Today was the first I’d heard of the Fisker Karma, a car which promises to be a sport sedan with a electric/gas hybrid drive similar to the Chevy Volt – that is, the car always runs on the electric motor, and a small gas engine operates as a generator to keep the lithium-ion battery pack charged. Unlike current hybrids such as the Prius, the gas engine never directly drives the wheels. You plug the car in overnight to charge the batteries, and trips of less than about 50 miles will run on battery power only, without the engine ever needing to fire up.
I’ve read a fair bit about the Tesla, Phoenix SUT, and some other electric cars, and I try to keep an eye out for news on the Volt and other green cars, but I’d never heard of the Karma before. After poking around today, I was initially inclined to dismiss it as vaporware, but then I read that they evidently have a prototype out on the track. Of course, there’s no telling what kind of powerplant the prototype has, but the fact that they have a running car of some kind is promising. Still, the company seems to have just come together in January 2007, and they’re saying they’re going to start delivery in December 2009. I’m skeptical.
Anybody think they’re going to hit the streets next year? Anybody have any information better than the speculation of auto blogs and the trumpeting of the manufacturer? Anybody share my opinion that the car, the interior especially, is a full-fledged eyesore? At $80 Grand, it’s about $60 Grand out of my price range, but it’d be cool if they build it (even with the godawful styling).