Like so many freshmen girls, Fisker has taken to Facebook to publically try and save face. See, when the EPA rated the Fisker Karma at 52 MPGE, 20 mpg on gas and a range of only 32 miles, it undermined the publicity Fisker had done that said the Karma would do 50 miles and get 67 MPGE. Fisker initially took the hit in stride saying, "As with all electric vehicles, rage varies greatly on the conditions of the road and how you drive the car. Overall, we are very pleased with the results of the EPA's test."
Except really, they're not.
The rant explanation appeared early this morning on Facebook, "We recently received final certification from the EPA, including the fuel economy label. The two primary numbers, 52 MPGe in all-electric battery mode and 20 MPG in gasoline range-extending mode, are based on the EPA’s tests and reflect one viewpoint of energy efficiency in those two modes. However, we do not believe that the label communicates the entire story
So what they're implying is that the EPA estimate isn't a lock and fuel economy depends on how you drive? Shocking. Let's read more.
"Traditional fuel economy numbers are structured for a conventional vehicle running on gasoline as a single fuel. With a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, driver choices and operating behavior can affect the overall fuel economy more so than any other type of vehicle. The EPA tests for vehicles in this category are a relatively new endeavor and in our view do not reflect the variability that is inherent with a plug-in hybrid vehicle – and therefore, present a conservative scenario.
"In short, the fuel economy of your Karma Sedan will depend on how you use it."
(Facebook)
lostboyz says:
12:03 PM, 10/21/11
Umm no. The EPA cycle is the EPA cycle. Will people really drive differently because they have an electric? Maybe, but it doesn't matter, nobody drives the EPA cycles 100% it has always been a your results may vary.
What a waste of tax dollars though. This is a significant failure from fisker, and I wish the government would've put some terms on the money that they had to acheive a certain efficiency.
stovt001 says:
12:44 PM, 10/21/11
This is all hypothetical anyway since this car is just vaporware.
bent13 says:
01:11 PM, 10/21/11
Mr Tucker to the white courtesy phone, you have a call from John DeLorean.
This car looked good ten years ago, now it looks, well, like a ten year old design. I suspect that the only reason Fisker is around is to make Tesla look good.
hybris says:
02:26 PM, 10/21/11
"As with all electric vehicles, rage varies greatly on the conditions of the road and how you drive the car."
Funny little typo but its true Rage levels vary greatly depending on the road and how you are driving compared to other drivers around you.
maxx18 says:
02:41 PM, 10/21/11
".....in our view do not reflect the variability that is inherent with a plug-in hybrid vehicle – and therefore, present a conservative scenario."
IMO, the Fisker should not achieve 20mpg under ANY circumstances, let alone what Fisker calls"conservative." Driven beyond average levels, the Fisker will actually return fuel economy of LESS than 20mpg while running on gas. You might as well be driving a traditional V8 powered sports sedan at that point.
The government wasted their money on this project. With no efficiency, this car is dead in the water.
mfennell says:
06:24 PM, 10/21/11
As a Volt owner, I can only say [nelson]"HAH HAH"[/nelson]
Turns out this shit is hard to get right. Who'd have thought?
I was expecting 25mpg and thought *that* sucked.
They have no excuse, really, and I doubt they're truly surprised. The EPA test is published and it's the same for all. If they didn't have the means to test at Fisker, well, I can see why they did so poorly. The EV rating is harsh - I've personally matched the EPA 35 miles with the cruise set at 70mph. My normal day of suburban 25-50mph driving totals 45+ miles (actual + very accurate estimated remaining) while in gasoline powered cars, I never match EPA. Ever.
GM/Leaf get a pass on some of their early claims because they were trying to estimate pre-official-EPA test. Fisker gets no such slack.
brn says:
02:41 PM, 10/22/11
It's still a good looking car. If I were a rich eco-poser, it'd be high on my list.