Fisker Karma Makes Global Road Debut

What’s the latest news about Fisker Automotive?

Well, there is plenty going on with the Irvine, CA-based company who is working diligently to bring its luscious full sized sedan to the market next year. Two weeks ago, at the Mazda Raceway in Monterey, California, a prototype of the Karma made its driving debut. This was an amazing feat given that a concept of the car was shown for the first time at the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

Tops 100 MPH On The Track

This time next year, the first Fisker Karmas are expected to be in the hands of its customers.

The prototype vehicle was put through the paces, allowing the 403 horsepower all electric vehicle to top 100 mph, utilizing both Sport (hybrid) and Stealth (electric only) modes as it traversed the track. Bernhard Koehler, Fisker Automotive co-founder and COO, was behind the wheel.

The Karma, when it goes into production next year on a Finnish assembly line, will be the first production plugin electric vehicle (PHEV) to hit the market. The car will go from zero to sixty in just six seconds and have a top speed of 125 mph. Importantly, the Karma’s fuel mileage will easily eclipse 100 mph with carbon emissions much lower than the current crop of hybrids plying our roads today.

First Deliveries Summer 2010

Fisker Automotive is currently taking orders for the Fisker Karma, with the first customer deliveries expected to begin in Summer 2010. The sedan is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack with a range of fifty miles on the battery alone. To extend its range, the Karma will tap a small four-cylinder gasoline engine, a 260 horsepower motor that will work in tandem with an on-board generator.

The Karma’s potent gas engine combined with a pair of electric motors make up what the company calls its Q-Drive powertrain, exclusive to the Fisker Karma and future models. According to Fisker, the Q-Drive system will deliver the ultimate combination of performance, range and efficiency.

Now Forming: U.S. Retail Network

Initial sales of the Karma will be made to customers in Europe and the United States. In the U.S., Fisker is putting the finishing touches on a dealer network that will span from coast to coast.  Each of the dealers already chosen have experience working with premium brands and many are family owned businesses.  Some of the retail locations must still be finalized but each state (as well as one shop in British Columbia) have been identified.

Source:  Fisker Automotive

See Also — Fisker Funding Finalized: Series C, That Is

Looking Beyond The Ford Fusion Hybrid

Ford Focus ST

Ford fans, especially those interested in hybrid and/or electric technology, know that the automaker is working diligently to move forward in this arena, pursuing a number of different avenues to reach their goal.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid represent the second group of passenger vehicles that Ford has developed featuring hybrid technology (utilizing nickel-cadmium batteries), joining the Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid which recently celebrated their fifth anniversary of production.

Rolling Out Lithium-Ion Batteries

At some point, the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the three other Ford and Mercury branded vehicles currently utilizing nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries are expected to make the switch over to lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries. Li-ion batteries have a number of advantages including an improved energy density, twice that of NiCads. However, aging and other issues are some of the unknowns related to this technology which means that its long term usability still isn’t clear.

Nevertheless, a number of automotive manufacturers are pursuing li-ion technology, racing to become the first manufacturer to mass produce a vehicle with these types of batteries. Right now, the limited production Tesla Roadster uses li-ion batteries as will the upcoming Fisker Karma sport sedan.

What Ford Has Planned

Ford will embrace the new technology and has ambitious plans to take a leadership role by offering the following:

All Electric Transit Connect — Imported from Europe, the Transit Connect will do to the entry level commercial van market what the Ford E Class did for big vans. Moreover, Ford is working with a British battery supplier to produce a limited number of pure electric Transit Connects beginning next year. Yes, the Transit Connect EV will likely beat Nissan’s own electric sedan to the market in 2010, by at least a few months.

Ford Focus EV — In keeping with its plans to bring the European Focus (pictured) to the United States, Ford is converting an assembly plant in Wayne, MI to produce its global compact car.  Ford just announced that beginning in 2011, an electric Focus will also be produced, becoming the first pure electric passenger vehicle from the automaker.

Next Generation Hybrid — Although fairly mum on this point, Ford says that its next generation hybrid vehicle will roll out in 2012. I believe that this means that the current Fusion/Milan will switch from NiCad to li-ion batteries, particularly if the earlier Transit Connect and Ford Focus models prove to be a success.

First Ever PHEV — Ford is currently testing its plug-in hybrid Escape or Escape PHEV, a vehicle with an extended electric range. Ford says it is possible for drivers to get around 100 mpg with its PHEV; I believe this means that the technology will find its way into the next generation Escape/Mariner.

The New Face Of Ford

When all is said and done, the Ford line up will look vastly different than it does now as the automaker shifts from producing big trucks and sport/utility vehicles to smaller, lighter and much more environmentally friendly vehicles.

You’ll still be able to buy your F-150 or Taurus, but the bulk of Ford, Mercury and Lincoln sales will be those involving vehicles currently sold in Europe and those featuring hybrid, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and pure electric engineering technology.

Photo courtesy of the Ford Motor Company.

Ford Spends Millions Retooling Michigan Truck Plant

Michigan Assembly Plant

The Ford Motor Company is in the midst of a seismic shift in the way that they do business. In 2008, as gas prices surged toward $4/gallon and beyond, the automaker announced its new commitment to bring as many as six European models to the North American market by the end of 2012.

Converting Trucks Plants To Compact Car Plants

To bring about that effort, Ford has been retooling plants in the US and Mexico, most recently transforming its Michigan Assembly Plant from one that once made pickup trucks to a plant supporting small car architecture.

Ford’s investment in the Wayne, MI plant will total $550 million and preserve as  many as 3200 jobs. State and local tax grants and incentives are also paving the way for the transformation of the plant which once built beefy Lincoln Navigator and Ford Expedition sport/utility vehicles to an assembly line tasked with building the next generation Ford Focus. The Focus model will also include an all-electric model, a car powered only by a lithium-ion battery pack.

Three Truck Plants Being Converted

Ford says that three of its North American assembly plants that once produced trucks will now build its small cars (Cuautitlan Assembly in Mexico and Louisville Assembly in Kentucky are the other two).

The automaker is banking on consumer demand for these types of vehicles despite fuel prices currently hovering around the $2/gallon mark. Most analysts believe that gas prices will eventually rise, perhaps topping $4/gallon by the time the new Focus is ready.

The Ford Focus Battery Electric Vehicle

Ford had promised to roll out a pure electric vehicle for the passenger market after first announcing that its Transit Connect all purpose vehicle would introduce the technology beginning in 2010. The Focus BEV (battery electric vehicle) is designed to be plugged into any 110-volt home outlet, with many customers likely to work with their power companies to get a 220-volt connection via their garage. In addition, numerous cities and private businesses are working on establishing a grid system in their areas to support recharging away from home.

Besides the Transit Connect and the Focus BEV, Ford’s next generation hybrid vehicle is to arrive in 2012 and be joined by a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV). Ford believes that its gamble to transform itself from a builder of primarily large trucks and sport/utility vehicles to a maker of compact, efficient cars will pay off, part of its own effort to remake its image in the domestic market to match pretty much what it sells on a global level, particularly from mid-size vehicles on down in size.

Source: Ford Motor Company

See Also — First Drive: Ford Escape PHEV