Fisker Karma Makes Retail Debut in San Jose

Fisker will debut its plug-in hybrid sports car, the Karma, at the company's Fisker Silicon Valley retailer, in San Jose, California, in preparation for the future marketing of the car in the region.

"We are very excited to be the Silicon Valley source for this luxury plug-in hybrid and think this market - with its strong awareness of green transportation issues - will be a good fit for the Fisker brand. We are happy to be a part of this community and support San Jose's efforts with its Green Vision," Adam Simms, Fisker Silicon Valley owner said.

The Karma, which provides from its two electric motors a staggering 403 horsepower, will have a starting price of $87,900. Thanks to its lithium-ion battery pack, the Karma gets an average 100 miles per gallon (2.35l/100 km).

To prepare the retail debut of the Karma, Fisker has set up charging demonstrations with the ChargePoint Networked Charging Station, installed at Santana Row for the event. In San Jose, the first charging stations from Coulomb Technologies appeared in July 2008 and are now outfitted in public and mounted on streetlight poles and garages.

"Coulomb is thrilled to be a part of the debut of the Fisker Karma and are confident that it will open up the plug-in hybrid market by satisfying consumer demand for a performance vehicle that is both beautiful and green," said Richard Lowenthal, Coulomb Technologies CEO.

"As a leader in clean-tech innovation, we are working regionally to make the Bay Area the electric vehicle capital of the world. Having a variety of options like Fisker vehicles available to our residents will help put San Jose on the road to improving air quality, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing our dependence on foreign oil," San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed added.