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

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New Fisker aiming for mid-2016 production Karma restart

One slow step at a time, Fisker is getting things buzzing again with a headquarters in Costa Mesa, CA, and an upcoming factory in Moreno Valley, CA. But the company is keeping quiet about when the first new Karmas might actually hit the road, at least until now. According to Jim Taylor, the company's chief marketing officer, who spoke to The Orange County Register, the reborn automaker plans for a relaunch in 2016, probably in the middle of the year. Unfortunately, Taylor didn't nail down a timeframe any more specific than that. "We won't make any promises to say this is our launch date, get ready," he said to the OCR. Fisker still has some hiring ahead of it before the company is ready to actually produce vehicles again. The headquarters currently has 200 employees, including a new executive team, and is still adding people. As opposed to assembly at the Valmet factory in Finland (where the Karma was originally built), another 150 workers should be at the new 556,000-square-foot California factory when things get rolling there. The Karma's relaunch is already seeing delays, and the details about any changes to the vehicle still aren't clear. The engineering team is repurposing some of the 150 unsold original Karmas as test platforms, according to the OCR, and they are creating bespoke software for it. Also, A123 Systems, now a corporate sibling of Fisker under Wanxiang, is reportedly supplying updated batteries with different chemistry compared to the previous, recalled units. Styling is rumored to be very similar previous version, and the luxury sedan remains an extended-range plug-in hybrid. After getting sufficiently staffed, engineering complete, and production underway, the next major challenge is actually selling the relaunched Karma. Fisker still needs to expand its sales network. Although, repairing old examples for customers at points around the country could provide a foothold. Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: Fisker owner Wanxiang owns a lot of US real estate, carmakers gaming EU emissions system

Wanxiang Group says it might now be China's largest corporate investor in American real estate. The owner of both Fisker Automotive and battery company A123 Systems, and parts supplier to Mazda and Chrysler, Wanxiang has invested in over 60 projects in the US since 2010. Returns on those investments have been "very, very, very" high, according to Wanxiang America President Pin Ni. "We can invest in clean energy, auto, real estate or anything, but the key is pegging it well to the economic cycle," says Ni. Read more at Bloomberg. Cars sold in 2014 in Europe are exceeding 2015 targets for emissions, but not necessarily for the right reasons. The cars produce 2.6 percent (or 123.4 g/km) less CO2 than cars sold in 2013, which is nearly 7 g/km less than 2015 targets. Unfortunately, these results are influenced in part by manufacturers taking advantage of flaws in the EU testing procedures for better results. Real-world fuel economy is about 31 percent less than official ratings. "These figures need to be treated with extreme caution," says Greg Archer, clean vehicles manager at Transport & Environment. Most of the measured improvement is being delivered through manipulating tests, not delivering real-world improvements. We need the new test to be introduced without further delay." Read more at DieselNet, or from Transport & Environment. Ballard will supply fuel cell modules for eight hydrogen-powered buses in China. Shipping later this year, the FCvelocityTM-HD7 power modules will power buses in multiple Chinese for cities. "We are now beginning to see meaningful evidence of growing demand for clean energy mass transportation alternatives in China, including both buses and trams," says Ballard President and CEO Randy MacEwen. "This demand is being driven by a pressing need to address China's challenging air quality issues, for which fuel cell technology is seen as an emerging option." Read more from Ballard in the press release below. Ballard Inks Deal to Supply Next-Generation Fuel Cell Power Product For Eight Buses in China April 15, 2015 Vancouver, Canada – Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP; TSX: BLD) today announced that it has received an order from a Chinese customer to supply its next-generation FCvelocityTM-HD7 power modules for 8 buses to be deployed in a number of Chinese cities. Ballard expects to ship all of the modules in 2015.

Recharge Wrap-up: Karma expands in Michigan, Genovation to attempt another record

Karma Automotive (Fisker's successor) is expanding its engineering and program management team at its new Michigan office as it plans to launch the Revero. "Detroit is the home of some of the top technical resources and leading suppliers in the world," says Karma VP of Engineering Darren Post. Recent hires include former Ford GT engineer Kip Ewing, newly appointed President & Chief Operations Officer Dennis Dougherty, and other employees who "bring with them expertise in many technical areas and deep experience with many great companies such as Aston Martin, Rolls Royce, Tesla, Ford, FCA, and GM," according to Post. Read more in the press release from Karma. Businesses and developers in Phoenix, Arizona are planning their endeavors around the city's light rail project. Mixed use space The Newton, DeSoto Central Market, and Luhrs City Center are all located along the Valley Metro rail line. Not only does the light rail system help bring in customers, it is also a great way for employees to get to work. Valley Metro recently gave a tour of several businesses to highlight how light rail has been an important part of growth and development in the city. Read more at Mass Transit. Genovation is looking to set a new speed record for a street-legal electric car. The company recently set a record of 186.8 miles per hour in its GXE (Genovation eXtreme Electric car), which uses the frame and body of a Chevrolet Corvette. Now, Genovation is looking to push those limits further. We'll update you when we have more details, but for now, read more in the note below. Genovation Looks to Set Second World Speed Record With Proprietary All-Electric Vehicle WHAT: Genovation Cars is looking to make history once again by breaking the top speed world record for a street legal all electric car. Genovation currently holds the world record, achieved on February 23, 2016 by reaching a top speed of 186.8 mph with its GXE (Genovation eXtreme Electric car). Genovation's custom vehicles combine cutting edge green technology with the Corvette's lightweight frame and aerodynamic body that allow the vehicles to reach record-breaking speeds. The record breaking attempt is open to select media with advance security clearance. Join us to learn more about Genovation Cars and the behind-the-scenes work that goes into building the fastest all-electric vehicle on the planet.