Fisker Reveals Production Version of Luxury Electric Car
Gearing up for an offical public debut at the 2009 North American International Auto Show next month, Fisker Automotive has released photos of what they’re calling the final production version of the Fisker Karma luxury plug-in hybrid electric sedan set to start rolling of the production line at the end of next year.
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It looks like there were very few modifications between the exterior of the show car Fisker had on display at last year’s Detroit Auto Show and the just released shots of the production version. The only differences really have to do with the size of the front grille and the air intake. It won’t be known what changes were made to the interior until the official public unveiling at the auto show next month.
With starting price of $87,900, the Karma is not cheap (although it’s a relative steal when compared to the $120K+ Tesla Roadster competition). Fisker says the first Karmas will be delivered in November 2009 and that all orders through mid-2010 are already sold out.
The production Fisker Karma will have an all-electric range of 50 miles (80km), after which the gasoline engine kicks in and charges a lithium ion battery pack which in turn powers the car as a normal parallel hybrid. Fisker estimates that most Karma drivers who charge the Karma overnight and commute less than 50 miles per day will be able to achieve an average fuel economy of 100 mpg (2.4L/100km) per year.
As opposed to a plug-in hybrid like the much touted Chevy Volt, instead of a series hybrid sytem the Karma uses a parallel hybrid system — meaning it uses gas and electric power at high speeds in parallel using a common mechanical drivetrain.
Fisker has been riding a wave of good press and news in the last few months including the announcement of a huge design center opening in Pontiac, MI, while their main competitor for the luxury environmentally-minded car market, Tesla, has been in a bit of a downturn on bad economic news.
That is truly one bad-ass hybrid!
Any word on whether Fisker has any near term plans to produce a more pocket friendly hybrid?
I wonder if I can get a government bailout to buy one?
Nice car (Fisker Karma). Make it 100% electric and give it a 200km range and I’ll be one of those guys giving you my deposit. The 50mile range will not work anywhere in Canada. I think 80% of Canadians commute about 50-80kms each way. Add 20kms for leisure and you need a vehicle that can travel about 120-180kms to be entry level usable…so make it 200kms and you have an instant winner.
WOW! That’s HoT! Can I put a couple on my Credit Card?
Where did you get the info to think this is a “Parallel” hybrid? Most places I look it suggests that the gasoline engine is only connected to a generator, and never mechanically connects to the driveline.
As far as I know it will be a series hybrid, that sometimes runs the gas engine to add electric power. The electric power can be used to recharge the batteries and/or help drive the electric “traction motors”.
[...] the Karma is truly a play toy for the wealthy, you have to admit, if you have the money to buy one of these [...]
Randy Baker and I have put a deposit on one of these cars. How can we get more information on delivery time and when can we expect to hear that a car is in production or ready for us?
[...] has begun a small targeted TV ad campaign initially focusing on the LA area. The $87,900 Fisker Karma is scheduled for delivery to the first 1,000 owners by year’s end. See the commercial [...]
Umm, ok not so much in to cars or what not but I absolutely love the overall concept & design (also features that I vaguely understand)!
My only question is automatic or manual drive being since its not common transmission & stuff and info on how/where it will be delivered if you order is something I can’t figure out beyond failure of being a simpleton… (*_*”)