This month, we want to zoom out and share more of the story behind Pulse — especially since delays are never fun, and everyone deserves transparency.

How Pulse Started

Pulse started back in September, almost accidentally.

We own a Rivian, and at the time I ordered an EVPlay unit for it.

Even before the unit arrived, I reached out to Alex from EVPlay to explore a possible collaboration.

The idea was simple:

Why can't we have something like this for the Fisker Ocean?

On Rivian, EVPlay focuses mainly on Android Auto and CarPlay.

For the Ocean, however, we quickly realized this could be much more than that.

Alex didn't hesitate — he flew in, and we spent a full day working.

By the end of that day, we had EVPlay running on the Fisker Ocean.

And yes — when I say "running," I mean we had EVplay displaying on the ICC screen.

At that moment, it felt like:

Okay… this should be easy. Two or three weeks and we're done.

From "Screen Output" to a Real System

That early success was just the beginning.

For the Ocean, Pulse isn't just about Android Auto or CarPlay.

It's a deeply integrated system that brings:

• Driver profiles with memory
• Cloud connectivity
• Pre-conditioning
• Keyless entry
• Vehicle-aware automations
• And many other integrations the community has been asking for

That depth of integration is where the real complexity began.

Where Reality Hit

What worked cleanly on the Rivian turned out to be very different on the Ocean:

• The Ocean uses custom cables — nothing off-the-shelf
• The ICC engineering kit screen worked perfectly
  → but once installed in the car, the screen would constantly switch on and off
• CAN bus integration that was straightforward on Rivian did not work on the Ocean
• Rivian required 1 CAN bus
  → the Ocean needs at least 2, sometimes more
• Power behavior, wake/sleep states, and timing were all Ocean-specific

Every fix uncovered new edge cases.

That original 2–3 week dream slowly turned into months of real engineering work:

• Custom hardware and cabling
• CAN reverse-engineering
• Power and sleep stability
• Software rewritten multiple times to handle Ocean-specific behavior

Why We Didn't Cut Corners

At several points, we could have shipped something earlier.

But it would have meant:

• Fragile behavior
• Workarounds instead of real solutions
• A long list of "don't do this" rules

That wasn't acceptable.

We promised to deliver a device that:

• Works reliably
• Integrates cleanly with the car
• Brings real value to Ocean owners
• Is something we'd proudly install in our own cars

That's why this journey took ~6 months instead of 2–3 weeks.

Where We Are Now

• All parts for the first production batch are expected this week
• We're planning to assemble the first 50 units
• These units will be tested hands-on with nearby owners, in real cars and real-world conditions

Supply Chain Reality (Being Transparent)

We're also dealing with a global memory shortage:

• Some suppliers are not honoring original purchase orders or pricing
• This is an industry-wide issue
• Our per-unit cost increased by ~$100

To be absolutely clear:

• Existing customers will NOT be charged more
• We'll absorb that cost
• We may pause new sales temporarily until memory prices stabilize again

EU / CE Certification Update

For our EU customers:

Pulse requires CE certification on the final, fully assembled product.

That process is currently underway, and we're still awaiting the CE certificate.

Because certification can only be completed on the final production unit, this step must happen after assembly, not earlier.

As a result:

• EU deliveries are expected to be ~2–3 weeks behind US deliveries
• We'll continue to share updates as soon as certification milestones are completed.

Staying Connected

While monthly updates are posted here, development hasn't slowed down.

We share almost weekly updates on our Discord server, including:

• Progress photos
• Technical updates
• Early testing results
• Open discussions with the community

We strongly encourage everyone to join the conversation here:

https://discord.gg/9BhB59GK93

The Commitment

Pulse started as a simple idea.

It turned into a deep, complex, and very real engineering effort.

But the commitment hasn't changed:

We will deliver a device that we — as Ocean owners — are proud to install in our own cars.

No compromises.

Thank you for your patience, your trust, and for building this together with us.

More updates coming soon — especially once the first units are in owners' hands.

First, we want to wish you and your families a happy holiday season and a great end to the year.

Thank you again for the trust you've placed in us — your support and patience truly mean a lot.

We strongly believe in transparency and in the power of this community. That's why we share what's happening behind the scenes, even when it means delivering news that isn't ideal. You deserve to know exactly what you're getting and why certain decisions are made.

During extended real-world testing of Pulse, we identified an issue under high-load scenarios. Specifically, when the modem is heavily used (for example during continuous streaming like Netflix), it can draw more current than originally anticipated, which may cause the modem to reboot.

We could have shipped as-is—but that's not who we are. Ocean owners have already suffered enough from unreliable software and hardware, and we refuse to add to that list. Instead, we chose to rework the PCBs and redesign the power delivery, adding more headroom to the system. The result will be a unit that is stable, robust, and future-proof, even under sustained high usage.

Unfortunately, this hardware rework does push the delivery timeline to January. We know many of you were hoping to receive Pulse as a Christmas gift, and we completely understand the disappointment. However, shipping a unit where the modem can reboot under heavy load is not acceptable to us. What matters most is delivering a product that we are proud of—and one that you can trust and rely on long-term.

If you'd like real-time updates, behind-the-scenes progress, videos, and direct conversations with us and other owners, we encourage everyone to join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/q3eVtrYsqE

This project is being built openly, with the community, and for the community—and we're grateful to have you along for the ride.

Thank you again for your patience, your trust, and your continued support.

— The Pulse Team