Legendary car designer Henrik Fisker unveiled his Tesla rival for the first time

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Henrik Fisker, the automotive designer behind iconic cars like the BMW Z8 and the Aston Martin DB9, unveiled his long-range, electric sedan on Saturday.

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Fisker has made bold claims about the car. Last October, Fisker said the vehicle would have a range surpassing 400 miles and will be able to charge in just 9 minutes thanks to new battery technology.

Fisker previously told Business Insider that he will use graphene supercapacitors instead of traditional lithium-ion batteries to power the sedan. The technology is being developed by a team of UCLA researchers, but it's still patent pending.

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The car will have autonomous capabilities, but Fisker hasn't specified whether it will be fully self-driving. A trapezoid frame on the front of the car will hold lidar, a key sensor that uses lasers to detect obstacles.

The sedan will be built by Detroit-based VLF Automotive, an auto company Fisker joined in January that is producing his supercar, the Force 1

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The electric car will fall in the same price range as a Tesla Model S, Fisker previously told Business Insider.

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Henrik Fisker

Fisker has a controversial and complicated past. 

Fisker was involved in the initial design phase of the Tesla Model S, but later left Tesla to create the Fisker Karma - a $100,000 luxury hybrid sedan.

But the Karma had a host of battery issues before the company behind the car, Fisker Automotive, ultimately went bankrupt.

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Fisker said he is gunning for Tesla with his new electric car.

"I think it's pretty clear when you look at the market, when you look at the premium market, there's really only one company that is out there, and it's Tesla," he previously told Business Insider.

Get the latest Tesla stock price here.

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