Image: Fisker Inc.
On May 21st, vehicle designer Henrik Fisker said he had a “private audience” with Pope Francis and that his company, Fisker Inc., would make a custom electric SUV to be used for official papal transport in late 2022. What he didn’t share was that the meeting took on a much different character than described, and that the proposal was something of a surprise.
An electric popemobile is the latest bold claim from Fisker, who raised nearly $1 billion for his company last year after previously touting a revolutionary solid-state battery and a manufacturing partnership with Volkswagen — each half-baked ideas that didn’t come to pass. And it comes at a time when a number of well-funded EV startups are facing intense scrutiny of the promises…