Another exciting debut set for Los Angeles next week is the first-factory built Fisker Karma, which makes its very first public appearance in the US.
Designed and engineered by Southern California automaker Fisker Automotive, the four-door Karma is claimed to be the ‘first electric vehicle with extended range’.
Driven only by electric motors at all times the Karma delivers the zero-tailpipe-emissions of an all-electric vehicle but can eliminate range anxiety thanks to its 300 mile (480 km) range.
Designed to be a luxury sports car, the Karma is unlike any of its competitors. Built with the intension of offering ‘responsible luxury’, the car features leather source from an energy self-sufficient plant which uses waste products to power its leather-making processes, helping it to generate material with an ultra-low carbon footprint. The Karma’s interior also uses wood sourced from ‘fallen, sunken and rescued sources’-no live tree is ever cut down.
A completely unique vehicle, Fisker has 70 patents for its car. One of these unique technologies is the world’s largest continuous solar panel roof ever used on a car. This sculptured panel helps the Karma capture the power of the sun to further reduce its carbon footprint.
Fifty miles (80 km) of all-electric drive is delivered by the car’s 20 kWh lithium ion battery, which can be recharged in as little as six hours on standard 240-volt current. When the battery is depleted, or when the driver engages Sport mode, the Karma’s 2.0L, turbocharged four-cylinder Ecotec gasoline engine powers the generator which in turn powers the car.
Despite sports car performance delivered by its 403 hp capacity, the Karma achieves an average economy of 100 mpg and emissions of just 83g/km.
“The Fisker Karma represents our goal of bringing an eco-friendly vehicle founded on the principals of ‘Pure Driving Passion’ to consumers around the world,” said Henrik Fisker, CEO. “As a center for style and culture made up of people who are proud to express their personalities and their concern for the environment, Los Angeles is the perfect place for the Karma to make its North American debut.”
Mr. Fisker is responsible for designing some of the most desirable and iconic luxury sports cars of the modern era, including the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Aston Martin DB9, BMW Z8 and others.
