Fisker Karma
Having made its debut in the Rolex Historic Monterey Automobile
Race, the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid car is simultaneously
fast and silent. Having done laps at the Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway
at a hundred miles per hour, the silence of the car as it sped
along was uncanny and refreshing at the same time.
After its unveiling in 2009 at the Detroit Auto Show, the car
has already been doing laps, to the amazement of many car aficionados.
The Fisker Karma is considered as far along technologically
as the General Motor's Volt. Just like the Chevy Volt, the Karma
uses the same technology basic to the Volt. The bodywork of
the Karma, however, is miles apart in terms of sex appeal.
To begin with, power is provided by a 22 kilowatt per hour
lithium Enerdel manganese battery. This battery delivers 403
horsepower to one pair of electrical motors and an amazing 959
torque pound feet to the wheels in the rear.
With a range of 50 miles on power that is purely electric,
the 2-liter direct injection turbocharged Ecotec GM engine (which
is since it is competing with the GM Volt) runs and powers a
generator that is 175-kilowatts in order for the electrical
motors to keep running. This car is made to deliver about 100
mpg in combined highway and city driving (though it is much
harder to judge MPGs on plug-ins as it is regular hybrids).
With a list price of $87,900, the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid
car has a top quality interior and a great fit and finish. The
prototype is 99-percent what you are going to see being produced.
Since the launch of its prototype, there have been over a thousand
orders for this luxury plug in hybrid.
Roughly the same in width and length as the BMW seven series,
the Fisker Karma is as tall as a Porsche 911. This makes the
car look a lot bigger than it really is. Even if it does bear
a bit of a resemblance to the Quattroporte of Maserati, this
car is still very distinctive. This is because nothing really
quite looks exactly the same way as the Karma does.
Taking environment consciousness to another level, the four
door four hundred-three horsepower Karma can go from 0-60 mph
about six seconds. With a top speed of 124 miles per hour, this
car is able to achieve zero tailpipe emissions.
Some included car features are 22-inch wheels, a sculpted body,
a 10.2 inch haptic control center touch screen, trunk space
enough for two sets of golf clubs and reclaimed wood trims.
Also available is an interior trims package that is animal-free.
Basically, the design priority of the Fisker Karma plug-in
hybrid car was for the aluminum frame space to have high torsion
rigidity which could be adjusted depending on the model variants
of the car. Some of the world's most well-known cars have been
benchmarked to create this new type of space frame.
|
