A Fisker Karma damaged by a fire in Northern California. Photo courtesy Jalopnik.com.
Even as an earlier fire remains under investigation a second Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid has been involved in a serious fire – though the maker contends the latest blaze was not caused by the vehicle’s battery.
The latest fire effectively destroyed a Fisker Karma parked outside in Woodside, California last Friday. The owner was approaching the vehicle after shopping for groceries when he discovered the blaze, according to a report on Jalopnik.com.
Following the news of a fire involving a Fisker Karma that destroyed the plug-in and several others in a Texas garage, earlier this year, industry analysts question the potential impact on sales by the California-based automotive start-up.
It could also blunt the maker’s efforts to raise the capital it needs to offset the loss of a federal loan. Earlier this year, Fisker announced it would be forced to delay by at least a year the launch of its second product line, the smaller Fisker Atlantic – which is expected to generate significantly greater sales than the $103,000 Karma.
Following word of the latest fire, in Northern California, Fisker announced it has hired independent investigators to try to determine the cause. But based on initial indications, the maker said it does not appear that the problem was caused by the battery pack. Photos from the scene show the damage was focused on the left front corner of the vehicle. Fisker’s lithium-ion battery pack runs down the center of the sports car.
Fisker also has independent investigators working to clarify what happened in the earlier Texas fire. Local authorities initially blamed the Karma’s batteries, but it subsequently was revealed that the lithium-ion pack was not seriously damaged and was likely not the cause. There have since been reports that there were pyrotechnics in the garage with some questions raised about whether the blaze was the result of arson.
Fisker claims it now has more than 1,000 Karmas in consumer hands. The vehicle launched well behind schedule, however, which was one of the reasons the federal government froze a loan that the automaker had hoped would allow it to finish development of the Atlantic and begin production at a former GM plant in Delaware.
Fisker has called a news conference for this morning to discuss the latest fire and the company’s evolving business strategy.