Fisker Automotive unveiled the first factory built luxury plug-in Karma during the Paris Motor Show. Much anticipation and excitement has grown at Fisker Automotive and with the general public wanting to see the production Karma. I must admit, I was part of those waiting to see the Karma. This is the latest iteration of the Fisker Karma hybrid gasoline/electric sports car.
Haven’t we heard this before? Yes, we did. Back in December of 2009 we were told Fisker Karma plug-in electric hybrid sedan will be ready for dealer deliveries by September of 2010. Fisker even began taking pre-orders for the Karma more than a year ago. I hear around 1,300 orders had been taken so far. They are telling everyone the Karma would go on sale next February.
What makes the Karma different from all the other sports cars? The difference is in the plug-in hybrid power-plant. The front-mid-mounted 2-liter gasoline engine extends the range of the dual electric motors in the rear from 50 to 300 miles. Running along that low underbelly are the lithium-ion batteries. When both systems are working together, the Karma is capable of 125 mph and 0-60 in under 6 seconds. Did I mention it gets 100 mpg?
Karma is a hybrid, albeit a very fast, very expensive one, the dual 2010 Fisker Karma electric motors are in the rear of the car. The lithium-ion batteries run along the center line of the chassis, and there’s an EcoTec gasoline engine under the hood. The two electric motors put out 150 kW each, for a total of 403 hp, while the 2-liter turbo engine up front has 265 of its own horsepower. The Fisker Karma can travel 50 miles on battery power alone, and 300 miles using a combination of electric motors and combustion engine.
The Q-drive hybrid technology is amazing, but really, the 2010 Fisker Karma solar roof is one of the most awesome features about the car. The entire roof, from the rear window to the windshield, and from door to door, it is covered in a solar array. The car can actually use the energy captured by the roof to assist the lithium-ion batteries in powering the dual electric motors. The car can’t run on solar power alone. That would take a lot more solar cells than what can actually fit on one car roof.
The Karma solar panel is the largest continuous formed glass solar panel roof. This close-up image was taken just above the driver’s side rear door. When the car is on, it uses whatever solar power the roof is capturing. When the car is off, the driver has a couple of options: “Climate” will use the solar energy to keep the passenger compartment cool while it’s parked; “Charging” will store as much of the solar energy as possible; and “Auto” will use the energy from the roof in whichever way the Karma sees fit.
The Karma will be priced around $88,000.
However, what about the Karmas performance in federal certification, crash-testing and fuel economy tests? I guess I will have to wait and see if I can get those answers before I place my pre-order.