The Dutch website Autoblog.nl published a story yesterday about big problems with certification of the Karma in Europe. Problems that may cause deliveries to European customers to suffer another major delay, maybe into 2012.
http://www.autoblog.nl/archive/2011/10/15/intro-fisker-karma-vertraagd-door-emissieproblemen#post-46384 (sorry, it's all in Dutch)
The problem is that the GM-engine (range-extender) does not meet emission standards set by the European Union. The engine produces too much CO2-emission when it has to start charging the empty battery pack and it makes a cold start. Once it warms up, there is no problem.
In the present state - the state of dozens if not hundreds of cars for European customers that have already been produced - it will not get the certification it needs. The cars will have to be modified to meet the required emission standard. Maybe Fisker Automotive can re-design it to let the engine run at low revs first, or maybe warm it up first? Then it might meet the requirements. The problem is that this GM-engine is a 'dirty' engine (Euro4). That's why Europe only wants Euro5 in new cars. I guess the only reason Fisker chose this engine, which isn't very efficient (24 mpg when charging the battery), is that no other manufacturer wanted to provide an engine (we know VW refused to).
As California has strict emission standards, just like Europe, I wonder if this is going to cause problem with the CARB-certification too. Maybe that's why there haven't been cheers from Fisker about the EPA-certification which they supposedly got on October 6.
Ofcourse this is problem of bureaucracy, because even if emissions are too high for a short moment, the total (low) emissions for the Karma more than compensate for this. But even if it's a bureaucratic rule, it is still a rule. And it has to be met. How come the Fisker-engineers didn't foresee this problem? The European requirement are well known and it's not like they didn't have cars to test the emission with.
As you can understand I am very, very unhappy with this, as there never ever seems to be an end to these delays.
http://www.autoblog.nl/archive/2011/10/15/intro-fisker-karma-vertraagd-door-emissieproblemen#post-46384 (sorry, it's all in Dutch)
The problem is that the GM-engine (range-extender) does not meet emission standards set by the European Union. The engine produces too much CO2-emission when it has to start charging the empty battery pack and it makes a cold start. Once it warms up, there is no problem.
In the present state - the state of dozens if not hundreds of cars for European customers that have already been produced - it will not get the certification it needs. The cars will have to be modified to meet the required emission standard. Maybe Fisker Automotive can re-design it to let the engine run at low revs first, or maybe warm it up first? Then it might meet the requirements. The problem is that this GM-engine is a 'dirty' engine (Euro4). That's why Europe only wants Euro5 in new cars. I guess the only reason Fisker chose this engine, which isn't very efficient (24 mpg when charging the battery), is that no other manufacturer wanted to provide an engine (we know VW refused to).
As California has strict emission standards, just like Europe, I wonder if this is going to cause problem with the CARB-certification too. Maybe that's why there haven't been cheers from Fisker about the EPA-certification which they supposedly got on October 6.
Ofcourse this is problem of bureaucracy, because even if emissions are too high for a short moment, the total (low) emissions for the Karma more than compensate for this. But even if it's a bureaucratic rule, it is still a rule. And it has to be met. How come the Fisker-engineers didn't foresee this problem? The European requirement are well known and it's not like they didn't have cars to test the emission with.
As you can understand I am very, very unhappy with this, as there never ever seems to be an end to these delays.