STUART: STILL TALKING ABOUT
TESLA.
ITS SUPPLIERS WORRIED ABOUT
GETTING PAID A LOT OF PEOPLE
QUESTIONING WHETHER ELON MUSK
SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT GO.
JOINING US NOW IS HENRIK FISKER,
CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF FISKER
INCORPORATED, THE ELECTRIC CAR
PEOPLE.
HENRIK, WELCOME TO THE SHOW.
>> THANK YOU, STUART.
STUART: SHOULD ELON MUSK GO OR
AT LEAST MOVE AWAY FROM HIS
CURRENT ROLE AS CEO, GO INTO A
CORNER, AND BE A VISIONARY?
SHOULD HE DO THAT?
>> WELL, STUART, IF HENRY FORD
WOULD HAVE BEEN OUSTED AND
REPLACED BY JOE BLOCK, WE
PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE FORD
TODAY, AND WOULDN'T HAVE
AUTOMOTIVE EVOLUTION.
TO RUN A BUSINESS OF A START-UP
COMPANY FROM THE BEGINNING TO
ITS WELL-OILED MACHINE IS
EXTREMELY COMPLEX.
THERE IS NO RECIPE OUT THERE
IT HAS TO BE THE FOUNDER, THE
BE PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF
I'LL BE RUNNING FISKER UNTIL
WE'RE A WELL-OILED MACHINE.
OWED, START UP CAMPUS YOU CAN
HIRE A CEO.
I TRIED MYSELF BEFORE, I HIRED
TWO CEOs.
IN THE END I GOT THE BLAME FOR
DECISIONS THEY WERE MAKING.
THEY JUST WEREN'T ABLE TO DO IT.
SO IT IS JUST NOT POSSIBLE TO
FISKER ELECTRIC.
SO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
I DO WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT
DEMAND FOR ELECTRIC CARS.
I KNOW YOU'RE VERY, VERY
HIGH-END ELECTRIC CARS.
SO I AM SEPARATING YOU OUT FROM
THE REST OF THE PACK BUT I SEE
IN LAST YEAR, IN 2017 THERE WERE
ONLY 199,000 ELECTRIC CARS SOLD
IN THE UNITED STATES.
THAT IS A VERY, VERY SLIM SLIVER
OF THE MARKETPLACE.
THERE IS NOT THAT MUCH DEMAND,
IS THERE?
>> WELL, I THINK DEMAND HAS TO
DO WITH THE PRODUCTS THAT IS
OFFERED AND RIGHT NOW WE JUST
DON'T HAVE A DESIRABLE PRODUCT
OFFERING.
SO FOR INSTANCE, YOU SAID WE ARE
HIGH-END.
THAT IS WHERE THE INITIAL MARKET
IS, BUT WE ACTUALLY HAVE
PARTNERED UP WITH ONE OF THE
LARGEST OEMs IN THE WORLD TO
INTRODUCE A HIGH VOLUME VEHICLE,
THAT WOULD BE AFFORDABLE,
ONCE WE HAVE DESIRABLE,
EXCITING, AFFORDABLE VEHICLES ON
THE MARKET, THERE WILL BE DEMAND
FOR THEM AND IT WILL ALSO HAPPEN
BECAUSE WE HAVE MANY COUNTRIES
OUTSIDE OF THE U.S. WHICH ARE
FORCING THE GROWTH OF ELECTRIC
VEHICLES WITH VARIOUS
INCENTIVES.
SOME COUNTRIES MIGHT EVEN BAN
GASOLINE AND DIESEL SEAS.
THAT WILL FORCE THE ELECTRIC
VEHICLES COMING FORWARD, NOT
ONLY IN THE U.S., BUT OUTSIDE OF
PARTICULARLY LIKE BEING FORCED
AND THE PLANET.
CAN'T WE GET TO A POINT WHERE I
CAN BUY WHICHEVER CAR I CAN
AFFORD AND GOVERNMENT GET OUT OF
THE WAY, WOULDN'T YOU LIKE THAT?
>> ABSOLUTELY AND THAT'S WHY I'M
SAYING THAT HERE IN THE U.S., WE
BUY, THEY'RE NOT AVAILABLE IN
LARGE-SCALE TODAY, THERE IS
MAYBE ONE OR GO CHOICES OF AN
ELECTRIC VEHICLE, BELOW $40,000.
THERE IS NOT ANY ELECTRIC SUV,
MINIVAN, ET CETERA.
SO THE LIMITED CHOICE IS ONE OF
AS WELL AS PRICING AND THAT IS
WHY WE HAVE GONE FORWARD AND
MADE A PARTNERSHIP WITH A LARGE
OEM TO ACTUALLY INCREASE THE
VOLUME OF THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE
PARTS.
THAT IS ONE OF THE ISSUES, GET
THOSE PRICES DOWN TO BE ABLE TO
CREATE A PROFITABLE, HIGH VOLUME
VEHICLE.
STUART: OKAY.
TARIFFS ON CARS COMING HERE FROM
EUROPE AND FROM MEXICO.
IT IS KIND OF A PAUSE IN THE
TARIFF TRADE DEAL DISAGREEMENT
HERE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> TARIFFS IS NOT GOOD IN ANY
SENSE, AND YOU KNOW, THEY ARE
ORIGINALLY MADE TO MAKE IT
POSSIBLE FOR SOME COUNTRIES TO
CREATE NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN THEIR
OWN COUNTRY, AND IT IS KIND OF
INDUSTRY OR AN INFERIOR PRODUCT.
SO IN THE END OF THE DAY,
TARIFFS ARE NOT GOOD.
I THINK OF COURSE, IN THE U.S.
WE ARE CREATING THE NEWEST, BEST
TECHNOLOGY, WHICH MEANS WE ARE
ALWAYS A THREAT WHEN WE EXPORT
OUR PRODUCTS BUT AT THE END OF
THE DAY, PEOPLE STILL BUY THE
U.S. PRODUCTS BECAUSE THEY'RE
OF ALL TARIFFS, OR THEY WILL BE
EQUAL AND RIGHT NOW THEY'RE NOT
EQUAL.
I THINK THAT IS A PROBLEM.
STUART: GOT IT.
HENRIK FISKER, PLEASURE TO HAVE
YOU ON THE SHOW, SIR.
ONE LAST QUESTION, REAL FAST,
THE SCREEN?
HOW MUCH?
HIGH VOLUME WILL BE LESS THAN
$40,000.