Forbes Cover

The latest reports from both the AlwaysOn Going Green conference in Sausalito, Calif. and from the Frankfurt Motor Show confirm that Fisker Automotive is targeting a sub $40,000 hybrid by 2012.

At the AlwaysOn Going Green conference Ray Lane of Kleiner Perkins investor, and former President of Oracle, hinted that one of their clients is developing a new type of hybrid car.

And the hybrid vehicle is expected to have one major difference from the typical plug-in vehicle, Lane said. It’s not going to be an electric car.

“I cannot talk about it because we have not described what it is. It requires protection today,” Lane said. “But it is not an electric vehicle. Do not think batteries.”

Speculation is that the client is Fisker Automotive. This was fueled further from an interview with Henrik Fisker at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Here he announced:

…the lower-cost hybrid will sell for $39,900. The company is looking at several closed assembly plants in the United States for a potential site to build about 100,000 vehicles annually.

Many questions are still left unanswered. Are the two announcements really tied? Does this have something to do with another Kleiner Perkins client such as Think Global or ultracapacitor developer EEStor? Has Fisker been approved for the DOE loan? Just what the heck could  a hybrid be that’s not electric?

[Source: Cleantech Group, Forbes]

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Tomorrow as the doors open to the Frankfurt Motor Show there will be at least one peice of new information available to North American Fisker fans. For the first time Fisker Automotive will have the high voltage home charging unit on display. No details have been released about the unit. Since it is notes as being High Voltage that would imply the unit would allow for at least a 220 volt charge. 

Fisker is still trying to build the largest diabetes amount of fanfare around the officially announced mpg numbers. At 67mpg the Fisker Karma will be one of the most fuel economical cars on the road. It will be very interesting to see how GM’s Chevy Volt numbers get  calculated on their next run. The GM marketing team will have their work cut out for them.

[Source: Fisker Automotive] 

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Fisker Automotive has been selected from a list of over 3500 nominees.

Fisker Automotive has been selected from a list of over 3500 nominees.

It’s always nice to get recognized for your good work.

The Guardian and Cleantech Group™, LLC, providers of leading research, events and advisory services for the cleantech ecosystem, have announced the Global Cleantech 100 – the first ever list of this scale highlighting the most promising private clean technology companies around the world. Supported by the Carbon Trust, the Global Cleantech 100 recognises companies at the forefront of cleantech innovation offering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

Fisker Buzz ChartThe most interesting part to this list is the little sidebar widget that shows a numeric indicator of the amount of buzz around each company. Fisker has been making a consistent climb to the top over the past 90 days. This is a very good sign as we are rapidly approaching  the much anticipated arrival of the first production models to roll off the assembly line.  It’s very important for a company in this position to maintain reasonable expectations. We saw this once again this week with the release of the 67 mpg fuel economy numbers. Of course, time to market is the one everybody is watching. We have all seen there’s a big difference between getting the first few vehicles out the door and having a quality, consistently built  product.

[Source: Cleantech Group]

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Oakland Press Logo

As of Jan 31– the latest available reporting– with revenues of just $6M and and an operating loss of $12M for the quarter, to say that growth is  slow at Quantum would be an understatement. So would could possible cause this to happen:

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc., a partner in the creation of Fisker Automotive, has completed a private placement of Common Stock Units that has raised $12.3 million.

None other than the Fisker Karma. With the buzz around the Karma hitting a fever pitch it appears that Fisker’s channel partners are taking advantage as well. Currently Quantum only has a few small military test projects and a couple concepts up and running. With the Karma due for release the middle of next year it is as real as it gets for Quantum. By providing the Q Drive drivetrain and the solar panel roof Quantum has a couple of ponies in this race.

Quantum co-founded Fisker Automotive Inc., a joint venture with world-renowned automobile designer Henrik Fisker, which operates from offices in Irvine, Calif., and Pontiac where it set up an engineering center last fall. As a start-up company, Quantum depends on investment capital.

Proceeds of the stock sale, net of placement agent fees and expenses, will be used for general working capital purposes, Quantum officials said Tuesday.

[Source: The Oakland Press]

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Fisker Karma

The Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid electric vehicle will emit just 83g CO2/km and have an economy rating of 3.5L/100km, according to SAE methodology measuring emissions for plug-in hybrids. Making its German debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week, the four-door Karma will be one of the cleanest, most fuel-efficient cars in the world, but will still offer world-class style and performance.

Calculations developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) estimate carbon dioxide output will be less than that of today’s cleanest production cars and 75 percent less than that of competing vehicles, on average. SAE is an internationally recognized organization of experts that help drive government automotive policy.

Some 941 million liters (248 million gallons) of gasoline could be saved and 2.3 million metric tons (2.5 million US tons) of CO2 offset from sales of 15,000 Karmas per year through 2016. Still, with 403hp and more torque than many supercars, 0-100km/h (62mph) takes about six seconds and maximum speed is 201km/h (125mph).

“The Fisker Karma is the future of driving,” said Henrik Fisker, CEO. “It proves we can drive environmentally responsible cars without sacrificing the emotional things that made us fall in love with cars in the first place.” Fueling the Karma could cost just €0.02/km ($0.03/mile), consuming as little as 21 kilowatt hours per 100km in its electric-only Stealth mode, according to SAE methodology. However, a real-world annual average would be closer to €0.05/km ($0.07/mile) based on a mix of Stealth and Sport (gasoline) mode use. Actual economy and emission results will vary depending on individual driving habits and usage requirements.

In Stealth mode—engaged on demand via steering wheel-mounted paddle switches — the Karma can be driven into the growing number of traffic-restricting Low Emissions Zones (LEZ) across Europe. Some 70 cities and towns in eight European countries have opted for LEZs, including Berlin, Stuttgart, London and Amsterdam.

The Karma will be the first production Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) when it goes on sale in 2010. Its exclusive Q-DRIVE® powertrain is expected to deliver an emission-free 80km (50mi) per full charge of its 22kWh/200kW Lithium-ion battery, and a total extended range of more than 480km through the use of its gasoline powered engine/generator.

Fisker Automotive is poised to benefit immensely as support from countries around the world for clean vehicles increases. For example, the US has announced its intention to put 1 million plug-in hybrid cars on its roads by 2015.  Germany recently unveiled an action plan to have 1 million electric cars on its roads by 2020. Japan wants electric vehicles to make up half of all vehicle sales within a decade.

[Source: Fisker Automotive]

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