Photo: Karma
Word in the industry is Karma has sunk deep in a pool of financial trouble. A rumor that surfaced back in April, started by an alleged insider, says the American company with Chinese funding is currently engaged in a smoke screen operation meant to hide its problems until a solution is found.
The smoke screen is the revolutionary E-Flex platform, a technology introduced by Karma in early April as the mother of all electric car platforms: it can handle no less than 22 different configurations, ranging from sports cars like Karma’s upcoming Revero GTE, to commercial vans.
Somewhere in between, there are pickup trucks. When the company first showed off the platform, it said it would present a small number of possible vehicles built on it. We’ve seen the E-Flex as it will go on the Revero, a van (oddly enough, based on the Ram ProMaster), a supercar-specced E-Flex, an entry level electric car, and now, hold on, a pickup truck.
That’s right, a pickup truck, because that’s where all carmakers are heading now. Don’t expect to see a body or anything, but just the E-Flex geared up for such a use.
For it to be deployed in such a vehicle, the platform has been fitted with a two-motor all-wheel-drive system, an 80 kW battery in the floor, and the new inverter Karma claims will revolutionize the world.
In this configuration, a future pickup could achieve a range of between 240 and 495 miles (386 – 796 km), depending on the final configuration and the addition of range extenders. And it could be more potent than other trucks out there, too.
“For instance, in a pickup truck application, this platform’s EREV technology may allow the driver to negotiate steeper grades and get better performance throughout their driving pattern, which is beneficial for pulling trailers or carrying full payloads,” said in a statement Kevin Pavlov, the company’s Chief Operations Officer.
Despite a month or so having gone by since the platform’s introduction, Karma is yet to say whether other carmakers are interested in the technology.
Somewhere in between, there are pickup trucks. When the company first showed off the platform, it said it would present a small number of possible vehicles built on it. We’ve seen the E-Flex as it will go on the Revero, a van (oddly enough, based on the Ram ProMaster), a supercar-specced E-Flex, an entry level electric car, and now, hold on, a pickup truck.
That’s right, a pickup truck, because that’s where all carmakers are heading now. Don’t expect to see a body or anything, but just the E-Flex geared up for such a use.
For it to be deployed in such a vehicle, the platform has been fitted with a two-motor all-wheel-drive system, an 80 kW battery in the floor, and the new inverter Karma claims will revolutionize the world.
In this configuration, a future pickup could achieve a range of between 240 and 495 miles (386 – 796 km), depending on the final configuration and the addition of range extenders. And it could be more potent than other trucks out there, too.
“For instance, in a pickup truck application, this platform’s EREV technology may allow the driver to negotiate steeper grades and get better performance throughout their driving pattern, which is beneficial for pulling trailers or carrying full payloads,” said in a statement Kevin Pavlov, the company’s Chief Operations Officer.
Despite a month or so having gone by since the platform’s introduction, Karma is yet to say whether other carmakers are interested in the technology.
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