THE ECO SUPERCAR O ul ST Fe: ae a) CMeFISKER KARMA: FIRST DRIVE ELECTRIC MEETS EXOTIC WHY A RACETRACK? Why goto so much rouble o produce the words sexist range-extender electric hybrid and then launch iin an environment where the promised driving range of 300 miles vaporiss into grey teary? “Because I only takes a couple of laps to understand that ourinterpretation of electromebily is compatible wth sporty handing and dynamic perfarmance’ says Henrik Fiske, the former BMW and Aston designer who ‘managed ose one bilion dollars to cea the car tht bears his name. But my fist impression i tha the Fsker Karma feels heay and underpowered fora claimed 403bp (from two electic motors at 201 5bhp teach). Im ight — these early pre-production cars dalvr just 320bhp But wih 965 ft avalable from the word ‘go, stugsish tint - ooing the accelerator makes the chips swiich to overload to stop the exposive twist action from scalping the 22nbul-o-order Goodyear. Although the ESP calbration is sila workin progress, this S-lass-size four-seater coupe is an absolute hoot to div its 2800-4lo bulk being unexpectedly chuckable and sideabla ith taleof two glorious extremes. On weekdays, you can wa along in Stealth Mode (Fskerspeak for maximum efficiency) on racedays, you pull the left shiftlever to Sprt end watch the intuments tur ed. Since the transmission has exact two gears (one forward, one reverse) the cher shi paddle has morphed into brake regeneration selector Choose between mild deceleration and what simost fees lke pedalless braking. On the track, you let the Bremivs do the ob, but public ads you can go for miles without actually bothering discs and pads. With he batteries fully Charged the car ean acoseratein 59sec fom 0-6Omph and on oop speed of 125mph, For 90 seconds you can tigger a 1 43mph overboost which presumably does othe range what apn does toa baloon Under the bonnet is GMs 20 drectnjecton turbocharged four cinder petrol unt which develops 260bhp and has been trained to run ub its maximum efficiency window whenever possible. I doesnt drive the wheels, but feeds the 238bhp generator which converts the energy into electric power forthe two mators, Whenever possible, the car's powered by alithiumon battery pack good for 20khh and 245bhp which fils the entre cavity of the backbone chassis “The Karma stays flat and composed on the track, thanks to ts sport-tuned ‘SLA double-wishbone suspension layout front and rear with selHeveling dampers inthe back Precise elastokinematics keep pitch and yaw well Under control, and isolated subframes and made-tormessure tyres with ‘aller sidewalls ensure a better than expected ride. When you give it stick, the engine feels obliged to assist, and you can hear and feel it NVHis not a ‘major problem, but there is room for improvement in refinement and in-geat ‘thoitle response. The engines quite grutf when pushed hard, but when in Stealth Mode the Karma employs two one-watt loudspeakers near the talpipes to create an artical town noise, which fade out above 85mph. Dynamically the Karmais a gem. The electrical assisted steering is quick >ee aeons yn oe Epa cc tn te nom ela Beart eer enor taal ea ca Noi tee em ete eee eee ea ON Efe errs sar eset ae aes eae eMevar) Bee tere ieeea Sine oon Giceeer satis Gere eens ue een ona cee Gea coer ogo eK ci rose Pisret estore ger one acorn nie Bee ecaeer Seeack ctnoctae ss Gere ied este een esis ater ea Perm ttinteeeannes curt crepe omer y-onnas Cree te te sem Sree a tem oe oem tata Pees en eee enc ea a Eee etree nee ela) cent ata (Uist a eater ea Uae) Gee ce mies ccommoes eee Teo Fam tea cane Ma tateeed ce mMsToc ion Cayo sent coe oiot eee cnn ita came ener ecm Be Refers eee Vg cn eo Tea Geese ine 01k en core ee neon Fee eee ees sae cor ne nee ee ieerorcrcr neon erry Bae ese ce Boner ete Mr alestoro crn ure i) Pia erase ote ate oe oa re og Oe eter eget em ee sot eet) Pee eae eco est oe Pr eerie sneer) eres noon tan ey Gere ree Seite eet ran Ieee ree Ree eed Paneer) Seta eerste ced eoCentral battery Is integral to ch su