Mobile, sun-seeking gardens, and more in the week that was

The Fisker Karma was one of the world's hottest plug-in hybrid supercars when it debuted in 2011 - and now its creator Henrik Fisker has announced plans to launch an electric sports car with a 400-mile range next year. Meanwhile, Mercedes is taking a...

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: The Karma Revero, and more!

The Fisker Karma is one of the hottest plug-in hybrid cars ever built. However, production stopped in 2012 when the company went bankrupt. Now the car is set to be reborn as the Karma Revero this year. Meanwhile, Ford is planning to launch a 200-mile...

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: Fisker Karma gets a price cut, and more!

Architects are constantly pushing boundaries to redefine what buildings can do. Baca Architects just unveiled the UK's first "amphibious house," which is able to rise up and float when floods strike. Designer Michael Weeks has developed a self-suffic...

VL Destino is a 639hp, supercharged, V8-powered Fisker Karma (eyes-on)

VL Destino is a 639hp, supercharged, V8powered Fisker Karma

People have gushed about the handling of the Fisker Karma, it's low, long and wide chassis said to provide amazing handling. But, the powertrain has certainly caused some... problems. So, VL Automotive (a small auto manufacturer backed by Bob Lutz, among others) did what felt right: kept that luscious body and chassis and ripped out the guts. In exchange for the series hybrid get-up that drives the Karma, the Destino received a supercharged V8 -- more specifically, the LS9 that powers the Corvette ZR1. Under the see-through hood of the 'Vette that motor puts down 639hp, a figure that's said to be maintained here, but with the four-door practicality the Chevrolet lacks. Pricing is said to be around $180,000 for the bespoke four-door supercar (a huge premium over the $102,000 Karma), but its designers hope that this could be the fastest four-door sedan on the planet when it goes on sale later this year. Just don't expect to set any records on the fuel efficiency scoreboard.

Continue reading VL Destino is a 639hp, supercharged, V8-powered Fisker Karma (eyes-on)

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A123 Systems becomes America’s latest EV battery maker to file for bankruptcy

A123 Systems becomes America's latest EV battery maker to file for bankruptcy

Having been riddled with setbacks, including a major recall of faulty batteries supplied to Fisker Automotive, Michigan's favorite EV battery maker A123 Systems has filed for bankruptcy. It has also announced the sale of its main business units to rival Johnson Controls in a deal pegged at $125 million -- a sad fraction of the billion dollars it raised since it launched in 2001 (not least from government grants). It seems that neither fresh lithium ion innovations nor a potential deal with Chinese investors were able to keep the company out of the red, which leaves A123 on the road to nowhere -- right behind that other DoE-sponsored hopeful, Ener1.

Continue reading A123 Systems becomes America's latest EV battery maker to file for bankruptcy

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A123 Systems becomes America's latest EV battery maker to file for bankruptcy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fisker confirms Q&A outlining Karma woes and fixes, may establish council to talk issues in person

Fisker Karma mountain drive

Fisker has had more than its fair share of teething troubles with the Karma, but it has to be given credit for going out of its way to listen to early adopters. The hybrid car builder has confirmed to Autoblog that a question and answer session making the rounds is the official result of town hall discussions that have both acknowledged problems and promised fixes where they're possible. The answers we've been given are a mix of sober realities and practical remedies. Drivers hoping for outright hardware upgrades to improve performance with existing Karmas will have to keep wishing; thankfully, a host of firmware fixes are on the way to improve at least the sedan's Command Center system and mirrors. PR lead Roger Ormisher even hints that there could be an in-person council that would tackle concerns more directly than the remote pep talks. We're mostly hoping for the day when Fisker stamps out the bugs and doesn't need the Q&A to put Karma owners' minds at ease.

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Fisker confirms Q&A outlining Karma woes and fixes, may establish council to talk issues in person originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fisker halting Surf production, but will build you one if you’ve got a ‘big enough checkbook’

Fisker halting Surf production, but will build you one if you've got a 'big enough checkbook'

Like the ambitious diner at the all-you-can-eat-buffet, Fisker's got a lot on its plate. Between recalling all of its self-immolating Karma models, taking flack from its rivals and hiring a new CEO, something had to give. As such, it's halted production on the Surf and Sunset while it concentrates on getting the Nina / Atlantic onto the streets. However, one-percenters needing a five-door EV are in luck -- Fisker's Roger Ormisher has said that "if someone came along with a big enough checkbook" they'd discuss building a model tailored to their needs. While he remained coy about a specific price in his statement to Autoblog (after the break), a Fisker Buzz member has pegged the figure to be $200,000 -- but hey, that's pocket change to you, right?

Continue reading Fisker halting Surf production, but will build you one if you've got a 'big enough checkbook'

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Fisker halting Surf production, but will build you one if you've got a 'big enough checkbook' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CE-Oh no he didn’t!: Tesla’s Elon Musk calls the Fisker Karma a ‘mediocre product at a high price’

CEOh no he didn't! Tesla's Elon Musk calls the Fisker Karma a 'mediocre product at a high price'

"I don't think very highly of Henrik Fisker," Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, told Automobile magazine in a recent interview. Musk was recalling events leading up to a 2008 lawsuit in which Tesla accused Fisker of pilfering its hybrid technology to build the Fisker Karma. Musk isn't a fan of the automobile, and suggests its creators put form over function. "It's a mediocre product at a high price," he says. "[Fisker] thinks the most important thing in the world -- or the only important thing in the world -- is design, so he outsourced the engineering and manufacturing." Still, Musk concedes that Fisker's eye for aesthetics paid off in some respects. "It looks good," he said. "Particularly from the side it looks good."

The magazine gave Henrik Fisker a chance to respond, who said that he was "delighted that Elon thinks the Karma is a good-looking car," and stressed that Tesla and Fisker are targeting different customers with two "totally different technologies." He was quick to address the firms' previous legal squabbles too, "to set the record straight, Fisker won in court... a judge threw out the case and awarded costs to Fisker." True enough, but in light of recent events, we can think of at least one Karma owner who might agree with Musk.

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CE-Oh no he didn't!: Tesla's Elon Musk calls the Fisker Karma a 'mediocre product at a high price' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CE-Oh no he didn’t!: Tesla’s Elon Musk calls the Fisker Karma a ‘mediocre product at a high price’

CEOh no he didn't! Tesla's Elon Musk calls the Fisker Karma a 'mediocre product at a high price'

"I don't think very highly of Henrik Fisker," Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, told Automobile magazine in a recent interview. Musk was recalling events leading up to a 2008 lawsuit in which Tesla accused Fisker of pilfering its hybrid technology to build the Fisker Karma. Musk isn't a fan of the automobile, and suggests its creators put form over function. "It's a mediocre product at a high price," he says. "[Fisker] thinks the most important thing in the world -- or the only important thing in the world -- is design, so he outsourced the engineering and manufacturing." Still, Musk concedes that Fisker's eye for aesthetics paid off in some respects. "It looks good," he said. "Particularly from the side it looks good."

The magazine gave Henrik Fisker a chance to respond, who said that he was "delighted that Elon thinks the Karma is a good-looking car," and stressed that Tesla and Fisker are targeting different customers with two "totally different technologies." He was quick to address the firms' previous legal squabbles too, "to set the record straight, Fisker won in court... a judge threw out the case and awarded costs to Fisker." True enough, but in light of recent events, we can think of at least one Karma owner who might agree with Musk.

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CE-Oh no he didn't!: Tesla's Elon Musk calls the Fisker Karma a 'mediocre product at a high price' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fisker completes investigation of latest Karma hybrid EV fire, issues vehicle-wide cooling fan recall

Recall Fisker's latest fiery episode last week that left the front left quarter panel of a Karma hybrid EV burnt to a crisp in a Woodside, California parking lot? As promised, the company has completed its investigation with Pacific Rim Investigative Services Group into the scene, reporting that it's "located the ignition source to the left front of the Karma, forward of the wheel, where the low temperature cooling fan is located." As such, Fisker has decided to issue a full-on recall of the unit, although it's currently unclear if this and it affects all Karmas on the road. That said, Fisker is also stressing "that the incident was not caused by the Lithium-ion battery pack, new technology components, engine component packaging or unique exhaust routing of the Fisker Karma" -- naturally, the usual suspects for these types of accidents that keep plaguing the fledgling automaker. At least its new CEO Tony Posawatz is extremely qualified to handle the task at hand -- after all, a few weeks ago he was Volt-maker, GM's, Vehicle Line Director. Hit up the press release after the break for details about the investigation and its findings.

Update: When asked about whether the recall affects all Karma models currently on the road, a representative simply (and promptly) replied to us stating, "yes" -- well then.

Continue reading Fisker completes investigation of latest Karma hybrid EV fire, issues vehicle-wide cooling fan recall

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Fisker completes investigation of latest Karma hybrid EV fire, issues vehicle-wide cooling fan recall originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Aug 2012 15:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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