Fisker Inc. shared news of its partnership with Hakim Unique Group and the future production of its first autonomous electric shuttle, the Fisker Orbit.
Henrik Fisker’s electric vehicle design and production company, Fisker Inc., announced a partnership with Wang Qicheng (Jack Wong) and Hakim Unique Group of China to produce the Fisker Orbit Smart Shuttle and other future projects. With a combined interest in integrating cities in their systems, Fisker Inc. and Hakim Unique Group look to set the foundation for the modern city with these electric, autonomous shuttles.
The collaboration also complements both firms’ passion for new mobility trends. Fisker Inc. is known for its highly desirable electric vehicles, breakthrough automotive technology, and, most recently, its solid state battery developments. A lesser known entity in the United States, Hakim Unique Group (HUG) is a global conglomerate comprised over more than 160 subsidiaries focused on four business industries: cultural media, healthcare, technology, and finance.
The organization is only a decade old and is already valued at $32 billion and is ranked amongst China’s top 500 private enterprises, according to Zheshang Magazine, and is considered a contender in the top 100 most profitable companies list.
“Hakim Group is a very large group out of China that is already working on smart cities and many other things as well,” Henrik Fisker said exclusively to BOSS Magazine. “They also own some areas of hospitals in L.A., coincidentally. I got to meet one of the group’s directors in L.A., and we got talking about the future of mobility.
“We talked about how to make mobility more joyful, more exciting, and more efficient, and how to move people around smart cities in a really cool way.”
Fisker Orbit: Breaking Down the Design
And cool it will be.
“At Fisker, we want to revolutionize the future of mobility and I think there will be a lot of new type of vehicles that will come to the marketplace. The Fisker Orbit is one of them,” he continued.
“It’s a fully autonomous shuttle developed for smart cities, airports, and campuses. The whole idea is that it shouldn’t be boring to get into a shuttle: it should be fun and cool. Not only is the exterior design very emotional, but the interior design will take a whole new direction from what you’ve seen before.
Not only will it be fully connected, but there will be two different areas including room to either sit or stand. There will be a unique design to the interior that takes its whole inspiration from, Fisker said, modern hotel lobbies and futuristic furniture design.
“We’re really looking forward to working with the Hakim Group,” Fisker said. “It’s amazing what Jack has done. He’s a very young entrepreneur in China. We have similar views on how we move forward in the future. In my opinion, the future of mobility will be like going into a restaurant. You would pick the type of mobility that fits you best.”
“The greatest opportunity for society in the future comes from the orchestra of data, intelligence and collaboration—as well as the convergence of online and offline activities,” shared Jack Wong of Hakim Unique Group.
“If we take this opportunity, we will restructure the business ecosystem. Hakim Unique Group aims to become an enterprise that can bring profound impact on human lives around the world, and even on the future of business. We believe that Fisker Inc. shares that same ambition, and our collaboration today will not only create a great win-win outcome, but also create a story and legacy to be relished by future generations.”
The company will begin delivering the first Fisker Orbit electric autonomous shuttles by the end of 2018.
