.
Marketing director Karin Simonsen has been left with a £42,000 paperweight in her drive after her Fisker Ocean packed in
She has been unable to move the car since last June after technicians disabled the 12V battery to stop the alarm going off
Henrik Fisker (pictured with an Ocean) founded Fisker Inc in 2016 after his first self-titled automotive failure went bust
Fisker ran the company with his wife Geeta Gupta-Fisker (left), who served as chief operating and financial officer
In an ideal world, these issues would have been sorted by Fisker - but with no Fisker to speak of, owners are working to do it for themselves.
'There are some garages offering support, the Fisker Owners Association is coming out with its own app, and there are things we can fix ourselves if you are engineering-minded,' Mr Lamb adds.
'It's what made me buy it in the first place. It's such a bargain of a car and I will probably keep it for a number of years unless something goes catastrophically wrong, which I doubt.
'Parts won't be a huge problem as some of these will end up being stripped for parts.
'If you buy one, you get a lot of car for your money. There will be people that bought one for a very high price who are displeased and have given up - but for those of us doing what we can (to keep them on the roads), it's good enough.
'I'm very pleased with it - and it's nice to drive.'
Not every Fisker owner has been happy. Last month, MailOnline spoke to Southampton marketing manager Karin Simonsen, whose Fisker Ocean packed up after suffering a series of software glitches.
She had been in the middle of preparing to hand the car back to Fisker when the company went under - but can't drive the car after a software problem left it unable to go into forward gear.
Technicians then disconnected the 12V battery to stop the alarm from whining incessantly - leaving her with a 2.5tonne brick on the driveway of her home.
'It has just been, from day one, a catalogue of catastrophes,' she told MailOnline.
The experience of an all-software car has put her off ever buying an electric motor again.
Fisker, meanwhile, agreed to wind down operations last year under a bankruptcy plan that saw US firm American Lease take control of more than 3,000 unsold cars and the Fisker server that can send updates out to cars via the cloud.
Henrik Fisker, the engineer who gave the firm its name, has gone to ground since the company filed for bankruptcy in the US and the UK last summer.
He has not responded to MailOnline's requests for an interview but he and his wife Geeta Gupta-Fisker, who served as the company's chief operating and chief financial officer, are facing multiple shareholder lawsuits.
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