[Wouter Melissen]

Dear Ultimatecarpage.com visitor,

With the ever growing pressure from society, all major manufacturers are working hard to establish an environmentally friendly line-up and most importantly image. This week at Detroit even Ferrari jumped on the bandwagon with a F430 Spider that runs on E85. Currently the hybrid electric drivetrain and biofuels are the most popular green choices, but work is under way to create a new range of much more efficient drivetrains. Most companies concentrate on creating alternatives that don't require fossil fuels at all, we however don't think they will prove to be viable options in the near future. The most interesting 'new' drivetrain was brought in the limelight last year in the Chevrolet Volt Concept, but it has been used for many years in ships and train locomotives. The system uses a conventional engine to power a generator, which in turn charges the batteries and powers the electric motors. This allows the petrol or diesel engine to run in its most efficient rev range at all time.
At the NAIAS earlier week the very first production car with this petrol-electric drivetrain was announced; the Fisker Karma, which will be available from the second half of 2009. On its batteries the car has a range of 50 miles. When they run out a petrol engine will take over and unlike the fuelcell, hydrogen or fully electric alternatives, the Karma can be refueled at any gas station. Not only is the Karma equipped with the highly efficient drivetrain, it also comes complete with a Henrik Fisker, of Aston Martin Vanquish fame, designed exterior and interior. Both look quite unique. Fisker expects to produce up 15,000 examples per year of this $80,000 luxury sedan. It is a major step forward and gets our thumbs up!

Fisker Karma - Ultimatecarpage.com - Images, Specifications and Information

Regards,
Wouter Melissen