fisker karma Archives – The Green Optimistic

Is Fisker Karma Back on Track? $30 Million Lease Deal in California Points to “Yes”

Benji Jerew — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 19:07:41 +0000

Fisker Automotive just didn’t have an easy time of it, between company restructuring, battery problems, and a series of unfortunate events, the premium plug-in hybrid automaker managed to deliver less than 3,000 units before it went bankrupt. Wanxiang Group, a Chinese autoparts giant, bought the company, with plans to restart production of the flagship vehicle, […]

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Elux Karma – ex-Fisker’s New Name, say Wanxiang Sources

Benji Jerew — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 20:33:15 +0000

Wanxiang is dropping the name “Fisker” and going with the new “Elux” brand name. The Elux Karma could be in production by mid-2016, though a production facility has yet to be finalized (read: mid-2017?). Following the story of the Fisker Karma, we find ups and downs that could constitute one of the biggest disappointments in […]

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Fisker Automotive Coming Back, Where or When is Anyone’s Guess

Benji Jerew — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 16:37:19 +0000

After the financial collapse of Fisker Automotive, taxpayers and government officials were decidedly upset. Even when Fisker Automotive’s financial assets were put up for auction, including $192 million in loans, people weren’t happy, mostly because an American company couldn’t manage to sway the courts and the loan handlers. Chinese auto parts giant Wanxiang won the […]

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Wanxiang Group Reinventing Fisker Automotive

Benji Jerew — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 18:35:58 +0000

Fisker Automotive doesn’t exactly have a long history, being founded just seven years ago, but it surely has been a rough history. Multiple problems beset the company and, in spite of promising extended-range electric vehicle technology, Fisker Automotive eventually ceased all production and declared bankruptcy. Wanxiang America, part of Chinese automobile parts giant Wanxiang Group, […]

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Wanxiang America to Restart Fisker Karma Production ASAP

Benji Jerew — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 14:38:30 +0000

Chinese auto parts company Wanxiang wants to restart production of the Fisker Karma, but will anyone buy it with all the baggage it’s carrying? We’ll recall that it’s been over a year since the Fisker Karma stopped production, and pretty much everything was put on hold by the bankrupt Fisker Automotive. Thanks to a series […]

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2014 Green Car Technology Award Nominee – Honda Accord PHEV Powertrain

Benji Jerew — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 14:05:45 +0000

On the 22nd of January, 2014, at the 2014 Washington Auto Show, Green Car Journal will announce the winner of the 2014 Green Car Technology of the Year Award. Until then, we’ve been offering insight into these technologies, ten nominees, to be exact, and what they could mean for the future of automobile transportation. So […]

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Fisker Automotive Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Benji Jerew — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 20:04:16 +0000

It seems like its been a long time in coming, but Fisker Automotive has finally declared Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. After taking out $192 million in US Department of Energy [DOE] loans and better than $500 million from private investors, Fisker Automotive had a very difficult time getting on a roll. The Fisker Karma, and future […]

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VL Destino: The Fisker-Karma-Inspired Car Backed by Bob Lutz

Benji Jerew — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 18:40:24 +0000

Except for its toothy grin, the Fisker Karma is one of the sexier vehicles out there. Its extended-range electric vehicle [EREV] drivetrain makes it even better. With all the problems that Fisker Automotive has been suffering of late, it came as good news that Chinese billionaire Richard Li bought out the Department of Energy [DOE] […]

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Tesla Model S, “Safest Car in America,” Goes Up In Flames?

Benji Jerew — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 17:44:10 +0000

Stock prices and public perception are fickle things and, after a recent Tesla Model S fire, Tesla Motors stock dropped some 6%. Thanks to the internet, everyone in the world can get a glimpse of your worst mistake, and it will live forever in the ether. Yesterday, on Twitter, someone pointed out to me a […]

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Fisker Automotive Loan to be Auctioned – DOE Mostly Likely Will Lose

Benji Jerew — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 20:18:21 +0000

I’m sure it seemed like a good idea at the time, but the chips just didn’t fall right for Fisker Automotive. Fisker’s defaulted loan is now up for auction. In the beginning, Fisker Automotive had been awarded $529 million in guaranteed loans, from DOE’s [Department of Energy] Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, about four years […]

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Chevy Volt, The Electric Vehicle Everyone Can Own

Benji Jerew — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 15:31:53 +0000

Since the original dispute between Ford Model A owners and traditional horse-and-carriage drivers, no automobile technology has been so polarizing as the electric vehicle. Could the Chevy Volt be the ambassador to the conventional crowd? Some people look at the Chevy Volt and see a $34K electric vehicle with a measly 38-mile range. After all, […]

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Breaking News: Founder Henrik Fisker Resigns from Fisker Automotive

Benji Jerew — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:49:10 +0000

Founded in 2007, Fisker Automotive has had a hard time getting up to speed, and today one of the founders, Henrik Fisker, resigns his post as executive chairman. What seemed to start out as a good idea, an electric vehicle with an onboard backup generator, or extended range electric vehicle, hasn’t turned out to be […]

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Fisker Karma Review by an Actual Owner

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:21:46 +0000

In the post-Sandy aftermath, you’ve surely heard of Fisker and their loss of several million dollars-worth of hybrid cars. Karma, Fisker’s flagship hybrid, costs about $100,000 and contains a V8 engine and an electric motor. However, it is not a sportscar, despite its gorgeous looks. As a hybrid, the Karma has no competition, but as […]

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Bad Karma for Fisker: 16 Karma Hybrids on Fire After Sandy

Benji Jerew — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 19:40:16 +0000

Electrified vehicles have had some serious setbacks in public perception, including their limited range, excessive charging times, and higher up-front expenses. Another problem comes from the media, who, every chance they get, paint them as fiery deathtraps, such as a Chevy Volt that caught fire in the NHTSA lab. The media forgot to mention that […]

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