[magnus]

A bit of good news after a couple of rough weeks.

Anaheim, California USA – November 2, 2011: The Fisker Karma has
achieved 83 km/51.6 miles running in silence on electric-only mode during
independent fuel efficiency tests carried out by Europe’s regulatory body,
the Technischer Ueberwachungs Verein (TUV) today (“De” according
Annex 9 of ECE R 101).

The TUV have carried out the most thorough tests yet of the Karma’s realworld urban performance. This is an independent process that measures
every element of the Fisker Karma luxury plug-in hybrid’s performance.

“We are delighted that the TUV has confirmed that most owners will
achieve a 50 mile range running purely on electric during their daily
commute,” said Fisker Automotive CEO and co-founder Henrik Fisker.

http://media.fiskerautomotive.com/global/en-us/Media/PressRelease.aspx?mediaid=571&title=fisker-karma-proves-83-km516-mile-electric-range-in-tuv-tests

 

[Fabulist]

Great News! They are oddly silent about the CO2 emissions, however.

-- Fab.

 

[ct-fiskerbuzz]

Great News! They are oddly silent about the CO2 emissions, however.

Perhaps those are not done / not released yet?

 

[JSPONSLER]

Great News! They are oddly silent about the CO2 emissions, however.

Perhaps those are not done / not released yet?

There is also missing data. Was the speed of this test 5 MPH or 50 MPH. I suspect that an EV is like any other vehicle where energy consumption goes up in a non-linear manner with speed. That is, it takes more energy to go one mile at a higher velocity than a lower velocity. Additionally if the speed is near light speed there is time dilation to take into account.

 

[dennis]

There is also missing data. Was the speed of this test 5 MPH or 50 MPH. I suspect that an EV is like any other vehicle where energy consumption goes up in a non-linear manner with speed. That is, it takes more energy to go one mile at a higher velocity than a lower velocity. Additionally if the speed is near light speed there is time dilation to take into account.

A little Google sleuthing yielded a description of the test from Annex 9 of the ECE R101 document referred to in the Fisker press release. You can read all 101 pages here:

http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/r101r2e.pdf

Annex 9, beginning on page 92, refers you to Annex 7 for a description of the test, beginning on page 51. There are 4 urban cycles with acceleration/braking to 12, 32 and 50 km/hr in each one, and then an extra-urban driving cycle that peaks at 120 km/hr.

Definitely some light bedtime reading.

- Dennis

 

[Fabulist]

There is also missing data. Was the speed of this test 5 MPH or 50 MPH. I suspect that an EV is like any other vehicle where energy consumption goes up in a non-linear manner with speed. That is, it takes more energy to go one mile at a higher velocity than a lower velocity. Additionally if the speed is near light speed there is time dilation to take into account.

Here's the operative sections from Annex 9, starting on Page 94:

4.1.1.3. For externally chargeable hybrid electric vehicle (OVC HEV) with an operating mode switch as defined in Annex 8:
4.1.1.3.1. If there is not a pure electric position, the manufacturer shall provide the means for performing the measurement with the vehicle running in pure electric operating state.
4.1.1.3.2. The procedure shall start with the discharge of the electrical energy/power storage device of the vehicle while driving with the switch in pure electric position (on the test track, on a chassis dynamometer, etc.) at a steady speed of 70 per cent ± 5 per cent of the maximum thirty minutes speed of the vehicle.
4.1.1.3.3. Stopping the discharge occurs:
- when the vehicle is not able to run at 65 per cent of the maximum thirty minutes speed; or
- when an indication to stop the vehicle is given to the driver by the standard onboard instrumentation, or
- after covering the distance of 100 km

[Then the vehicle is charged overnight followed by:]

4.2.2. For hybrid electric vehicle
4.2.2.1. The applicable test sequence and accompanying gear shift prescription, as defined in paragraph 1.4. of Annex 8, is applied on a chassis dynamometer adjusted as described in appendix 2, 3, and 4 of Annex 4 of Regulation No. 83, until the end of the test criteria is reached.
4.2.2.2. The end of the test criteria is reached when the vehicle is not able to meet the target curve up to 50 km/h, or when an indication from the standard on-board instrumentation is given to the driver to stop the vehicle or when the fuel consuming engine starts up. Then the vehicle shall be slowed down to 5 km/h by releasing the accelerator pedal, without touching the brake pedal and then stopped by braking.
4.2.2.3. At a speed over 50 km/ h, when the vehicle does not reach the required acceleration or speed of the test cycle, the accelerator pedal shall remain fully depressed until the reference curve has been reached again.
4.2.2.4. To respect human needs, up to three interruptions are permitted between test sequences, of no more than 15 minutes in total.
4.2.2.5. At the end, the measure De of the covered distance in km is the electric range of the hybrid electric vehicle. It shall be rounded to the nearest whole number

I really like the fact that the procedure specifically permits bathroom breaks (4.2.2.4).

-- Fab.

 

[Dutch]

Finally some good news!

In my experience, from reading road tests of many cars by automotive journalists, the EPA-test is too strict (many cars have better performance that in the test) and ECE-tests are too lenient (many cars have worse performance). So we can probably expect the real performance to be somewhere in the middle, with a tendency to go closer to the ECE-result when you're not pushing the car to the extreme. I'm personally going to need 42 miles of pure electric range for my daily commute, so the test at TÜV makes me confident this can be reached.

And now let's get that official European certification, so cars can start shipping!! (which for us luckily is just a short hop from Finland to a northern German harbor like Kiel or Hamburg and then on by truck. When they start loading at the factory the cars can be at the dealers in a week. (Sorry that it takes 2 weeks longer to the US).

 

[Fabulist]

@Dutch: This is great news for European buyers, assuming the Euro remains legal tender in Europe after the Greek and Italian shenanigans.

TÜV Test Results (UK gallon)

Urban Extra urban Combined
CO2 58 g/km 47 g/km 51 g/km
Fuel consumption 118 mpg 141 mpg 135 mpg
(2.4 l/100km) (2.0 l/100km) (2.1 l/100km)
Electric range 51.6 mi (83 km)

-- Fab.

 

[Dutch]

It is definitely good news, but the fact that they finished all the tests unfortunately does not yet mean that the Karma in now certified in Europe. The paperwork in Brussels may take a bit longer. But we're getting close.