Fisker to Show Karma's Aluminum Space Frame at 2010 Geneva Auto Show
By John O'Dell February 17, 2010
It's usually the powerplant or exterior design that gets the attention, but when range is the name of the game - as it is in electric-drive vehicles - then even a car's skeleton becomes newsworthy.
That thinking is shared by the folks over at Fisker Automotive, which is peeling down the skin of its previously-displayed Fisker Karma extended range plug-in hybrid (right) to show off its lightweight but super-strong aluminum space frame at the Geneva Auto Show next month.
Fisker claims that the frame will be one of the strongest in the industry, with torsional and bending rigidity that matches or bests that of many of the top exotic sports cars.
Using aluminum helped Fisker reduce theKarma's overall weight, adding to the distance it can travel under all-electric power (the company says up to 50 miles) on its initial battery charge.
The company won't provide even a teaser photo and isn't disclosing the weight of the frame, but does share a few tidbits:
- It uses 5000 and 6000 Series lightweight, high-strength aluminum alloys;
- It's built around a powertrain and drive system that includes a 2.0-liter turbocharged GM Ecotec gas engine/generator up front, a lithium-ion battery pack from A123 Systems down the center and a 403-horsepower, two-motor electric drive assembly in the rear;
- A structural tunnel down the center houses the battery pack and works as a torque tube connecting the front and rear frame sections;
- The whole thing is held together by 79 meters (259.2 feet) of precision welds and 1,058 self-piercing rivets.
The frame was designed to be easily adpated to variations of the initial Karma, a four-door sedan. Fisker is planning two variants (a coupe and a convertible, although there's been no official word on that) and is likely to use the same engineering and assembly parameters for the frames of the "Project Nina" family of smaller plug-in electrics it is planning to follow the Karma in 2012.
If what's beneath the skin interests you, stay tuned - we expect to be able to post a picture of the Karma's space frame just before the Geneva Show opens.
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