Fisker Karma: Right Car, Wrong Price |
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Fisker Karma
Fisker Karma explains how it works:
A fully-charged Karma burns no fuel for the first 50 miles. Venture further and the gasoline engine turns a generator to charge the lithium ion battery. Once the 50-mile electric range has been exceeded, the car operates as a normal hybrid vehicle. This balance of electric and gas range makes it entirely possible that Karma drivers who charge their car overnight and commute less than 50 miles a day will achieve an average fuel economy of 100 mpg (2.4L/100km) per year.
As I said earlier, I might have missed other competing cars. One car manufacturer that I have kept my eyes on is Tesla. While they have good range, they are pure electric and thus not a practical on longer staycations.
As recently as three months ago, I would have thought the notion of such a car would be ridiculous in my life. I was working from home and my apartment didn't have a place to charge the car. However, my new place a two car garage that would make for easy nightly charging. The 50-mile range is also perfect for my 40-mile round trip commute.
I won't be waiting in line for a Fisker Karma. At a price north of $87,000 it's not economical. Even if we assume charging the Karma were free (which it wouldn't be), it still wouldn't be worth it on fuel costs alone. If I assume using 2 gallons of gas a day (20mpg) in my regular car, I would pay $5 in gas costs. In about 250 work days (taking out weekends and vacations), that's $1250 a year in gas. It would take many, many years before those savings match other cars. Maybe the Karma is priced in line with other similar sports cars - the Acura NSX comes to mind - but that doesn't work for the average car budget.
All is not lost... Fisker says that it will work to release an affordable car on the same technology. It's waiting for some government legislation to help it out with some grant money, so it could be some time.
At what price would you consider buying an electric, gas hybrid?
This post deals with:car manufacturer, electric car, gasoline engine, hybrid vehicle, lithium, lithium ion battery
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The Fisker Karma is an overpriced Chevy Volt.
Look for the Chevy Volt in the future. Same technology, half the price.
I’m waiting on the Tesla Model S. $50,000, but is fully electric and can run up to 300 miles, depending on battery size.
Here’s the catch with electric cars. While they are very expensive, they require no gas, and have very few mechanical parts compared to a gasoline powered vehicle. Fewer moving parts means far less maintenance, which is something most people don’t factor.
Good call on the Volt, Tom. I don’t know why I thought it was just another hybrid. Still at $40,000, I don’t think I’d be looking too much into the Volt. Unless it’s 10 years down the line and I’m buying one that’s 7 years depreciated for a cheap price.
The 300 mile range of the Tesla Model S is great, but I can’t have something that would die on me without a source of refueling.
I’ve heard that replacing the battery can nullify the maintenance savings. I’m not sure if that’s reliable information or not.
How about finding a way to stream electricity to the car while it’s cruising down the road, using MIT’s WItricity as a model :) You’d have to build in a way for the drivers to pay for their usage, of course.
I think all of the electric cars coming out are great for the future in the automotive industry.
For the most part, they won’t be feasible for the everyday person for a while, though.
Still really cool :)
I was looking forward to the Volt but they are going to be a little too pricey to be practical.
I’m thinking a plug in hybrid will be the most practical first step towards electric. A few car makers are working on plug ins which will have a limited all electric range + full gas engine.
Calling the Karma an overpriced Volt is a lot like calling a Porsche 911 an overpriced Kia. They share powertrain types, but that’s where the similarity ends. The Karma is a high-end luxury sedan; the Volt is much more mainstream. Creature comforts, speed, snob appeal are all better with the Karma. For that, you pay more – just like any other vehicle. Don’t forget, this is new techology, and like other new technologies in the past, it will be more expensive at the beginning. VCRs were $1000+ in the 1970s when introduced. The Karma, Volt and others like them are a great beginning, but it will take some time for the technology to become more affordable.