Fisker Inc. today showcased its future vehicle lineup in Huntington Beach, CA. The Manhattan Beach-based carmaker presented four vehicles, as well as technology and sustainability visions, to an audience of investors, analysts, employees, and the media.
Chairman and CEO Henrik presided over reveals of the Fisker Ocean SUV with a Force-E offroad package; the 1,000-plus-horsepower Fisker Ronin grand-touring four-door convertible; the Fisker PEAR sustainable city EV; and the Fisker Alaska all-electric pickup truck.
In addition to the vehicles that were displayed on stage, the company detailed its Fisker Blade computer, a central computing platform that will greatly reduce complexity in forthcoming vehicles. Fisker also reviewed its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives as it strives to become the world’s most sustainable carmaker.
After the conclusion of the Huntington Beach event, Fisker opened reservations for both the Fisker Ronin ($2,000 for first reservation, $1,000 fully refundable for second) and the Fisker Alaska ($250 for first reservation, $100 fully refundable for second).
Details on the newly revealed vehicles are as follows:
Fisker Ronin is the world’s first all-electric four-door convertible GT sports car.
- A true five-seat GT with a carbon fiber hard-top convertible, four butterfly doors, a high-tech luxury interior, and uniquely futuristic exterior design.
- An integrated battery pack powers Ronin to a targeted 600-plus mile range
- A triple motor all-wheel drive powertrain is projected to deliver massive 1,000-plus horsepower and 0-60 mph in approximately 2.0 seconds.
- A showcase for Fisker engineering, powertrain, and software capabilities, Ronin will be ultra-luxury priced and built in limited quantities.
Fisker PEAR (Personal Electric Automotive Revolution) is Fisker’s vision of a sustainable EV as a connected mobility device.
- A category-breaking lifestyle vehicle built on Fisker’s SLV-1 platform, PEAR is built using Fisker’s Steel++ development process, resulting in the use of 35% fewer parts than other EVs in class.
- Features a highly connected and revolutionary electrical engineering architecture, and the first implementation of the Fisker Blade central computing platform.
- Unique Houdini Trunk (hideaway liftgate) and a front storage compartment called the Froot (“front boot”) simplify cargo loading in city parking.
- Compact body length delivers sporty handling, while allowing room for spacious and modular interior with seating for up to six.
- Futuristic design includes an ultra-wide wraparound windscreen, sculptural exterior design, and slim LED lighting.
- Designed to be the future of clean and affordable mobility for a global mass market, PEAR is available in four trim levels, priced starting at $29,900, and scheduled to be available in mid-2025.
Fisker Alaska is Fisker’s versatile, advanced, and powerful all-electric four-door pickup truck.
- Built on an extended adaptation of Fisker Ocean’s platform called the FT31, Alaska is both a sporty everyday ride and a highly flexible utility pickup.
- Built for multiple cargo configurations, including a cargo bed extendable from 4.5 feet to 7.5 feet to 9.2 feet, and a Houdini bed divider which hides away to connect cargo bed and rear cabin.
- Designed to be the world’s lightest EV pickup truck.
- Designed to be the world’s most sustainable truck.
- Shares the Fisker Ocean’s modern design DNA and fast, road-holding EV performance, and has a projected range of 230-340 miles.
- Expected deliveries in 2025 and priced starting at $45,400 before incentives.
Force E is the dynamic and durable off-road package for the Fisker Ocean SUV
- Designed to maximize Fisker Ocean’s outstanding torque, power, and best-in-class range for sustainable off-roading adventure.
- Will be available for all-wheel drive Ultra and Extreme trims, both at vehicle purchase and as a post-purchase add-on package.
- Includes 33” tires on 20” wheels, higher ground clearance, specialized dampers, roof basket, front and rear skid plates, and an underbody plate for greater durability.
- Scheduled to be available in Q1 2024, with pricing to be announced.
You can watch the event here to see all of Fisker’s new vehicles.
Ransomware Attacks Targeting Industrial Organizations Surge
Posted in Commentary with tags Security on August 4, 2023 by itnerdRansomware attacks targeting industrial organizations and infrastructure have doubled since the second quarter of 2022, according to a report from industrial cybersecurity firm Dragos. In the second quarter of 2023, Dragos observed 253 ransomware incidents, marking an 18% increase from the first quarter of 2023, which had 214 attacks. The rise in attacks is attributed to ransomware revenue plunging in 2022 as more victims refused to pay up.
Dragos predicts that the third quarter of 2023 will witness increased business-impacting ransomware attacks against industrial organizations due to political tensions and ransomware groups shifting their focus towards larger organizations.
North America is the most affected region, followed by Asia. The manufacturing sector remains the most targeted, with industrial control systems (ICS), transportation, and oil and gas sectors also experiencing significant attacks. Among the monitored ransomware groups, LockBit, Alpha V, and Black Basta are the most active in launching attacks.
Carol Volk, EVP, BullWall leads with is comment:
“Industrial sector organizations must prioritize cybersecurity by strengthening defenses with advanced protection tools, network segmentation, regular data backups and for the inevitable breach, ransomware containment. Educating employees about cybersecurity risks, collaborating with reputable cybersecurity firms, and fostering cooperation among governments and industries for threat information sharing are crucial steps.”
Emily Phelps, Director, Cyware follows with this comment:
“Ransomware attacks can devastate organizations. Adversaries don’t only outnumber cybersecurity pros; they collaborate effectively too. To mitigate the potential damage, enterprises should have preparations that enable them to maintain business continuity in case of an attack.
“Organizations should regularly back up and test data and systems on an air-gapped network or at least on a network not constantly connected to the internet; segment their environments to contain outbreaks; regularly patch and update systems, applications, and software; invest in regular security awareness training so employees are armed to recognize and avoid common threat tactics; and invest in context-rich threat intelligence that enable security teams to proactively identify and prioritize threats that are more likely to impact their business.”
Finally Stephen Gates, Principal Security SME, Horizon3.ai:
“Simply put, attackers who gain remote access to any internal computing device are the primary threat industrial organizations face. Once an attacker achieves access, they use it to take over networks and ransom critical systems.
“In comparison to a natural disaster, fire, or other similar incident, a cyber event like ransomware that halts production is just as critical to plan for, especially in terms of risk management and business continuity.
“The most effective way to defeat ransomware-based attacks is to continuously assess your own infrastructure, find the attack paths an attacker would take, and then fix those issues and validate that your fixes defeated the discovered attack paths. Once complete, you rinse and repeat the process regularly to discover new attack paths. No other defensive or offensive method of reducing the risk of ransomware will be as effective as the method explained here.”
Clearly the threat actors are moving to attack sectors where they think they will get paid. The best way to stop that from happening is to make every sector as difficult to breach as possible. That way the threat actors have less opportunities for a big payday.
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