automotive

Fisker Karma hybrid combusts, spontaneously

Sometimes, things just blow up.

It happens to iPhones, so why shouldn't it happen to lovely, shiny hybrid cars?

I am grateful to Jalopnik, which discovered that a lovely Fisker Karma is slightly less lovely today, after it appears to have set itself alight.

I don't think it was a protest against continued ignorance of global warming, though local fire crew in Woodside, Calif., are currently mystified as to why the Fisker lost its karma and simply flambeed.

No one appears to have been hurt in this incident, which occurred when the owner went into a local grocery … Read more

Fisker Karma involved in house fire but battery not cause

Fisker Automotive received worrying news last week when a Karma sedan burned in a house fire in Texas. The cause is still being investigated, according to the company.

The fire started shortly after a new Karma owner parked the car in a garage, according to a report in Autoweek. A fire investigator told Autoweek that the Karma, which was not plugged in, was the origin of the fire, but the cause was not known.

Fisker released a statement saying that the electric car's battery pack was intact and "does not appear to be a contributing factor in this … Read more

CoPilot Live Premium Europe for iPhone

With so many navigation apps available, many for free, it may be difficult to imagine paying for one. But ALK Technologies makes a reasonable case for its CoPilot Live Premium app. Its most compelling feature are the full set of maps it includes, making it possible to navigate without a data connection.

Most people using a smartphone for navigation will be doing 95 percent of their driving in an area with data coverage. But the most critical times for a good navigation app come out on back roads, far away from cell towers. Likewise, high data roaming charges in foreign … Read more

Can Fisker's Atlantic EV drive it to profits?

The unveiling of Fisker Automotive's Atlantic model last night proves once again the EV maker can design beautiful cars. But the company's far away from demonstrating it's a healthy business.

The Atlantic extended-range electric vehicle is a luxury, four-door sedan expected to cost about $50,000. Like the sportier and more expensive Fisker Karma, it has bold styling and the high-tech touches of cars in its class. It's also electric, driven by motors and a gas engine that kicks in to keep batteries charged for longer rides.

As a lower-priced car than the $108,000 Karma, … Read more

Fisker finds funding, Atlantic EVer will see production

The 2012 New York auto show starts early tonight with the official announcement and unveiling of the Fisker Atlantic. The Atlantic is the second new vehicle to be debuted by the vehicle (or the third if you choose to count the Fisker Surf design concept) and is Fisker Automotive's shot at building an extended-range electric vehicle that people can actually afford.

The Atlantic doesn't divert terribly from the formula set by the Karma. The sedans feature similar mustachioed front ends, the smaller Atlantic largely maintaining a scaled-down version of the Fisker design language with a few tweaks here … Read more

Leaked images show Fisker's Atlantic plug-in EV

Photos of Fisker Automotive's Atlantic luxury plug-in electric are online a day before the company officially unveils the car in New York.

Called Project Nina, the four-door sedan is expected to have the same powertrain as the Fisker Karma (and Chevy Volt) -- the car is driven by an electric motor and a gas engine kicks in to maintain sufficient charge on longer rides.

Fisker is hosting a "reveal" event for the Atlantic tomorrow night in New York, where there will certainly be questions about the company's future.

The company suffered delays in bringing out the … Read more

Progressive Automotive X Prize winner earmarked for production

Looking a little bit like the light cycles from Tron, but without the glowy bits, the E-Tracer 7009 placed in the top three of the Progressive Automotive X Prize competition in 2010.

Now the two-wheeled, two-seater has been renamed the MonoTracer MTE-150 and is headed to production, according to Auto Blog Green.

The MonoTracer MTE-150 has a Kevlar cabin and runs on a third-generation 150 kW (200 horsepower) drivetrain from AC Propulsion in California.

While the X Prize competitors were challenged to create a vehicle that could reach 100 mpge (miles per gallon equivalent), the MonoTracer could see about 350 … Read more

EV maker Bright Auto goes dark, blasts stalled DOE loan

Bright Automotive designed a unique plug-in electric vehicle, but failure of a government loan to come through has forced it to shut down.

The CEO and chief operation officer of Bright Automotive earlier this week sent a letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu saying the company has withdrawn its loan application. Without financing to build a factory, the company cannot build its product and so it is shutting down.

Bright Automotive made one prototype utility van, which used lightweight materials and a hybrid electric power train to achieve up to 100 miles per gallon. With the vehicle designed specifically for … Read more

Fisker lays off workers during DOE loan negotiations

Fisker Automotive has laid off workers as it tries to unlock more of the $529 million Department of Energy loan it's using to produce its vehicles.

So far, Fisker has received $193 million to build its plug-in hybrid sports car and retool a former GM plant in Wilmington, Del., scheduled to open this year. But Uncle Sam has put away its checkbook, putting a crimp in the California-based company's production plans, according to the Associated Press.

Fisker hasn't met requisite development and sales milestones, and until new terms are reached, the DOE has cut off additional funds. … Read more