Fisker Karma Makes Public Driving Debut
18 August 2009
The Fisker Karma plug-in extended range electric vehicle (earlier post) made its public driving debut over the weekend, 19 months after being introduced as a concept. The 403 hp (300 kW) prototype Karma Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) attained a speed of 100 mph (161 km/h), but used no gasoline as it made its way around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races.
Behind the wheel was Fisker Automotive co-founder and COO Bernhard Koehler.
The Fisker Karma can reach 60 mph (97 km/h) in six seconds and has a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h). Carbon emissions are also lower than today’s hybrids.
The Karma has a range of 50 all-electric miles on a full charge of its lithium-ion battery pack, and a total range of 300 miles with its on-board generator turned by a GM 260 hp (194 kW), four-cylinder gasoline engine. Combined with two electric motors, these components make up the Q-Drive powertrain exclusive to all Fisker automobiles.
Since Europe, England, Russia and many other places are filled with many high powered electric locomotives there should be no surprise that there is an electric automobile that has high performance and a high price. The Tesla and the WrightSpeed and the Tzero have also shown this. The example that needs to be followed in the electric car world is that of the TATA NANO.
Use ordinary DC motors with brushes. Use a steel flywheel dual motor generator speed control with brushes; it still can do regeneration and fast acceleration. Use modern lead batteries. Sell it at a low cost. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 18 August 2009 at 03:21 PM
Safety. For cultures accustomed to high safety standards, the econoboxes with sketchy safety designs will not appeal.
Posted by: sulleny | 18 August 2009 at 11:08 PM
Safety I agree.
And resilience. Brushes wear more rapidly. Steel endures fatigue. You can't sell a car if you have to call them back every now and then, or if the customer needs to go to the garage once a month.
Posted by: Simodul | 19 August 2009 at 02:45 AM
Price (low) is what sells. Take Kia (or was it Hyundai. Their price was low and they had the best warrenty. The Dodge dealer at the end of my block is now a Hyundai dealer.
The quality was not great but the price overcame that.
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What will really sell EV's is the price of gas.
When gas prices spike, EV's will fly off the shelf.
Posted by: danm | 20 August 2009 at 06:09 AM
And cheaper batteries.
When EVs takeoff, and gas usage and gas prices drop, EV prices must keep dropping.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 21 August 2009 at 05:37 PM
Hyundai HAD "not great" quality but Hyundai's quality now is just as good as any other, and better than some.
They couldn't afford their warranties if the quality wasn't there (or else everyone would offer super warranties). The problem Hyundai (and Kia, same group) had was that they were stuck with their low quality image. To change it more rapidly, they offered their warranties, and it worked.
Posted by: Simodul | 03 September 2009 at 06:44 AM