Fisker Says Karma will Reach its 2011 Sales Target, Pushes Back Production of $50k Nina to Mid-2013

Just yesterday, Fisker sold the first example of its Karma extended-range hybrid sedan after receiving the necessary EPA certification - though the mpg numbers weren't exactly what the company hoped for…Despite the delay, Henrik Fisker, CEO and co-founder of the company, insists that the Karma will reach its sales target for 2011, which is a rather optimistic 7,000 units.
“Analysts have to look at it from a different perspective”, he said, dismissing reports that the Karma did not delivered what it promised. “We’ve already defied the analysts a couple of times. We’ve made it. We’re delivering cars.”
However, the not-so-good karma (pun intended) that made Fisker delay the timeline set for the sedan and miss the original targets seems to be affecting its second model line as well.
Fisker has already signed a deal with BMW to get the German firm's new 2.0-liter supercharged TwinPower engines for Project Nina, which is a smaller hybrid sedan. However, the timeline of its launch has already been pushed back a year, from 2012 to mid-2013.
Whereas Valmet in Finland builds the Karma, the Nina will be manufactured in Delaware, USA. And while Fisker currently employs just 120 people, its new ex-GM in Delaware facility will have some 2,500 workers.
The reason is that the Nina will have a much higher production volume of 100,000 cars per year. Whether this is a realistic target remains to be seen. So far, Henrik Fisker has brought his first high-profile hybrid to the market and has begun filling the 3,000 orders the company says it has for the Karma.
Story Sources: Delaware Online

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Official: New Volvo V60 Plug-In Diesel Hybrid to go on Sale in 2012

Volvo announced today that the plug-in hybrid version of its V60 estate, which was developed in cooperation with Swedish energy supplier Vattenfall and revealed at the Geneva Motor Show this past March, will go on sale in select markets in 2012.

The new V60 plug-in hybrid combines a 215HP 2.4-liter five-cylinder turbodiesel with a 70HP electric motor that draws energy from a 12kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The internal combustion engine motivates the front wheels while the electric motor transfers power to the rear wheels.
The driver can choose between three driving modes: Pure, Hybrid and Power. The first mode offers electric-only propulsion for up to 50 km (31 miles), while the other two combine both motors, with "Hybrid" giving a priority to low consumption and "Power" to maximum performance.
The batteries can be fully charged in about five hours from a regular household outlet.
The V60 Plug-in hybrid has a maximum driving range of 1,200 km (746 miles) and according to Volvo, returns a combined fuel consumption of 1.9 lt/100 km (123.8mpg), though this figure includes the use of the electric motor.
The automaker said that the cost of running on electricity in Sweden has been calculated at about 25 kronor (EUR 3.0 or US$3.7) per 100 km (62 miles).
"One important aspect of the project was to retain the Volvo V60's excellent driving pleasure, high safety standard and luxurious comfort," said Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Cars. "At the same time, average CO2 emissions and fuel consumption will be halved compared with what is available on the market today," he added.
Volvo has yet to announce pricing and more specific details on availability, but said that due to the cost of the battery pack, the V60 plug-in hybrid will be more expensive than regular versions.

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First UK Fisker Karma Sold for Charity Double the Normal Price

The first example of the Fisker Karma to be available for sale in the UK was auctioned off at a charity event held at Camden’s Round House. The highest bidder paid £140,000 ($220,689 US) – or more than double the car’s sticker price. The model in question will get a unique plaque signed by the company’s CEO, Henrik Fisker.
The plaque, or the bragging right to owning the first extended-range electric Karma in the UK, wasn’t the reason for this generosity: all proceeds from the auction, which raised over £870,000 ($1,371,120 US) will go to the Pratham UK organization.
Pratham UK is a chapter of the children’s charity that was founded by UNICEF in 1994 to ensure that all children in India receive an education. The funding will be used for programs like “Read India”, which aims to improve reading and arithmetic skills of children in the country’s rural areas.

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Toyota Returns to Le Mans with Hybrid LMP1 Racer

Seems like the Nürburgring record for an electric vehicle set last August was just the beginning of Toyota’s electric charge into the world of motorsports.
The company's racing division, Toyota Motorsport, announced today that it will enter the 2012 World Endurance Championship which, for the first time, is organized both by FIA and ACO, the club that runs the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and the Intercontinental Le Mans Series.
The Japanese company will develop a brand-new, gasoline-electric hybrid racer that will compete in the top LMP1 class. The chassis will be built byToyota Motorsport in its Cologne, Germany headquarters, which previously served as its Formula 1 base, while the hybrid powertrain will be engineered in Japan.





Toyota’s head of motorsport activities, Tadashi Yamashima, commented: “We have competed in Le Mans before, but by using our hybrid technology, our participation in 2012 will be completely new. We want to make history in the Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as in the FIA World Endurance Championship, through the use of our hybrid technology.”
In order to do so, Toyota’s hybrid racer will have to upstage current winner Audi as well asPeugeot, both of which compete in the LMP1 class.
The Japanese automaker hopes that its new assault on Le Mans will yield better results than its last attempt in the late ‘90s with the GT One that was fast but not fast enough to score a win.

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Organization wants NYC's Central Park Carriage -Horse Operators to Trade in Mr. Ed for Mr. EV

NY-Class is a not-for-profit organization on a mission to replace the Big Apple’s venerable (though some say inhumane) carriage-horse industry with clean, electric-drive “show cars”.

These “21st Century Horseless Carriage” may look like something from the turn of the twentieth century, but behind the white walls and running boards sit five modern lithium-ion battery packs good for 8 to 10 hours travel time on a 2 to 3 hour charge.
NY-Class – an acronym forNew Yorkers for Clean,Livable And Safe Streets – commissioned the Fort Lauderdale, FL based Creative Workshop to produce a two-foot-long model of their proposal. The lime-green miniature is said to have cost US$12,500 (€9,335), which is an achievement in itself.
Jason Wenig of Creative Workshop describes the look of the finished product thusly: “Brass is going to be everywhere, and it’s going to be shiny and beautiful.”





It will have a convertible top, room for six passengers and a cruising speed of 5 mph (8 km/h). NY-Class hopes that 68 of these cars could soon replace Central Park’s carriage horses altogether. Each unit is expected to cost between US$125,000 to US$175,000 (€93,346 to €130,685) compared to roughly US$15,000 (€11,202) for a new horse and carriage.
NY-Class proposes that the cars could be leased, rather than bought, for US$21,000 (€15,682) a year.
Ed Sayres, NY-Class co-president and president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) had this to say about the proposed cars: “They’re guaranteed not to urinate or defecate in the middle of your romantic moment.”
Despite the fact the cars would meet all government safety regulations, probably require less upkeep than their mammalian equivalents and offer both riders and passengers the same levels of liability coverage as rickshaws and yellow cabs, the carriage-horse industry has staunchly resisted NY-Class’s proposal.
Cornelius Bryne, who owns one of the New York’s four carriage horse stables, had this to say about it: “I don’t think there are any kids out there that are going to want to pet and kiss the fender of a car.”





This just goes to show he’s never met any of our younger readers […]. Still, NY-Class is not deterred, as one can see from this comment by organization co-founder Steve Nislick:
“New York City has long awaited this change. By incorporating 21st century technology and 19th century nostalgia, this eco-friendly car will create vast improvements in the industry. Together with the Department of Consumer Affairs, this business can be regulated, similar to the yellow cab industry, and prevent these systemic abuses.”
If approved, Mr. Sayres believes the organization “show cars” could be on the roads within twelve months.
Whether or not NY-Class can get buy in from New York’s US$15 million (€11 million) per year carriage-horse industry, however, is another matter.

By Tristan Hankins

Story References: NY-Class via NY Times , Photo Credits: The Creative Workshop [Thanks to Jason W. for the pictures]

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Seven Major Carmakers Agree on a Common EV Charging Protocol

ACEA, the European car manufacturers’ association, recently called for a common electric vehicle charging standard to be adopted by all automakers. This would be the ideal solution for a unified infrastructure, which in turn, would further boost EV sales.

No sooner had the association’s call been published and seven major manufacturers from Europe and the U.S. but oddly enough, not from Japan, namely Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen, announced an agreement to support “a harmonized single-port fast charging approach” for electric vehicles in Europe and North America.





The seven companies agreed to use the "HomePlug Green Phy" as the common communication protocol for charging their EVs, as it will facilitate easy integration in future “smart” grid applications.
The carmakers say that their decision was based on analysis of existing charging strategies, ergonomics of the connector and preferences of US and European customers.
This charging solution is backwards compatible both with the J1772 connector that is standard in the US and the European IEC 62196 Type 2.

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Nissan Drops Price of LEAF Home Charging System to $1,818

Good news for American customers interested in acquiring Nissan's pure-electric LEAF hatchback with a home charging system as the Japanese company announced today a noteworthy price drop.
When Nissan released pricing for the LEAF in 2010, the home charging system, developed by AeroVironment, carried an MSRP of US$2,200. Now it is available at a cost of US$1,818, including hardware and installation services for or a typical home fitting.





“By reducing the standard price for the installation of the Nissan LEAF home charging system, we aim to make the system accessible to a wider range of consumers,” said Brendan Jones, director, Nissan LEAF marketing and sales strategy, Nissan North America.
The Nissan-approved charging package remains the same and it includes a UL-listed charging dock, on-site help, installation, hands-on user training, 3-year hardware and service warranty plus 24/7, single point-of-contact availability.

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Not so Fast: UK Proposed 80mph Speed Limit only for Electric Vehicles?

Last week, British Transport Secretary Philip Hammond surprised everyone when he announced the government’s intent to raise the highway speed limit to 80 mph (128 km) by 2013, in order to cut travelling times, reduce pollution and reflect today’s reality.
However, earlier this week, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne had another surprise in store for UK motorists: while speaking on BBC’s Politics Show about the UK’s cut on carbon emissions, he said that the new 80 mph limit could apply only to electric vehicles!
Even though Huhne said that there are several European countries with higher speed limits and have a greener reputation than the UK, he suggested that the new limit could be variable (...) and only applied to EVs.





The Department of Energy and Climate Change spokesperson wouldn’t comment on the issue, noting that they would cooperate with the Department of Transport to ensure that “the environment and carbon impact of any change in the speed limit is fully understood”.
Now, given most EVs’ top speed and range, we suppose that this change would be irrelevant anyway: we can’t imagine anyone depleting all the battery’s charge in a short time to get his/her kicks accelerating to the incredible speed of… 80 mph.
Not even if he owned the NISMO Leaf racer pictured above, which has a top speed of 93 mph and a 20-minute range...
Story References: The Guardian

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Video: Tesla Model S' Humongous 17-inch Infotainment Screen

Lexus may like to swagger about the new 2013 GS sedan's available 12.3-inch touchscreen, but when it comes to ultimate bragging rights, Tesla is king with the Model S' truly gigantic 17-inch multitouch display.





The crew over at Autoblog.com shot a video of the upcoming Model S during the presentation of the car earlier this month with a Tesla spokesperson highlighting its attributes.
The screen has roughly the same size as two Apple iPads placed one on top of the other. It comes with a Linux-based OS and it provides a slew of features ranging from a web browser and Google Maps navigation systems to controls for the sunroof and the air conditioning.
According to the Tesla spokesman, when the pure-electric Model S hits the streets, the display will be fully customizable offering buyers the possibility to add various third-party apps and download different themes to change its appearance.
Story References: Autoblog.com

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GM Insists it Will Sell 10,000 Volts this Year but the Numbers Don’t Seem to Add Up

Earlier this week, General Motors released its US sales results for September. And the numbers are looking good as deliveries are up 20% compared to September 2010 while the Cruze remains the best-selling compact car in the country.

Yet, despite all the euphoria, GM is actually facing a small problem: even though it had initially set a target of delivering 10,000 units of its Volt hybrid by the end of the year, it is very unlikely that it will achieve this goal.
Up until the end of August, a little more than 3,000 Volts were sold. If we add the 723 September deliveries then we have a total of 3,895 units. Considering that, time is running out,Chevrolet must sell an additional 6,105 cars by the end of the year – or an average of 2,035 units per month from now until the end of December.





In August alone, the Nissan Leaf outsold the Volt by more than four to one (300 vs 1,300 units). GM spokesman Rob Peterson, however, remains optimistic: “I don’t see any problem with reaching our goal”, he said.
Peterson says that GM is only now starting to gear up production and availability of its extended-range hybrid. The Volt was initially available in seven markets, but from now on it will be sold by 2,600 Chevy dealerships across all 50 states.
In order to achieve this, GM had to close down its Detroit factory for a period of four weeks to perform upgrades so it can churn out more vehicles. This was essential, as all variants of the Volt including the European Opel Ampera, will be manufactured at the Detroit plant.
Peterson, therefore, points out that it isn’t lack of interest from buyers but inventory shortage that has limited Volt sales so far – and that is about to change rapidly: “Despite being sold only in seven states, Volts have found homes in all 50 states including Alaska and Hawaii. They want the car so badly they’re buying them and shipping them across oceans and continents.”
There is another role the Volt plays in the grander scheme of things and which works to GM’s advantage: that of a “halo” car drawing people to Chevrolet showrooms.





“Of the initial batch of Volt owners, about half hadn’t stepped into a Chevy dealership in eight years. And a third of them never had," Peterson pointed out.
What’s more, customers initially drawn by the Volt may eventually end up buying other models, like the Cruze compact sedan that has been a hit so far.
Still, shifting 6,000 cars in three months is going to take a lot of effort, and perhaps heavy incentives, if Chevrolet wants to get anywhere near that number.
Story References: Chicago Tribune & General Motors

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Taiwan’s All-Electric Studio X-Gene Avant GT

t’s called the Avant GT and it looks like someone tried to make a Porsche Panamera out of a Honda Crosstour. The pure-electric model was first shown in Shanghai earlier this year and it’s the product of five companies – none of which have any real experience building cars – including Taiwanese design firm Studio X-Gene, financial partner Altair ProductDesign and technological partners Delta Electronics, Wistron and Qisda.

The Avant GT is being marketed as, “a pure electric sports grand tourer” – which I suppose makes it Taiwan’s Tesla or Fisker wannabe. Let’s see what the company bigwigs have to say about it, starting with Studio X-Gene executive director Albert Yang:



"The Avant GT is a unique project for Studio X-Gene and represents the quality of automotive design expertise available in Taiwan today. Partnering with Altair ProductDesign proved invaluable. Combining our design knowledge with Altair's engineering and optimization expertise has allowed us to deliver this exciting, high-performance new vehicle to the Shanghai Auto Show and really make an impact on the automotive community."





When will it be on sale? We don’t know. How much will it cost? We don’t know that either, though we guess we'll find out soon enough.
By Tristan Hankins
Story References: Studio X-Gene via Cnet

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