Details Released About New Fisker Electric Sedan

We just got done talking about what Henrik Fisker has in mind for his next car. At the time that story ran a few days ago, there were no pictures available of the new car. Fisker has taken a page from Elon Musk’s playbook. He is now giving updates about his new company, Fisker, Inc., via Twitter. Yesterday he posted a photo of what he says is his latest car, which still has no name, so far as anyone knows.

There is little doubt what the new car’s target is. “I think it’s pretty clear when you look at the market, when you look at the premium market, there’s really only one company that is out there, and it’s Tesla,” he told Business Insider last week. To compete, you always need a hook. Elon Musk made falcon wing doors the hook for this latest car, the Model X SUV. Not to be outdone, Fisker’s latest creation will have two pairs of butterfly doors.

Younger people will recognize them from the McLaren F1. Older readers will associate them with the original bad boy supercar, the Lamborghini Countach. In any case, they are not gull wing doors and anyone who calls them that will be cold rolled in hounds tooth upholstery from a 1953 Mercedes 300 SL.

The designer says his sedan will be built primarily out of aluminum and carbon fiber. He also claims it will offer a roomier interior than “its closest competitor.” Gee, do you think he is talking about the Chevy Bolt when he says that?

Speaking of claims, Henrik says his other new venture, Fisker Nanotech, has created a revolutionary new battery that combines the best features of a lithium ion battery and a supercapacitor. Look for 400 miles of range and fast recharging times, he says. The comments we got to that news in our prior article suggest most of our readers are highly skeptical about whether that news is real or just vaporware. After all, Henrik has had some spectacularly bad experience with new battery technology before.

So we will take a wait and see attitude when it comes to the latest Fisker offering. If it performs as advertised, it could actually be the kind of “compelling electric car” Elon Musk is always begging other car companies to make. Fisker says he will be releasing more information about the new car next week. Maybe by then the car will have a name?

Source: The Drive  Photo credit: Fisker, Inc.

New (Sort Of) Karma Revero Seeks To Take A Bite Out Of Tesla Model S Market

The Fisker Karma is back, sort of. After Fisker went bust in 2013, its assets were purchased by Wanxiang, a Chinese company. From 22 employees then, the company has grown to over 600 today. It plans to have nearly 1,000 by the end of the year. The Fisker name is nowhere to be found any more, but the Karma name has been retained. The new version is known officially as the Revero.

Details revealed during the launch this week include a starting price of $130,000, with few options available. The powertrain is virtually unchanged from the original Fisker Karma. It remains a plug-in hybrid with a 260 horsepower turbocharged four cylinder gasoline engine sourced from General Motors. 40 kW  DC fast charging is now available. The battery still uses cells supplied by A123 but has been upgraded from 20.4 kWh to 21.4 kWh. A recharge on standard household current takes 12 hours or 3 hours with the DC fast charging option.

All electric range is said to be 50 miles, which means Revero owners should be able to get to work and back without ever needing an assist from the engine.  The onboard charger has been upgraded from 3.3 kW to 6.6 kW. 0-60 in Sport Mode now happens in 5.4 seconds — 1 second faster than the original car was capable of.

Owners of the Fisker Karma complained bitterly about the lousy touchscreen. Wanxiang has focused the bulk of its attention on making the touchscreen in the new car faster and more responsive. Apple CarPlay is standard. Android Auto will be available soon. Over the air software updates are standard. All cars will come with a built-in 4G wireless hot spot.

Karma will use the same machines at its new California assembly plant that Valmet used to build the Fisker Karma in Finland. Many of the production manuals were in Finnish, so they needed translating before production began. One new feature of the Revero is a solar panel roof that can generate enough electricity in a day to move the car about 1.5 miles.

The Revero is obviously aimed at Tesla Model S owners who still suffer from range anxiety. The car is priced near the top of the Model S range. It is 2 seconds slower than the fastest Model S. It has an exhaust pipe. And while it is not unattractive, it is no ravisbhing beauty, either. Chances are the Revero’s main selling point will be that it is not a Tesla. While there may be a dozen or more Teslas at the local country club, the Revero owner will have the advantage of exclusivity.

Will that be enough to make the Revero a success? Online orders begin at the end of this month. Or you can contact your nearest Karma dealer.

Source: AutoBlog  Photo credit: Karma

2017 Karma Revero revealed with solar roof that can power car

The Karma Revero has been part-revealed on video alongside claims that its solar roof helps to power the car.

The hybrid-electric model is essentially a successor to the Karma of now defunct car maker Fisker, and it builds on that car’s overall design with a largely unchanged exterior. But the fitment of solar panels on the Revero’s roof is an all-new feature, and one that Karma says can actually supply energy to the four-door model’s electrified drivetrain.

Most other solar panel-equipped models, such as the Nissan Leaf(which offers it as an option), use the sun’s energy to power in-car accessories.

American brand Karma says this is the first time a production car has featured such an energy system in the US market.

No further details have been released about the Revero’s drivetrain, but previous reports claim it will use an extensively re-engineered version of the old Karma's drivetrain and battery system, with new parts supplied by BMW.

The original Fisker Karma was built around an aluminium spaceframe and featured a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and two electric motors. The plug-in hybrid system could offer more than 30 miles of pure-electric range.

Karma says the Revero will use a new infotainment system that "represents a departure from the norm", suggesting it'll be a defining feature of the car.

As a hybrid model the Karma Revero will straddle the lines between all-electric rival the Tesla Model S, and more conventional alternatives, such as the Porsche Panamera. Porsche's future Mission E production model could also be an eventual rival.

Karma will fully reveal its new Revero next month and will start taking orders later this year. Cars will be built at the firm’s California factory.

The newly formed Karma Automotive has been built upon the remains of Fisker Automotive, which closed for business in 2013 because of a lack of funding. With new Chinese owners Wanxiang Group providing a stronger financial backing to the renamed Karma, insiders are anticipating a more productive future for the American company.