Karma now qualifies for green HOV sticker?
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i guess i will try to question the DMV or just apply for it, i got a Fiat that i need to apply to - might work if i join the two together 
if anyone know the owner, that would really help.. the assumption that it was passed from another vehicle would make it very odd that a Fisker owner do that..
if anyone know the owner, that would really help.. the assumption that it was passed from another vehicle would make it very odd that a Fisker owner do that..
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Even if California allowed the stickers, I would never, *ever* put them on my Karma. They are so friggin' ugly.
That's something I had not even considered. So far, only one ticket for the friggin' ugly missing front license plate in 2 years.
I'll keep that consideration in the hopper in case WA gets up to speed with rewarding electric vehicles. Right now WA is still trying to figure out how to tax EVs; all the road tax comes from the gas tax at the pump. Which my family is now avoiding with 2 daily drivers.
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Some DMV clerk, probably late for his/her coffee break, must have let that slip through. As far as I know, there was no major change in AQMD/CAL-EPA regulations that would allow Fisker to get a sticker, but I am willing to be surprised.
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When I bought my Fisker in November I looked at the approved cars for California and the Fisker was not listed as approved. Maybe things changed or it pays to just try to get them.
Any update on this? I drive all-electric all the time and the Karma has greater electric range than my Chevy Volt, so practically-speaking the Karma should be eligible for the green sticker (ugly or not). I have been assuming that the fact that the Karma is out of production and there is no battery warranty is the reason that the DMV excludes it. I think I will check with them directly unless someone's already done that.
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we should wait and see if ELUX are gonna come up with ULEV petrol engine as the generator, then the EPA will qualify it to carry the california green sticker.
i believe they would, the choice of engines they got today is much better then when Fisker developed the car in 08-11.
Indeed - I called the California Air Resources Board today and they confirmed that the reason that the Fisker will not be eligible for the green HOV sticker is because the ER-ICE does not meet the required emission standards. I cannot see myself 'swapping' ICEs, so I guess I'm out of luck (which is a royal pain as my commute is 30 miles in the heavy traffic of the San Francisco Bay Area... - I guess my Chevy Volt will have to remain my main commute car).
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The ICE is the biggest hurdle, and there are other requirements, including minimum warranty on the batteries, which Fisker never achieved. Ideally, we should have a transponder or other device that would allow the car to travel in the HOV lane when it is using stored electric power only. As the rule is written now, a plug-in Prius is allowed access to HOV lanes when it is burning gas, whereas a Karma using its HV battery is not. Seems bass-ackwards to me.
Here is the list of requirements from the California EPA:
It is indeed a bit of a disappointment that even if the Karma returns to production, we're SOL getting a green decal in CA. The system certainly is severely flawed - my favorite is why a parent with can use the HOV lane to take kids to/from school; that neither saves the environment or reduces traffic (and is a significant source of HOV traffic during school times) - roll on the Summer!
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I think that the BMW motor originally sourced for the Atlantic would have had low enough emissions to qualify, but that deal is now history. Fisker originally had to adapt a standard ICE to work as a generator, but these days there are engines specifically designed and built for EV range extenders which is are smaller, quieter, and much less complex than standard off-the-shelf ICEs.
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fab, the "specifically designed and built for ev-rx" cars has their own category in the US/California
it's a category below the PHEV like the karma/volt, currently only the BMW i3 RX is certified for that new standard.
that standard btw, in the US, doesn't allow the ICE to run below certain battery level, in the i3 US edition it's 6% remaining on the battery (also called SOC), in Europe the BMW enabled it from 75% and below.
so that idea cancels the "sports mode" option in the Karma, and we don't want that.. right?
it's a category below the PHEV like the karma/volt, currently only the BMW i3 RX is certified for that new standard.
that standard btw, in the US, doesn't allow the ICE to run below certain battery level, in the i3 US edition it's 6% remaining on the battery (also called SOC), in Europe the BMW enabled it from 75% and below.
so that idea cancels the "sports mode" option in the Karma, and we don't want that.. right?
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