2012 Fisker Karma Sport on 2040-cars

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Taiwan's Foxconn discussing electric vehicle plant in Wisconsin

TAIPEI — Taiwan's Foxconn said on Friday it was in talks with the U.S. state of Wisconsin about building electric vehicles there, part of the major Apple Inc supplier's push to diversify income streams. Foxconn and electric car manufacturer Fisker Inc said in May that they had finalized a vehicle-assembly deal. They did not identify a location, but Fisker's CEO said Foxconn's Wisconsin site was a possibility. In a statement, Foxconn said it had begun discussions with Wisconsin. "Foxconn has engaged the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to discuss the company's plans for electric vehicle manufacturing. Foxconn is optimistic about our partnership with WEDC and looks forward to ongoing discussions," it added. The company, formally called Hon Hai Precision Industry, gave no further details. In April, Foxconn drastically scaled back a planned $10 billion factory in Wisconsin, confirming its retreat from a project that former U.S. President Donald Trump once called "the eighth wonder of the world" and was supposed to build cutting-edge flat-panel display screens. A month earlier, Foxconn's chairman said it may make EVs at the Wisconsin site, though could decide on Mexico, and would make a decision this year. Over the past year or so Foxconn has announced several deals on the production of EVs with automakers including Fisker, China's Byton and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, and Stellantis NV's Fiat Chrysler unit. Foxconn aims to provide components or services to 10% of the world's EVs by 2025 to 2027, posing a threat to established automakers by allowing technology companies a shortcut to competing in the vehicle market. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by David Goodman and David Evans) Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Green Plants/Manufacturing Fisker Electric Wisconsin Foxconn

Got a Fisker Karma? Hack it for more driving options

We've already touched upon the ability to hack into the software of the BMW i3 battery-electric vehicle in order to change some of the preset driving modes. One of the issues there, though, was the risk of voiding the car's warranty. If you were do something similar to a Fisker Karma extended-range plug-in, the warranty thing probably won't come into play since the company went broke and is now, slowly being reborn. The hacking-inclined can access four new driving modes for the Karma, according to the Fisker community site Fisker Buzz. There's "EV mode" that simply depletes the battery regardless of how much fuel is in the range extender. "Sport mode" runs the battery at full power up until 60 percent state of charge (SOC). "Stealth mode" will hold any SOC and ER will increase the SOC to 90 percent full. If you'd like to watch blurry cell phone videos rather than read, there's an incredibly short YouTube clip above that apparently shows the driver accessing those additional drive modes. Poster PowerSource says that the new modes are turned on with a simple plug-in module: The enhancement will not modify any of the existing OEM software in the vehicle. Our solution is plug and play hardware that adds functionality. To put the vehicle back to stock you simply unplug the module, to add the functionality you simply plug in the module. Fisker does not have the capability to overwrite our software since its on our physical module. Fisker is in the process of rising from its bankrupt-induced ashes. The company went belly up in 2013, the year after it stopped making the last of its approximately 2,600 high-end Karmas. Last year, China-based Wanxiang bought out the company's assets for a tidy $149.2 million. And this year, the company is operating offices in Orange, County, CA, and is in the process of building a factory in Moreno Valley, CA, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Its new model will look a lot like the Karma but will be called the Elux. We're not sure how many drive modes it will have. Related Gallery 2012 Fisker Karma: Second Drive View 30 Photos News Source: Fisker Buzz Green Fisker Electric hacking software karma

Wanxiang increases Fisker bid by $10m, hints at Delaware production

Just before a judicial hearing tomorrow on the fate of bankrupt Fisker Automotive, one of the two companies fighting over the company's remains, Wanxiang America Corp., said it is willing to increase its submitted bit by a cool $10 million in cash. Wanxiang is ready to bring its total starting bid to $35.7 million and said it is willing to pay 'considerably' more if US bankruptcy judge Kevin Gross approves the sale. Wanxiang says it would pay Fisker's unsecured creditors 50 cents (or more) on each dollar they are owed, while a competing bid from Hybrid Technology LLC would net them less than a penny per dollar. Wanxiang has also said that if it gains control of Fisker, it could restart Karma production in Finland and then wants to build a next-gen model (a hatchback Atlantic, which you can see here) in Michigan alongside the gas-powered version of the Karma, the Destino. Wanxiang is also hinting that it could build future models in Delaware, "if there's enough consumer demand." Remember, attorneys for Fisker wanted the judge to deny Wanxiang's initial bid altogether and want the plug-in vehicle company to be sold to Hybrid Tech. Last year, Hybrid Tech bought the Department of Energy's failed loan to Fisker for $25 million. The loan was originally valued at $529 million, but Fisker only ever accessed $192 million of that before the DOE got suspicious and stopped funding. Featured Gallery Fisker Karma by GS Automotive Art News Source: ABC News, Washington PostImage Credit: Gijs Spierings Green Fisker Electric Hybrid PHEV wanxiang destino