Fisker and Sharp on Monday announced an agreement to develop and product interior interface technologies for up to four upcoming electric vehicles.

The agreement would mean that Sharp will supply screens and other components, with “class-leading resolution balanced with optimized power consumption,” to a series of upcoming Fisker models. Included in the agreement with Sharp are the Ocean SUV, due to be built by Magna for a late-2022 market arrival; an affordable $30,000 electric vehicle resulting from Project PEAR, due in the fourth quarter of 2023; and “potentially two additional Fisker vehicles.”

Sharp is a Japanese company but part of Taiwan’s Hon Hai Technology Group, otherwise known as Foxconn—the company that assembles the iPhone for Apple, the xBox for Microsoft, and many other top-tier personal electronics. 

Henrik Fisker with Project PEAR EV

Henrik Fisker with Project PEAR EV

Foxconn and Fisker announced last week that they will jointly develop the $30,000 EV, and build it in the U.S., among several potential global locations. Foxconn last year announced a software-based platform for EVs, which it called “the Android system of the EV industry,” and it has a Wisconsin facility, which the company’s chairman said in March might be a location for EV production in 2023

Sharp is also no stranger to EVs or to automotive displays. It was one of the first to display the curved instrument-panel displays catching on across the industry. Fisker points to Sharp’s global manufacturing footprint as an asset for the projects, as Fisker said that it plans to sell the affordable EV in North America, Europe, China, and India. 

Fisker Ocean

Fisker Ocean

Fisker suggested that “Our collaboration with Sharp is set to create exciting new automotive display systems,featuring innovative backlight solutions to improve illumination without increasing power consumption—in addition to class-leading resolution, bezels, and design."

The EV startup didn’t say which vehicle will first offer the Sharp system, but it suggested the partnership will allow development much closer to launch.