Fisker is forging ahead with development of their electric sports car despite recent legal troubles with Tesla Motors.  In Southern California, three prototypes of the Karma are currently being tested, with initial orders expected to deliver by the end of 2009.

Specs? Up to 125 mph in “sport” mode, in electric only (what the company is calling “stealth”) up to 95 mph. Initial battery testing gives hope of the lithium-ion battery packs lasting 10 years or longer.

According to Fisker, you should be able to fill your tank ONCE per year … if you recharge every night, and drive in stealth mode the rest of the time. The Karma purportedly can go 50 miles on electric power, only.

If you want one, you’ll have to get in line. Like the pricey Tesla Roadster, the $80,000 Karma has already received hundreds of advanced orders.

[Source: Fisker Automotive]

Post from: EveryJoe

Fisker Forges Ahead

The two leaders in high-end electric sports car technology are now going head to head in the courtroom.

Tesla says Fisker heads, Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler, not only stole their hybrid design ideas while working for the company, but allege that Henrik – hired to style their new sedan, the Tesla White Star – turned over a purposefully substandard design in order to get a leg up once the companies were in competition.

Paid almost $1,000,000 for the bunk job, Fisker used that money to help start Fisker Coachbuild.

Tesla’s claims:

* The bad design set back their production schedule for the company’s lower-cost luxury sedan.

* Fisker and Koehler stole hybrid trade secrets and used them to design the Fisker Karma.

* Fisker knowingly did a bad job to make their product less popular.

If the case is decided in Tesla’s favor, in my opinion, it may be enough to bury Fisker. That’s one reason I’m not sure I believe it all. Why would someone who makes his living designing cars for other companies go out of his way to do a bad job? Why would he steal trade secrets if he depends on the trust of other companies to pay his bills?

It’s an unfortunate case either way, but I look forward to reading all the juicy details. ;p

[image: Tesla]

Post from: EveryJoe

Tesla sues, Fiskers Karma catches up with them?

What goes around, comes around, and at a time where Detroit is facing its slowest season in recent history, an exciting possibility has lit the horizon. Fisker’s $80,000 luxury sports car plug-in hybrid, the Karma, will be built in Motor City, says Henrik Fisker.

The Q-Drive drivetrain, developed by Quantum Technologies, takes the Karma 620 mpg when working with the small gas engine, and 50 miles per charge when running solely on electric. The maker of the battery, however, is still up in the air … as is the date we’ll see a working prototype. Fisker is claiming they’ll have 15,000 models on the road next year, but given the lapsing schedules of Tesla and even GM’s Chevy Volt plug-in, they’ve garnered a fair share of critics.

Still, there is something to be said for being well-prepared. For one, they have the totally awesome name “Karma”. For two, they’ve got buku bucks invested in their vision:

From Wired’s blog:

Fisker’s got the financial backing of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, one of the biggest – if not the biggest – names in Silicon Valley venture capital. KP recently handed Fisker another check with a lot of zeros, saying it is “committed” to investing in Fisker because its “groundbreaking, forward-thinking design stands to pave the way for a greener and more efficient transportation future.”

and they have people directing the company who’ve done somewhat similar projects before:

Henrik Fisker has worked for BMW and Aston Martin, where he designed the Z8 and DB9, respectively. [Head of Retail Development] Vic Doolan, is a former president of BMW North America, executive director of the Premier Automotive Group (Ford’s luxury division) and president of Volvo Cars North America.

 

Okay, that is a summary of what other sites have been saying: Great idea, but just an idea. Does it matter that the company has financial backing out the nose? Or that company heads have tons of experience? That’s what people are either being optimistic or pessimistic about.

Personally, I’m not sure why they even bothered coming forward until the internal components of the car were figured out. Tesla’s leached confidence from the ultra-luxury environmentally-friendly market, and people are going to be particularly cautious before plunking down money before there’s a working product. Fisker may have done better by taking a page from the book of BYD’s Wang Chuanfu and driven into next year’s Detroit Auto Show with the Karma already rolling.

Post from: EveryJoe

Karma Comes to Detroit