Fisker
Fisker Karma PHEV hits the tarmac for the first time
By Jeff Salton
19:27 August 17, 2009 PDT

The Fisker Karma Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) recently demonstrated how quick it is in two ways – it goes from 0-60mph in six seconds and from concept to public driving debut just 19 months after the company was formed. The 403hp prototype Karma PHEV almost silently attained a top speed of 100mph (using no gasoline) as it made its way around the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races. Read More
Tesla to make battery packs for SMART EV
By Paul Evans
22:12 January 15, 2009 PST

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, announced Tuesday in Detroit that Tesla is producing the battery pack for Daimler AG's Smart EV. The companies, which have been partnering on electric powertrain technology for almost a year and a half, will produce 1,000 vehicles in 2009 and 2010, and Musk said the deal could grow into the "tens of thousands" of Smart EVs after that. Daimler already has an existing relationship with German tier one automotive supplier Continential who will supply a 25kg lithium-ion battery pack, with cells from Johnson Controls-Saft, to be used in the new Mercedes S400 BlueHYBRID hybrid-electric car available from the middle of 2009. Read More
First glimpse: Fisker Karma S
11:14 January 12, 2009 PST

Fisker Automotive has just taken the wraps off the much anticipated technology demonstrator that will become the second model in its plug-in hybrid sportscar range at the 2009 NAIAS. The new two-door, four-seater, hard-top convertible joins the four-door sedan model announced at last year's show and is built on the same versatile Q-DRIVE platform on which the company's range will be based. The sedan model, which boasts a 50 mile electric-drive only range, acceleration of 0-60 in 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 125mph, remains on track for delivery later this year, while the Karma S is expected to hit showrooms in 2011. Read More
The US$80K Fisker Karma luxury plug-in hybrid sports car
By Mike Hanlon
18:20 January 15, 2008 PST

January 16, 2008 We’ve written before about the coming of Fisker Automotive and its highly credentialed designer/CEO Henrik Fisker, though we weren’t exactly expecting a hybrid when the premium sports car company announced its first production car at NAIAS. The Fisker Karma is a four-door plug-in hybrid with a solar panel roof, regenerative braking, a light weight body, does 0-60 mph in less than 6 seconds and will have a top speed beyond 125 mph when it goes on sale late in 2009 for a projected US$80,000. The drive train is entirely electric though the car has a small gasoline engine that runs the generator, which charges the lithium ion battery pack. This allows the car to be driven for up to 50 miles a day provided the car is charged every evening. Read More














gadgetmind
- November 9, 2009 @ 09:47 UTC













