Electric cars will overtake plug-in hybrids, says Henrik Fisker

Danish car designer Henrik Fisker appears to have moved on from his eponymous company and the Karma plug-in luxury sedan.

Fisker Automotive is now Karma Automotive, and is working its way back from bankruptcy under the wing of Chinese automotive supplier Wanxiang.

Fisker meanwhile, is working on a supercar called the VLF Force 1, and backing a V-8-powered version of the Karma called the VLF Destino.

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But he's far from having completely given up on plug-in electric cars.

Electric cars will eventually achieve mass adoption, and they will surpass both hybrids and plug-in hybrids, Fisker said in an interview with Tech Insider (via Autoblog).

Fisker Automotive declared bankruptcy in 2013, but its founder had left the company before then.

2012 Fisker Karma + Aero L-39 Albatros jet trainer, Hollister Municipal Airport, CA [by Refael Azi]

The Karma was originally shown at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, and at the time, Fisker said, many advocates overestimated how quickly electric-car adoption would progress.

"It didn't move as quick as we expected," he said.

He still believes Fisker Automotive made a valuable contribution, saying it helped show that electric cars "can be beautiful and exciting and fun to drive."

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The Karma was hurt by quality issues during its initial production run, as well as the bankruptcy of battery supplier A123 Systems, now also owned by Fisker/Karma Automotive patron Wanxiang.

Fisker himself believes mass adoption of electric cars hasn't progressed more rapidly because there are relatively few options, in terms of size and body style, compared to internal-combustion cars.

But he also believes electric-car sales will continue to grow, saying that "electric cars are here to stay."

2012 Fisker Karma + Aero L-39 Albatros jet trainer, Hollister Municipal Airport, CA [by Refael Azi]

And hybrid cars may be the losers in that transition, according to Fisker.

As charging infrastructure improves, consumers will make the jump straight from gasoline to all-electric cars, he said, skipping hybrids and plug-in hybrids altogether.

MORE: Fisker Karma With V-8 Emerges As VLF Destino, Including Henrik Himself

Where Fisker himself will be during this transition remains to be seen.

He won't rule out a return to plug-in cars, but for the moment, Fisker is allied with VLF, the company founded as VL Automotive to rebuild Karma sedans with V-8 engines.