Saw one of these in a showroom in Bellevue, WA earlier this year. Glad I didn't buy it:)
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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Wednesday 15th August 2012 12:48 GMT AndyS
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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Thursday 16th August 2012 04:34 GMT kiwimuso
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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Thursday 16th August 2012 23:46 GMT Henry Wertz 1
"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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Sunday 19th August 2012 12:34 GMT kiwimuso
@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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