Fisker Karma Begins Production
Fisker said it wants to build 7,000 Karmas in 2012. That’s down from an expected 15,000 in an earlier statement.
The Karma works like the Chevrolet Volt. The vehicle’s lithium-nanophosphate batteries give the vehicle an estimated 50-mile EV range and 300 miles of total range with the gas generator in play, too. If you want to go faster than 95 mph — the limit for electric-only driving — the gas generator will kick in to let the sedan go up to 125 mph. The car can fully charge in eight to 10 hours with a 240-volt plug. The 403-horsepower dual electric motors can propel the vehicle from zero to 60 mph in as little as 5.8 seconds.
Fisker originally priced the Karma at $87,900, but it has risen to $95,900. It is eligible for a tax credit worth up to $7,500.
By 2013, the company hopes to produce 100,000 electric vehicles a year at a reconstituted GM plant in Delaware, and many leading analysts say that’s a wildly optimistic goal, according to Delaware Online. The company wants to start selling a midsize plug-in sedan that starts a little under $50,000, along with an SUV. Fisker is operating with a $528.7 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to build those vehicles in the U.S.
