2012 Fisker Karma Eco Standard Sedan * Only 6,604 Miles * 403hp Hybrid on 2040-cars

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2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Long-term Review | Introducing something green

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — I'm stoked to drive this minivan. Legitimately. The 2018 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid is an impressive evolution of the minivan and a smart execution of electric technology. Why hasn't someone made a hybrid minivan until now? I ponder this as I unplug the charger and take my first spin in the Pacifica, the newest addition to the Autoblog long-term fleet. Sinking into the leather seats, I'm immediately relaxed. That's why you buy a minivan: comfort and convenience. Hybrid tech? Well that makes this thing sustainable and even cool. Whether your friends are swanky or wonky, play the plug-in hybrid card and your people hauler is cooler than theirs. What we got We went with the Pacifica Hybrid Limited. It starts at $44,995 and wears a beautiful shade of Ocean Blue. The interior features black and alloy pieces and leather. Power comes from the sturdy 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 dubbed the eHybrid for this application, and it works with an eFlite electrically variable transmission home to two motors making 84 and 114 hp. The hybrid battery pack has 96 lithium-ion cells that generate 16 kWh of energy. The net system power is 260 horsepower. In real-world driving, it's quick, torquey and more fun to drive than the average minivan. It can charge in two hours using a Level 2 charger and offers 33 miles of range on pure electricity. Collectively, it puts out 84 MPGe, and using just the Pentastar it's still rated at a robust 32 mpg in combined city and highway driving conditions. The Limited is the top-of-the line Pacifica trim, offering heated and vented front seats, an 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen and 13 Alpine speakers as standard equipment. We added a safety and tech package ($995) that includes parking assist, a 360-degree surround view camera, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, seatback video screens and a Blu-ray DVD player. We also ticked the box for the hybrid appearance package ($395) to add 18-inch polished aluminum wheels, body color treatments for the mirrors and door handles, and a "Black Spear Applique" for the rear fascia. It's not worth your money. We topped it off with the $1,595 tri-pane sunroof, which is totally worth your money. Final cost including destination: $49,325. It's reasonable, considering the level of luxury the Limited offers, and as we all know, hybrid tech isn't cheap. If you can get the $7,500 federal tax credit the government offers on electrics, it's a great value.

Fisker trying to secure Volkswagen's MEB platform for the Ocean

Henrik Fisker took his beating, stayed in the ring, and appears to be getting on top of the fight to be an electric vehicle automaker. At the beginning of the week, Fisker Inc. announced a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Spartan Energy Acquisition Corp, backed by private equity firm Apollo Global Management. The merger would value Fisker at $2.9 billion in preparation for a listing on the New York Stock Exchange. This is the same maneuver Nikola Motors recently employed in order to go public. Spartan filed a trove of documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission in advance of the filing, one of them an investor presentation that explained some backstory and hoped-for production path for Fisker's Ocean electric crossover. One key piece of info is that Fisker is in talks with Volkswagen about using VW's MEB modular electric platform and ancillary components for the Ocean. The agreement would include battery packs as well. One slide asserted that "anticipated access to Volkswagen’s industry-leading EV component quality, pricing, and supply chain ... accelerates time to market and dramatically reduces vehicle development costs." Furthermore, this attempt at deeper collaboration with VW is part of a two-year growing partnership. The Verge went through the presentation, noting that Fisker and VW entered a memorandum of understanding in 2017, upgrading that to a "collaboration agreement" in 2018. Audi subsidiary Italdesign built the Ocean crossover Fisker debuted at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the prototype described as a "near-series prototype" and sitting an MEB platform. This month, the two companies could sign a "cornerstone agreement" to formalize "costs, production capacity, and a timeline." If that happens, a contract covering supply and manufacturing would be consummated before the end of 2020. The timeline in the presentation notes earnest prototype testing next year, with production planned for late 2022. Separately, however, Fisker has said, "Prototype vehicles are expected to start durability testing by the end of this year, and we continue to make significant progress on the development of our sales and service proposition." If the IPO clears all hurdles, Fisker Inc. could receive $1 billion to put toward Ocean development and production. Meanwhile, a recent funding round secured $50 million from Moore Strategic Ventures.

Karma begins deliveries of the Revero luxury plug-in

If you missed out on the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid, you can now get your hands on the revived, revised version, the Karma Revero. Karma Automotive has officially begun trucking the cars to showrooms, and the company held a "Delivery Day" ceremony to mark the occasion. While it's a big deal for the customers who had preordered the Revero, it's a transformative moment for Karma, as Chief Revenue Officer Jim Taylor points out. "Karma has moved from a product development company to an automotive manufacturer," he says. "We have completed the critical steps to become a true luxury vehicle OEM. The launch is a great accomplishment for our Company and all our team members." The range-extended luxury EV hasn't changed much since its first life under the oversight of Henrik Fisker. The Karma Revero has two electric motors providing the rear wheels with 403 horsepower and 981 pound-feet of torque. A 21.4-kWh battery provides up to 50 miles of electric-only driving range, while an onboard gasoline generator extends that range to 300 miles. It can do 0-60 miles per hour in 5.4 seconds, and has an electronically limited top speed of 125 mph. It features 50:50 weight distribution and auto-leveling suspension for optimal handling. Karma has dealerships in Pasadena, Fort Worth, Atlanta, Miami, Palm Beach, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Montreal. Related Video: