Ex-BMW designer bets big on plug-in hybrids
A beautifully styled plug-in hybrid represents the green car philosophy of ex-BMW designer Henrik Fisker. Using his own money, Fisker is betting the barn on plug-in hybrid technology.
Henrik Fisker is the BMW designer that is responsible for the Z8, as well as for the Aston Martin DB9 and Vantage. That would certainly explain the looks of the new Fisker Karma, the flagship of Fisker Automotive.
The Karma is a four-door with GT styling, due to be launched in June of 2010. Fisker’s personal automotive philosophy and environmental beliefs are responsible for the new automotive entry being a plug-in hybrid. There is a philosophical and financial battle going on for the future bragging rights of the different alternative-fuel strategies. Fisker is betting on plug-in hybrids in a big way.
At a recent dinner speech, he said plug-in hybrids, or PHEVs, will be the dominant type of car for the next 10 to 15 years. Fisker has been intelligent in the ramp-up to his car. He looked very carefully for off-the-shelf parts, and partnered early with Southern California-based Quantum Technologies, who had previously built a series of hybrid-drive concept vehicles for the military, according to a CNET story. Their system, called Q-Drive, uses two rear-drive motors, a lithium ion battery pack that runs longitudinally down the center of the car, and a gasoline engine as a range extender under the hood.
The Q-Drive system produces a hybrid total of 400 horsepower and has already undergone significant testing by Quantum Technologies. Fisker is not going to build either the car or the engine. The engine will be bought from GM, who currently uses the turbocharged four-cylinder in the Pontiac Solstice GXP. The battery pack will come from Enerdel, and the Karma will be built by the Finnish company Valmet.
Having another company actually build the cars might seem to be an odd and risky choice, but Valmet has already proved itself to be a competent contract builder via the production of the Porsche Boxster and Cayman. Once again, we have a very sporty alternative energy car, selling in the range of $80,000, reminiscent of the Tesla, and totally out of the price range of anyone but the very wealthy.
These are both nice choices for the rich and famous, and maybe those are the only people that Tesla and Fisker care about. However, the rich and famous crowd is not going to do much to wean us off foreign oil, the stated objective of both these manufacturers. As cool as they are, both these cars are a real-world fail.
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