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back to article Fisker Automotive probes second flaming eco car

The luxury sports sedan of the ecologically-minded, the Fisker Karma, is being investigated after another one went up in flames. A Karma caught fire on Saturday when it was parked in Woodside, California, but Fisker Automotive said that neither "the lithium-ion battery pack, new technology components nor unique exhaust routing …

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  1. John Sager

    Saw one of these in a showroom in Bellevue, WA earlier this year. Glad I didn't buy it:)

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  2. J. R. Hartley

    Let the flaming begin!

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    1. Euripides Pants
      Reply Icon
      Coat

      Dude, the flaming already began...

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  3. Paul Hovnanian Silver badge

    Tesla Roadster

    None of this back up petrol engine stuff.

    Up to 245 miles range (depending on the lead in your foot). 0 to 60 MPH in under 4 seconds. And a price tag of over $100K, if that's what impresses your friends.

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  4. Thorne

    Carbon Footprint

    How much carbon is put out by a burning eco car?

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    1. Elmer Phud
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      Re: Carbon Footprint

      "I know, we'll take a trip to the hills in our leccy car and have a picnic in the forest" . . .

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  5. Matt_payne666
    Facepalm

    well, thats Karma for you.....

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  6. lawndart

    Health & Safety tip

    If you have that much money burning a hole in your pocket, it is probably unwise to leave it in the glovebox of your car.

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  7. kiwimuso
    FAIL

    WTF!

    This is a "green" car? It only does 50 miles on leccy. How long to charge? I doubt much leccy will be used at all. It'll mostly be petrol. This is about as green as a Hummer.

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    1. AndyS
      Reply Icon

      Re: WTF!

      Wow. That's a leap of logic.

      80%* of daily journeys are under 50 miles, and a 50 mile range will cover 91%* of all daily miles (even those 54 mile journeys are mostly covered, after all).

      Also, it's got a small engine, since it's backed up by a hybrid system.

      So, it's more like a prius than a hummer, but one where the first 50 miles have no local emissions.

      (* figures from thin air for the sake or argument, but not far from wrong)

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      1. kiwimuso
        Reply Icon

        Re: WTF! @Andy S

        If you are used to 5l plus V8 + engines then yes, I guess a 2 litre 4 cylinder engine is small, but for the average world user 2 litre is still at the larger end of engine sizes. E.g. in UK/Europe the majority of cars are in the lower 1 - 1.8 litre size engine. That is probably true of most of the rest of the world as well.

        Reading their blurb, if the engine is only used to drive the generator, why does it need 2 litres?

        I would have thought that a much smaller engine, even turbocharged if necessary would be more than adequate and probably a damn sight more economical and green.

        BTW Points to ponder on the greenness. How long do the batteries last before needing to be replaced and what's the cost for a new set of batteries. Also what's the green cost of manufacturing and disposing/recycling of those batteries.

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  8. MrT

    Was it...

    ...Justin Bieber's? And was he in it at the time? And did the doors lock and fail to open as well?

    No? Oh well...

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  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Not practical for most folks

    Neither the price nor performance are practical for most people unless all you do is drive in the city and never go anywhere else.

    As far as the second fire it does not appear to be engine nor battery related so we'll need to see what other issues this car has.

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  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    didnt the GM EV1 work just fine in the 1990s? i dont get why gm doesnt bring that back and give customers options with different ranges, the chevy volt seems nice, but isnt needed for everyone... 100 thousand price tag for this one that burns... crazy.

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  11. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    "If you are used to 5l plus V8 + engines then yes, I guess a 2 litre 4 cylinder engine is small, but for the average world user 2 litre is still at the larger end of engine sizes"

    Yup these are being sold in the US. We like our big engines. Also, the Karma is sold as a luxury sports sedan, they didn't want it to fall flat because of the battery running flat.

    "Reading their blurb, if the engine is only used to drive the generator, why does it need 2 litres?"

    Well, since the batteries are flat by this point, the only source of power is the engine. Probably there's considerable battery weight as well.

    "didnt the GM EV1 work just fine in the 1990s? "

    Not particularly, it used lead acid batteries and was VERY heavy. There were considerable concerns about battery life (more so than for more modern batteries.) The range was 70-100 miles, if you want a straight electric car you can get a Leaf, but I'd rather have a little engine (not 2 liters -- actually little!) just in case my juice runs out.

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    1. kiwimuso
      Reply Icon

      @Henry Wertz

      There seems to be a contradiction in terms here.

      If you like your big engines why not just go for a big engine and forget the batteries, especially if you are relying on a 2 litre engine to power not only the weight of the car but in addition, as you say, a considerable weight in batteries.

      Hardly seems worth the effort and expense.

      But of course, like the Prius, the Hollywood posers, who are probably the only ones who could afford them, wouldn't be able to make out that they were "saving the planet" would they.

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