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Mission impossible: Making the green car cool

In one of the most tumultuous times in the auto business, Henrik Fisker is on a personal quest to make environmentally friendly vehicles sexy.

Brian Cooley Editor at Large
Brian Cooley is CNET's Editor at large and has been with the brand since 1995. He currently focuses on electrification of vehicles but also follows the big trends in smart home, digital healthcare, 5G, the future of food, and augmented & virtual realities. Cooley is a sought after presenter by brands and their agencies when they want to understand how consumers react to new technologies. He has been a regular featured speaker at CES, Cannes Lions, Advertising Week and The PHM HealthFront™. He was born and raised in Silicon Valley when Apple's campus was mostly apricots.
Expertise Automotive technology, smart home, digital health. Credentials
  • 5G Technician, ETA International
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Brian Cooley
Watch this: Mission impossible: Making the green car cool

Join us for a real inside tour of the Fisker Automotive design center. Our tour guide is none other then Henrik Fisker. We'll see the Karma through his eyes, view the future of personal transportation, and see the cocktail napkin that started it all. In the end, you may be surprised at how much this is a story of America.

 
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Henrik Fisker is best known for designing the Aston Martin DB9 and the BMW Z8, both masterpieces in modern auto penmanship. He also did the initial design work on the Tesla Model S, which led to a less than happy split with that company. Now his company is often mentioned in the same breath as Tesla, though the Fisker Karma is not a pure electric car.

After spending time with Fisker, you come away realizing he puts design first with easy practicality a close second. His choice of a range extender power train (which has not been an easy sell for much larger GM in its Volt) is a nod to his belief that car buyers will electrify gradually and with their convenience first in mind.