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Posts Tagged “

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fisker karma

Fisker Karma Hybrid Testing In Southern California

Despite whispers of vaporware and only a little more than four months since the original concept was debuted at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, Fisker has handed out a set of six images of the Fisker Karma testing in Southern California. The prototype looks shockingly similar to the show car and is wearing only the lightest of camouflage, just vinyl stickers which do little to obscure the cars handsome body work. More »

Spy Photos

7:20 PM on Fri May 9 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
4,849 views, 33 comments

alternative energy

Something To Th!nk About Regarding The Coming (Hopefully) Green Vehicle Revolution

When we heard that Th!nk was coming to America our cynicism censors immediately lit up. Is this the same Th!nk that failed here before, went bankrupt, had their electric bike recalled and has annoying punctuation in their name? Yes. But they got that sweet sweet Kleiner Perkins VC money, right? True, that money has yet to produce a commercially successful car. The interesting history of all that below. More »

Feature

4:20 PM on Tue Apr 29 2008
By Matt Hardigree
2,921 views, 29 comments

Latest by kengrubb: In the U.S., an electric vehicle is likely NOT being charged with electricity from a coal source. [www.eia.doe.gov] more »

alternative energy

PopMech Analyzes The Tesla Lawsuit Shenanigans

This week we heard about a couple of lawsuits mythical electric sports car almost-manufacturer Tesla has managed to get tied up in. The first one saw Magna suing Tesla for breach of contract over its transmission design, the other was Tesla going medieval on Fisker for allegedly stealing designs associated with the Tesla Whitestar Hybrid for its Fisker Karma Hybrid. Well Popular Mechanics has gone out and consulted a lawyer-type about the guts of these lawsuits and what the likely outcomes of the twin tussles might be. We just want the slap fights to be over. [Popular Mechanics]

7:00 PM on Fri Apr 18 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
1,726 views, 26 comments

Latest by dwp: @allenparkpete: I can't take credit for the line, it was used in an Autoweek long-term test of a few gen-ago Chrysler minivan which had something like 5 recalls or owner notifications for not insignificant items. it seems to be agreed more »

industry news

Fisker Adding External Speakers To Karma, Michael Stipe Alarmed

Henrik Fisker has announced that his new Karma plug-in hybrid sports car will come equipped with external speakers for pedestrian safety. The four seat Karma goes on sale late in 2009 and is capable of traveling up to 50 miles without using the gasoline engine. While in electric-only mode it's virtually silent, prompting fears that pedestrians could be at risk if they're unable to hear it coming. Capable of playing any sound its owner chooses, one option according to Fisker is, "like something between a Formula One car and a jet plane."

More »

11:20 AM on Fri Mar 14 2008
By Wes Siler
1,586 views, 37 comments

Latest by Number_Six: I want the Luftwaffe Edition sound effects package. You can choose between 'Stuka' for when you're driving aggressively, or 'Squadron of Heinkels' when you're just droning across the New York State Thruway. more »

commenter of the day

Commenter Of The Day: Little Buddha Edition

Remember the great Bernardo Bertolucci's 1993 flick Little Buddha? It was way strange, like stranger even that the third reel of The Sheltering Sky and of course featured Keanu Reeves as Siddhartha well before he ascended to crypto-Jesus übermensch status in The Matrix. All of which is merely background for our mention of the Hindu/Buddhist concept of karma, which cropped up among the Jalopnik commenter today, and in fact distinguished COTD. Read on, to see how the wheel turns. More »

6:30 PM on Thu Mar 13 2008
By Matthew DeBord
932 views, 40 comments

Latest by dculberson: @1300ccsoffury: Except for those parts that aren't aluminum. And those rust with a passion. more »

alternative energy

More on the The Fisker Karma: Vaporware or Military-Industrial Complexity?

Despite a convincing introduction of the Fisker Karma luxury hybrid this week, some of the most unbridled optimists on our Rolodex are whispering the techie's ultimate damnation: it's vaporware. Maybe they're jaded by the reported troubles at Tesla, especially on the heels of such a massive inflow of gushing page-inches and personal salivation (remember, of course, their story isn't over until some fat Chapter 11 attorney sings). Nonetheless, we talked for a bit with Alan Niedzwiecki, CEO of Quantum Technologies, maker of the Q DRIVE series-hybrid system powering Henrik Fisker's luxury sedan. More »

2:00 PM on Thu Jan 17 2008
By Mike Spinelli
1,321 views, 19 comments

Latest by 3wheeler: Ok. Cars are expensive to design, prototype and manufacture, sell and recycle. Even the big boys lose money on the industry. Its a stupid game to be in. So, when I grow up, and have been a director of design more »

detroit auto show

Detroit Auto Show: Fisker Karma Luxury Hybrid, Only $80,000

The big news today is the Fisker Karma Luxury Hybrid, which is going to come at $80,000 and deliver luxury style, GT performance and eco-friendliness. And this isn't a flight of fancy. This is a production model that will be produced in the fourth quarter of 2009 with venture capital funding by Kleiner Perkins, who made big investments in Netscape and Google at the right time that later turned into big victories. A true lithium-ion plug-in hybrid, the electrical system is good for 50 miles of electric-only driving in stealth mode. Otherwise, the second mode of the hybrid system involves a performance-oriented four cylinder engine. The company currently puts the performance at 5.8 seconds 0-60 mph with a top speed of 125 mph (continuous). Interestingly, we also got photos of Mark Fields chatting it up at the Fisker display before the reveal. Old friend, new partner — or maybe a mullet potential curious onlooker attempting to find out more about what's going on under the hood?


More »

Feature

12:45 PM on Mon Jan 14 2008
By Matt Hardigree
10,613 views, 43 comments

Latest by smokes: Corvette-meets-DeLorean look. Who needs education if you can buy top-tech in sleek design? Top-10 if it delivers! more »

detroit auto show

Detroit Auto Show: Fisker Karma Luxury Hybrid

The embargo for the Fisker Karma Luxury Hybrid from coachbuilder Fisker (responsible for questionably revised european luxury models) was broken two days ago and then unbroken by some concerned PR people and now it appears that AutoBlog.it has broken the embargo again! Molto Bene! The Karma Hybrid will be powered by the Quantum Technologies-sourced Q-DRIVE System (a series hybrid with a small gas engine running to generate power for lithium ion battery packs). This is good for a claimed 0-60 mph time of six seconds and a top speed of 125 mph and a range of 50 miles on batteries alone.

[AutoBlog.it]

Feature

6:13 PM on Sun Jan 13 2008
By Matt Hardigree
5,638 views, 41 comments

Latest by RoninianHoon: My dragon tail just poked a hole in my chair... more »

concept cars

Frankfurt Premiere: Karmann/ZF Karma SUV Cabrio

German auto design and engineering suppliers, Karmann and ZF created a conceptual droptop luxury SUV as a showcase car for the companies' technologies and expertise. When the wraps came off the road-ready Karma (oh, c'mon) concept at the Frankfurt show, it attracted more suits to its beefy haunches than Ruth's Chris Steak House. Presumably, they were there to see if the new market niche Karmann and ZF seem to have identified is worth pursuing. We'll probably see something like this in a low-volume context sometime in the future, maybe even by decade's end. More »

4:09 PM on Thu Sep 15 2005
By Mike Spinelli
617 views