a software update bricked my car
kill switch
Kaleidoscope
4.7 • 635 Ratings
🗓️ 3 September 2025
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Fisker Ocean was supposed to be the "world's most sustainable vehicle." With a range of 400 miles, a strong emphasis on software and a price tag of $50,000, the car raised billions in funding and hoped to rival Tesla. But after a disastrous roll out, the company went bankrupt and glitchy software left customers with a 2.5 ton paperweight. Dexter talks to Aarian Marshall, a reporter for WIRED, about what exactly went wrong, why Fisker Ocean owners refuse to give up on the car, and what this all says about the future of car ownership.
Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc, or @killswitchpod on IG, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.
Fisker Ocean owners, reach out to Aarian Marshall at aarian_marshall@wired.com.
Read + Watch:
Aarian’s article, Fisker Went Bankrupt. What Do Its EV Owners Do Next?: https://www.wired.com/story/fisker-went-bankrupt-what-do-its-ev-owners-do-next/
Marques Brownlee’s Review, This is the Worst Car I've Ever Reviewed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xWXRk3yaSw&ab_channel=AutoFocus
George J Saliba, Fisker Senior Engineer’s Call to Marques’ Car Dealer: https://www.tiktok.com/@georgejsaliba/video/7341936160941280555?lang=en
r/Fisker AMA Thread, Hello, I am a current Fisker Inc. employee. Ask Me Anything (AMA): https://www.reddit.com/r/Fisker/comments/1bnzrts/hello_i_am_a_current_fisker_inc_employee_ask_me/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
| 0:17.0 | This might be the single weirdest automotive reviewing experience I've ever had. I think it's just the worst car I've ever tested. What are you doing with the Fisker? Staring at it. Why did you buy Fisker? I bought a while ago. What do I do with it? Burn it? Let someone steal it in York. The car gives me an alert here. Stop vehicle immediately, limp fault. |
| 0:39.5 | Okay, well, what does that mean? Out of energy. Yeah, so am I, buddy. The Fisker Ocean is an electric |
| 0:46.0 | vehicle that came out in 2023. Forget Tesla. This was going to be the future of personal transportation. |
| 0:53.2 | Designed by the mind behind some of the cars |
| 0:55.5 | in the James Bond movies, a vehicle for people who think differently about the world. After a long |
| 1:01.5 | wait, the pre-orders finally delivered. And... People would check it out and it would throw |
| 1:09.4 | error codes. Basically, the car would say, like, hello, there's something wrong with my software. |
| 1:14.5 | People had trouble locking and unlocking it. |
| 1:17.4 | You're just kind of like standing outside of it, like, hello, help. |
| 1:20.7 | There were issues where it wouldn't start. |
| 1:23.9 | Once it started, it wouldn't shut off. |
| 1:26.4 | There were issues with the brakes. |
| 1:29.1 | Sometimes they would slam out of nowhere. |
| 1:31.8 | Truly so many issues. |
| 1:34.9 | Arion Marshall is a reporter for Wired Magazine. |
| 1:37.9 | She covers transportation and technology. |
| 1:40.5 | And the Fisker Ocean fits that beat pretty well in a sort of unfortunate way. |
| 1:46.4 | This car was supposed to be the future, but the software was so bad that a bunch of customers got left with a $2.5 ton, $56,000 paperweight. |
| 1:57.4 | Mine has a software update. It won't update. |
| 1:59.0 | Oh, my gosh. |
| 2:00.7 | Dude, the worst car companies ever exist. |
... |
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