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So as I count the days down to delivery (or cancellation, its all up to you Fisker!), was just thinking how/why the Karma is so heavy.
We all now know that the Karma weighs 5,300lbs, despite its "aluminum spaceframe" and "composite body panels". Many blame its large battery. But the battery weighs *only* 606lbs. So if we net out the battery, we're down to a still-hefty 4,700lbs.
The Karma doesn't have a transmission since the ICE is used just as a range-extender, so that saves us 175lbs. So if we wanted to do a like-for-like comparison, we should gross up the weight to account for the would-be transmission. At 4,875lbs, the Karma weighs substantially more than the base Porsche Panamera which weighs just 3,900lbs (and has a larger, heavier engine than the I4 in the Karma).
So my question is this - do the two electric motors that drive the wheels really weigh 975lbs (ie 4,875-3900)? Seems hard to believe when most 4 and 6 cyclinder ICEs weigh only 200-350lbs.
If not, where is all this extra baggage coming from?
We all now know that the Karma weighs 5,300lbs, despite its "aluminum spaceframe" and "composite body panels". Many blame its large battery. But the battery weighs *only* 606lbs. So if we net out the battery, we're down to a still-hefty 4,700lbs.
The Karma doesn't have a transmission since the ICE is used just as a range-extender, so that saves us 175lbs. So if we wanted to do a like-for-like comparison, we should gross up the weight to account for the would-be transmission. At 4,875lbs, the Karma weighs substantially more than the base Porsche Panamera which weighs just 3,900lbs (and has a larger, heavier engine than the I4 in the Karma).
So my question is this - do the two electric motors that drive the wheels really weigh 975lbs (ie 4,875-3900)? Seems hard to believe when most 4 and 6 cyclinder ICEs weigh only 200-350lbs.
If not, where is all this extra baggage coming from?
