Fisker Karma Silently Races Around Laguna Seca

Fisker Automotive co-founder and COO Bernhard Koehler drove a one lap wonder around the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races. The Fisker Karma PHEV, a 403hp prototype Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) attained a speed of 100 mph running solely on electric power.

Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker believes the single lap shows a lot of promise: "This demonstration represents a significant milestone for Fisker Automotive and PHEV technology. The future of clean cars is bright." The automaker has indicated that it has already sold through its first round of Karma automobiles planned for production.

Built for speed, the Fisker Karma has a top speed of 125mph and has a 0-60 mph time of 6 seconds, comparable to the often mentioned Tesla Roadster. Unique in its powertrain concept, the Karma combines two electric-powered motors with a 260hp four-cylinder gasoline engine to produce this all around interesting electric vehicle. Venture capital companies, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Palo Alto Investors and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) are investors in the company, which introduced the Karma less than two years ago. This type of speed-to-market is what will make automotive newcomers quickly competitive with traditional automakers like GM, Ford, Toyota and Honda.

The Fisker Karma Navigates the famous Corkscrew at Laguna

Using Lithium-ion batteries, the Karma has a range of 50 emission-free miles on a full charge and a total range of 300 miles when adding in the gas-powered engine. The automobile can be charged using a 220V plug.

No comments have been provided.