Zoomi Life

Compared to Tesla and it’s CEO Elon Musk, Fisker and its CEO Henrick Fisker, are a quiet little company in Southern California.  The two companies are often compared, or more specifically, their vehicles are often compared, though.  The Karma and the Roadster are both high-end sports cars with big price tags and lots of performance.  Plus tons of green cred.

That’s where the similarities end, says Fisker’s CEO. The Roadster is an all-electric while the Karma is a range-extended hybrid (aka Plug-In Hybrid or PHEV).  While the Roadster is $109,000, the Karma is $87,000 and seats four, not two.

At a recent event in Northern California, Fisker appeared with his car, the Karma production prototype, and discussed these differences and much more.  He pointed out a very important factor that makes all the difference between the Karma and its Tesla competition: market potential.

“The full-electric car is a niche market,” Fisker said.  “Plug-in hybrids have a much bigger market.”  He pointed out that the PHEV market’s growth potential is why his company has had a much easier time securing venture capital compared to Tesla.

While this could be written off as mere marketing statements from the company CEO, there is proof to back up his claim. Bosch recently released a press briefing about their projections for the near future in automotive technologies.  Combustion engines, says Robert Bosch GmbH, will remain at the forefront for at least another twenty years.

The market for plug-in electrics is generally much smaller than the overall market for hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEV).  Mainly due to the public’s perception of the limited range full electric vehicles are likely to have and nervousness about maintenance and battery life issues.

In addition, the infrastructure for plug-ins, nationally, is a long way off and so there is a large gap between the affordable range of near-future battery electrics versus the realistic range people expect from a car.  This gap is going to be filled by PHEV technologies, Fisker believes.

He’s probably right.

Source: HybridCars