I wonder how much of the $529,000,000 loan the US taxpayers are still on the hook for? Sure don't want the US government making stock picks for me. Oh! Wait! They are.
The poor people of Finland. Some lost their auto jobs today. I knew this was going to happen about a month ago. I saw a Fisker on a shappy used car lot in LA for sale. Never a good sign for a newly released car.
They got a deal of making Mercedes Benz A series some time ago, I think the sittuation should stay even. Did hear that the difference of quality between Porsche and Fisker was unbelievable.
Tesla is doing well and even making a little money but you have face it... this is yet another slap in the face of the electric car. Volt...blah sales Leaf...blah sales Fisker.... 6 feet under
It didn't even have a 50 mile range. In much of California you cant even get to work on that. And thats if there is no traffic, no A/C, no heater or windshield wipers. Its a long way from being a usable car. Now I know why the one in the neighborhood is in the neighborhood all the time. He cant go far from home.
Who knows. I skimmed some articles and saw they burned through some 850MM. That's a lot of money on fancy fenders, economy car engines and crap batteries.
That range thing seems to be a problem; the new Panamera GTe only has an 80 mile range on full electric. More range on gas, but then why bother with any electric? And you have underwhelming performance on the gas motor.....
As to Fisker, well Karma caught up with him, he did not start off very well - read, if you need to, the lawsuit and story behind his deal with Tesla, and use you own eyes! As to electrics, Tesla has been the only real player and will become a great company. Musk is a winner. We should all hope that it succeeds beyond anyone's dreams. The Leaf just hit a new sales record. The Volt is cruising along slowly. IMO the volt is the better choice for folks who can't afford a Tesla at present. The good thing is that Volt owners love their cars. Electric cars are the future, in general they perform better than their ICE counterparts, they are necessary for the environment and economy, and are good for people who like ICE sportscars. "Sure don't want the US government making stock picks for me." Not under the current leadership! Anyone with a half-a-brain who studied the subject for a little bit would know wind is a loser and solar is not quite ready for prime-time. Semprius are the only panels that show promise right now and the monies wasted on Solyndra et al should have been poured into basic research. Ethanol is another moronic policy. Tesla should have been funded even more heavily, even now, so that they can bring out their SUV but more importantly their planned econobox model. Chu also awarded Ford with 10X the money Tesla received under the same program despite no merit with little to show for it. The govt. should play a large role in expanding the supercharger network to make the industry prosper by removing range anxiety in the same way that govt. built the road and highway system to make cars prosper decades ago. Clean, inexpensive transportation is the future and a necessity. (with plenty of oil for hobbyists)
study after study has shown without a doubt that it takes more energy and natural resources and creates more waste to produce an electric car than a clean normal combustion car. just the cold hard truth. overall, electric cars are worse for the environment.
The Fisker Karma itself is a gorgeous vehicle and it is a shame that the company is going under and was financed by the USG. The only possible silver lining would be if Fisker could be bought out of eventual bankruptcy and the basic car made with an economical gas engine, or performance gas engine. A company with a much lower cost basis could maybe make the basic car viable, with gas power.
Wrong! Similar claims were made on another forum and proven wrong by an owner of a Tesla roadster and Model S named Mike. If you want, pm me for particulars. I am not going to bother looking for it. I do know from personal research that the batteries are recyclable and there is no shortage of ingredients. Powering the cars by solar power which is what Tesla is doing and what can be done generally for the life of these kills the comparison to ICE cars. Even if powered by non-nuclear power plants they win downstream. Not directed at you but I have always been puzzled by the ignorance and irrational fear and/or hatred of BEV's by so many commenter's on stories about them whether at the NYT's, WSJ, or any other blog site. Bob Lutz calls it an "irrational opposition". some info here was not as clear as it could be but Kernen still got schooled --- US Needs Plan to Cut OPEC Oil Imports: FedEx CEO (slightly out-dated title with all the advancements/changes in domestic energy production but underlying situation still the same.
I have no problem with electric cars. 95% of all cars are just fancy and comfortable metal and plastic boxes that people use to get themselves to work everyday and pick up the kids safely. If we power those cars with coal or natural gas that we mine in the US with US people employed, great. If we don't buy as much fuel from the Middle East or dictators who hate us, so much the better. Less gasoline usage just makes gas that much cheaper for the performance and classic car owners who use them for recreational use. Win, win, win. The problem with Fisker was his original concept. He thought all that people wanted was a sexy electric car and they would flock to buy it. Well, it takes more than that. Tesla invested in their own battery technology while Fisker relied on a subcontractor's battery that isn't as efficient (and went belly up). Tesla has the good looks but also the 4 doors and good performance and the electric RANGE people want. It's an electric BMW 5 series where the Fisker is an electric Maserati Grandturismo. You tell me which has a larger market appeal. Yes, the Tesla is a more expensive than a gas car and the savings you get will probably never break even--- but heaven knows, we don't buy the cars we want based only on price/value. If that were the case, every car in America would be a Camry.
i test drove the karma one year ago when i was in la. i thought the car was too heavy, too slow and too expensive. not surprised the company is failing.
BINGO, [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOdsTuaJEfc[/ame] To add: The Tesla might be pricey compared to an average *****box but not to an S class, the model S is a great looking car and has performance superior to its competitors, lexus, bmw, and non-amg benz's. And it's made here.