Auto & Car Blog

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, GM, Fisker

Those who were miffed at General Motors for eschewing its initial plans to launch the Chevy Volt with a small 1.0L turbocharged three cylinder engine are probably not going to like this piece of news, but Fisker Automotive has finally settled on an internal combustion engine to recharge the Karma’s on-board lithium ion batteries. It’s a big one, with a full 2.0-liters of displacement and direct injection, oh… and a turbocharger for good measure. While it is definitely debatable whether or not the Karma really needs 260 horses and an equal torque figure to spin its generator (which we’ll leave up to you in the comments… don’t let us down), it’s not really as bad as it may seem.

The Ecotec line of engines from GM are solid pieces of machinery, and the more power that the engine and generator are sending to the battery pack, the quicker the whole shebang will be recharged. It’s an aluminum engine too, so the weight isn’t as bad as it could have been, and it’s fairly fuel efficient with its direct injection as well. So, while we’d love to see the Karma get an exotic, lightweight powerplant, the 2.0L DI Ecotec and its 260 horsepower is, in all actuality, a pretty efficient package when one considers its hefty power-to-weight ratio. Discuss.

[Source: Fisker Automotive]

Continue reading Fisker Karma to use GM’s 2.0-liter turbo’d four

Fisker Karma to use GM’s 2.0-liter turbo’d four originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, I.C.E., GM

Fisker Automotive has apparently decided that 260 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque should be plenty of power to recharge some batteries. Those 260 galloping ponies will come courtesy of the General in the form of its 2.0L direct injected and turbocharged Ecotec four banger, an engine that we’ve sampled ourselves plenty of times. We feel well qualified, therefore, to suggest that this is an excellent motor, but it really sounds like a major case of overkill for this particular application. Perhaps that’s better than “underkill” (if such a word actually existed) as that powerful engine ought to be able to recharge the Fisker Karma’s on-board lithium ion batteries at an extremely brisk pace. The faster the internal combustion engine can charge up the battery pack, the quicker the car can revert back to its native electric-only operation. Plus, that engine is a relatively light chunk of alloy, so the Karma’s motor shouldn’t be burdened by the gasoline-fed boat anchor too horribly under electric power.

We also find it a bit interesting that Fisker chose GM as its powertrain supplier, which means that the Karma and GM’s own Chevy Volt are now even closer cousins than before. Both vehicles will sport four doors, lithium ion batteries and an extended-range electric vehicle drivetrain; and with this announcement, both are now slated to share four cylinder engines from GM. This kinda makes ‘em second-cousins through marriage, no?

Continue reading Fisker Karma to use GM’s 2.0-liter turbo’d four

Fisker Karma to use GM’s 2.0-liter turbo’d four originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Fisker

Fisker Automotive has been quiet for the past two months since the announcement that the cars would be built in Finland by Valmet. As we know, mass producing cars is an enormously expensive proposition which means any company that wants to get into the business has to raise some serious cash. With that in mind Fisker has just completed its third major fundraising round. The biggest chunk of the new $65 million investment is coming from the Qatar Investment Authority with extra funds coming from Kleiner Perkins and Palo Alto Investors. Fisker is still hoping to launch production of the Karma plug-in hybrid sports car in the fourth quarter of 2009. This marks the latest investment in green technologies by Middle Eastern investors. The conspiracy theorists will of course think these investors are just trying bury the technology - especially if Fisker fails to thrive (something that is likely regardless of who puts up the money). The more realistic analysis is simply diversification with the realization that getting rich from oil will eventually become impossible. The Fisker press release is after the jump.

[Source: Fisker]

Continue reading Fisker closes $65 million series funding round

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Coupes, Economy, Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Trucks/Pickups, Dodge, Ford, Mitsubishi

Click image for a look at the other model debuts by the NYT

The Old Grey Lady has officially kicked off the Detroit Auto Show 24 hours early, and they brought some party favors for all their readers to boot. The New York Times’ Automobiles section has a Detroit preview article (dated 1/13, incidentally) in its feature spot. No longer under wraps are the 2009 Dodge Ram, 2009 Ford F-150 Platinum, Mitsubishi Concept-RA, Ford Verve sedan concept, and the Fisker plug-in luxo-hybrid, as all are featured prominently in the piece’s accompanying new vehicle gallery.

The biggest fish in the tank are the two full-size trucks. While Chrysler inadvertently gave us a sneak preview of the Ram last month, Ford has kept the new F-150 well under wraps until now. The model pictured is the tip-top-of-the line F-150 Platinum, in case you were wondering. As for the others, the snazzy blue Ram Sport is looking good to these eyes (more on the ‘09 Ram here), while the Verve concept looks to be a slightly tweaked version of the one shown in China, updated with a coat of red paint and a modified fascia (note the differences in the foglamps). The Mitsubishi Concept-RA has us hankering for a new Eclipse, while the shapely Fisker PHEV looks like a green vehicle we’d be more than happy to pilot daily. You can read the Times’ full preview here. Team Autoblog will assemble in Motown starting tomorrow, but it looks like the fun’s begun in earnest already.

[Source: The New York Times]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read the rest of this entry »