Fisker Karma

The World’s First True Electric Vehicle With Extended Range

• The premium luxury Fisker Karma is the world’s first true Electric Vehicle with extended range (EVer™). It has a total range of 300 miles (483 km), and can achieve more than 100 mpg (2.4 L/100 km) with just 83g CO2/km on an annual basis.
• Combines world-class style and performance with industry-leading economy and the lowest emissions of nearly any production vehicle.
• Meets or exceeds all applicable safety, emissions and homologation regulations for global markets.

• Production start just 37 months after concept unveiled in 2008.

California auto maker Fisker Automotive has introduced the production version of the Fisker Karma, the world’s first true Electric Vehicle with extended range (EVer™). Combining striking, elegant design with high performance, ultra-low fuel consumption and zero emissions on demand, the four-door, four-seat Karma embodies the brand’s commitment to creating the pure driving passion available only from Fisker’s elegantly styled, environmentally conscious vehicles.
The introduction comes just 37 months after the Karma – an all-new car with all-new technology from an all-new company – was unveiled as a concept in 2008.
Designed and engineered in Southern California, the 2011 Fisker Karma represents what company co-founder, CEO and executive design director Henrik Fisker defines as Responsible Luxury™.
With its proprietary EVer™ powertrain – inspired by a military stealth vehicle – the Fisker Karma can accelerate from zero-to-60 mph in just 5.9 seconds, yet can also achieve the equivalent of more than 100 miles per gallon and 83 g/km CO2 emissions in real-world driving on an annual basis.
The Karma can run purely on electric power supplied by an advanced, rechargeable lithium ion battery for up to 50 miles (80 km); after that, a 175 kW generator, driven by a 2.0 L, direct-injection, turbocharged gasoline engine, provides an additional 250 miles (403 km) of range. The Karma’s total range can exceed 300 miles.
With a U.S. MSRP of $95,900 before federal tax incentives of $7,500 (€85,500 suggested retail price in Europe), the world-class Fisker Karma will be competitive with conventional luxury sedans such as the BMW 750Li, Mercedes-Benz S550 and Porsche Panamera.
With the best fuel mileage of nearly any production car, and the ability to drive without tailpipe-emissions, the Fisker Karma is the only truly responsible option for luxury car buyers.
The Karma is Fisker Automotive’s first car and built according to the company’s Sustainable and Accountable Design™ philosophy, which represents a dramatic leap forward for the entire auto industry.
The Fisker Karma will initially be sold and serviced through 45 United States retail locations as well as in retail centers across Europe and, soon, China.
Other variants of the Karma, including a convertible, are planned, and Fisker is preparing to build a second, lower-priced model line in its recently acquired factory in Wilmington, Del., in 2012.
Significantly, the Fisker Karma is the first American-designed and engineered luxury vehicle specifically developed to appeal to world markets. It is the only luxury sedan in the world that meets future fuel consumption and emission requirements, making it suitable for any international city.
Fisker’s approach to Responsible Luxury goes well beyond minimizing fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions. At every stage of engineering, production and even marketing, Fisker employs reused or renewable materials and the lowest-impact technologies available.
As one example, the three types of interior wood trim available in the Karma are sourced from timber reclaimed from California forest fires and windstorms, and Michigan lake bottoms. No live growth is ever used. As another, leather interior trim is made with a low-impact process in an energy self-sustaining facility.
As for the vehicle’s name, loosely translated from Hindi as “Karma”, it implies that if you do good things, good things will happen to you. The Fisker Karma allows drivers who prioritize style and performance to own and enjoy an environmentally friendly car, one that achieves fuel consumption performance that is simply beyond the capability of today’s conventional luxury models.
True EVer™
The Fisker Karma is the only true Electric Vehicle with extended range, driving its rear wheels only by two rear-mounted 201.5 horsepower (150 kW) electric traction motors that draw energy from the lithium ion battery pack for up to 50 miles.

The gasoline engine drives only a 175 kW electric generator to power the motors; there is no mechanical link between the engine and the drive motors. Plugging the car into a standard 110-, 220- or 240-volt outlet will completely charge the Karma’s fully depleted battery pack in as little as six hours.
The Fisker Karma contributes to sustainability even when parked with the world’s largest and most powerful automotive solar panel integrated into its roof, as standard. It is the only solar installation on a production vehicle that collects energy to be stored. Energy collected by the roof can be enough over the course of a year to power the Karma for nearly 200 cost- and emission-free miles.
The Karma’s exclusive EVer™ powertrain was derived from a high performance stealth vehicle created for the U.S. military special operations. The battery, developed by Fisker Automotive’s strategic partner A123 Systems of Watertown, Mass. uses state-of-the-art Nanophosphate™ technology to maximize energy, power, reliability and safety.
Two Driving Modes
Uniquely, the Fisker Karma can run in one of two drive modes: Stealth and Sport.

Stealth Mode maximizes efficiency, giving the car its greatest range on battery power before activating the gas engine-driven generator to sustain battery charge. In Stealth Mode, the Karma can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds and achieve a top speed of 95 mph (153 km/h).
More telling of the Karma’s acceleration capability and feel, however, is the massive 981 lb.-ft. (1,330 Nm) of peak torque available instantaneously (zero rpm). By comparison, most conventionally-powered luxury sedans develop less than half of that torque and at a much higher rpm. Because the Karma is always driven by its electric motors and a single-ratio transmission/differential combination, the driver always feels powerful, seamless, linear acceleration.
With a single pull on the Karma’s left-hand steering wheel paddle, the driver can toggle between Stealth (the default on startup) and Sport Modes on demand. With Sport Mode engaged, the gasoline engine drives the generator to provide enough electricity for 403 total system horsepower, allowing the Karma to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in just 5.9 seconds and achieve a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h).
Because of the electric motors’ torque characteristics, the Karma will feel even quicker. By using the gasoline engine to run the generator, Sport Mode conserves battery power, allowing the driver to switch back to Stealth Mode at any time; this can be useful when arriving at low-emission zones, which are being designated in many cities around the world.
Regenerative braking captures the Karma’s kinetic energy during vehicle deceleration and feeds it back into the battery. Using the right-hand steering wheel paddle, the driver can operate Hill Descent Control to vary regenerative braking effect in three steps; this unique function provides an effect similar to downshifting a conventional car’s transmission to offer more speed control and battery recharging on downhill grades or when slowing down.
World Class Ride and Handling
In all aspects of performance, the Fisker Karma is designed to be a true driver’s car. Its proprietary, advanced aluminum space frame incorporates new levels of rigidity and strength that give the Karma world-class ride and handling characteristics.
Fisker Automotive’s engineering team designed the Karma’s space frame around the car’s unique powertrain, filing for multiple patents in the process.
Housing the car’s battery pack in a structural tunnel running down the car’s centerline helps endow the Karma with a very low center of gravity, and also contributes to the car’s ideal weight distribution.
As a result, the Karma drives more like a midsize sport sedan than a full-size luxury sedan. In addition, the Karma does not need expensive, complex and power-robbing suspension aids to deliver flat cornering.
The four-wheel independent SLA suspension, also employing aluminum components, has been specially tuned to work with the first standard 22-inch aluminum wheels on a production car.
The Fisker-designed Circuit Blade™ wheels first appeared on the original concept vehicle in 2008. Electro-hydraulic, variable ratio steering is tuned for optimum control and features variable assist.
The Karma’s space frame also forms the foundation of occupant safety – and protection for the sealed batteries – helping the luxury sedan to exceed global crash protection standards.
Eight advanced airbags, Antilock Brakes (ABS), traction control (TCS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Panic Brake Assist (PBA) are all part of the package.
Brembo® 6-piston monoblock front brakes and 4-piston rear brakes provide ample stopping power, which is bolstered by regenerative braking.
Striking and Unique Design
The Karma’s striking exterior design incorporates the continual and dramatic proportion that is signature Fisker style. In his previous career positions company CEO Henrik Fisker designed the BMW Z8 roadster and the Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage models.
True to Fisker Automotive’s goal of bringing the Karma concept to reality in its original form, the production car retains, and even adds to, all of the original concept’s elegant design, dramatic proportion and unique features.
A sedan with coupe-like appearance, the Karma exudes a distinctly athletic presence highlighted by a long hood and short deck, a low roofline, wide stance, pronounced fenders and standard 22-inch wheels.
The Karma is built on a long 124-inch (3,160 mm) wheelbase, yet short overhangs keep overall length to 196.7 in. (4,996 mm). The car’s 53.4-inch (1,330 mm) height is as low as some sports cars, though interior room is comfortable for four.
These dimensions are nearly identical to the original Fisker Karma concept car.
Sustainable Luxury
Fisker Automotive’s Sustainable and Accountable Design™ philosophy is apparent throughout the Karma’s cabin, exemplified by the use of reclaimed, recycled and reusable materials enhanced with modern technology.
Fisker will lead the luxury category by offering an animal-free interior in its top-line EcoChic™ package. The exclusive EcoChic series replaces leather with a high-grade textile and Premium EcoSuede trim.
Leather for the mid-line EcoSport™ model is sourced from the world's first energy-self-sufficient, closed-loop leather manufacturing plant; both gas and electricity are generated on-site from by-products of the leather making.

The process is low-pigmentation and chrome-free. Hides are purchased exclusively from suppliers that adopt the Five Freedoms set of principles for humane animal treatment, and yield is the highest in the industry.
Optional Diamond Dust paint – another Fisker first – contains a recycled glass flake mixture, and the water-based paint process releases no volatile organic compounds. This luxurious paint option leads the industry in reflectivity, shine and gloss.
As in the original concept car, the production Karma has a four-seat cockpit with a large center console running from the dashboard to the rear seatback. Fisker designers took inspiration from both nature and classic sports cars to craft the Karma’s interior.
The lines of shifting desert sand dunes inspired interior shapes; metal and glass-inspired materials add depth and clarity. The Karma’s chrome-bezel digital instrumentation, reminiscent of the finest Swiss timepieces and classic sports car instrument gauges, focuses on ease of use.
Easy-to-Use Technology
The Fisker Command Center™ in the center console uses an industry-first 10.2-inch (250 mm) haptic force-feedback touch-screen that centralizes controls for climate, audio, standard navigation, telephone and other vehicle systems.
Inputs are met with instantaneous tactile, audio and visual feedback that enables the driver to confidently confirm system commands.
The full-featured Command Center also offers iPod® integration and Bluetooth phone pairing. In addition, the Command Center can display power flow in the Karma, including energy gain from the solar panel roof.
Operational modes are accessed via fixed buttons; controls within each mode appear on the touch screen. There is no computer paradigm to learn, nor menus to navigate.

The Fisker Command Center nearly eliminates the engineering, tooling and assembly complexity associated with traditional buttons, and greatly reduces associated waste at the vehicle’s service life end.

Quality Build
As an indicator of the company’s cost effectiveness, Fisker Automotive has gone from inception to concept car to developing and starting production of the world’s first premium luxury Electric Vehicle with extended range in just 37 months.

In the process the company successfully raised more than $1 billion in funding from both private equity investment and a Department of Energy loan.

Assembly for the first-generation Karma has been contracted to Valmet Automotive in Finland, using Tier 1 suppliers. Valmet has built more than one million quality cars for various automotive brands since 1969 and currently assembles the Porsche Boxster and Cayman sports cars.
The Fisker Karma comes standard with a New Vehicle Limited Bumper to Bumper Warranty for 50 months or 50,000 miles (whichever comes first) for the U.S. market.
About Fisker Automotive, Inc.
Fisker Automotive is an American electric vehicle manufacturer with a mission to redefine the luxury automobile with an unwavering dedication to sustainability. Global headquarters are in Anaheim, California. Acclaimed auto designer Henrik Fisker and industry veteran Bernhard Koehler established the company in 2007 to address the need for environmentally conscious vehicles that deliver passion, style and performance.

Previously, Fisker was design director and a board member for Aston Martin, as well as president and CEO of DesignworksUSA, BMW’s North American design arm. Koehler led operations for Ford’s Global Advanced Design Studio in London and created concept cars for Aston Martin, MINI and BMW.