Henrik Fisker, the Danish-born designer and one-time head honcho at Fisker Automotive, says he’s planning on getting back into the battery-powered vehicle game with a possible all-electric car and the revival of the Fisker nameplate.
The news comes from a recent report by The Detroit News, which interviewed Fisker in a profile on the production of his latest effort, the VLF Force 1. In addition to details on the Force 1, Fisker divulged upcoming plans and concurrent projects concerning all-electric vehicles, including the development of new battery tech.
“I’m definitely working in stealth mode on electric cars of the future. If I do an electric car, it’s going to have to be phenomenal, and has to be something that stands out with technology that nobody else has,” Fisker told The Detroit News.
Fisker’s previous foray into the battery-assisted space was the Karma, a six-figure hybrid luxury sedan produced between 2011 and 2012 by Fisker Automotive. Fisker Automotive went bankrupt in 2013, after which the Chinese auto-parts company Wanxiang Group bought the remaining assets with plans to restart production of the Karma. The car has since been renamed the Karma Revero.
Following the Karma, Fisker’s four-wheeled creations so far have relied exclusively on gasoline for motivation, and specifics on Fisker’s future electrified plans remain under wraps.
The Detroit News
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That Fisker is working on electric cars isn’t all that surprising. While ultimately flawed, the Karma had real potential, and offered a lot of good ideas that never quite gelled the way they were supposed to. In the end, the car was just too complicated and new to be a success.
Now, however, just five years later, things might be different. Electric power is still making huge strides, and the time might be right for Fisker to get back into the game.
One of the most interesting parts of all this is how VLF might be involved, or will be involved in the future. VLF is essentially an automotive super group, which, in addition to Mr. Fisker, includes Gilbert Villarreal (United Technologies Automotive, Acord Incorporated) and Bob Lutz (General Motors, VIA Motors). Founded in 2012, the company aims to create supercars with low-volume production and high-volume awesome.
“We’re three guys having fun. We’re funding it ourselves and doing exactly what we want to do. We’re concentrating on being the small, exclusive American luxury carmaker that hasn’t existed in a long time,” Fisker told The Detroit News.
Earlier this year, at the Detroit Auto Show, VLF debuted the Force 1, a two-seater all-carbon monster built on a Viper frame and stuffed with a 745-horsepower 8.4-liter V-10 engine. Top speed is rated at 218 mph, and 0-to-60 mph takes three seconds dead. Then there’s the other VLF product, the Destino sedan, which offers a more pedestrian top speed of 200 mph thanks to its blown, 6.2-liter, 638-horsepower ZL1 V-8.
Starting to see a trend here?
The point I’m trying to make is that despite VLF’s youthful age, the cars it’s making are very much a product of the industry old school. Which is exactly what you’d expect from guys like Lutz and Villarreal, but throw Fisker in there, and things get interesting.
Perhaps we’ll see VLF’s enormous internal combustion powerplants replaced with batteries and electric motors in the future?
It’s an interesting prospect, and if it’s got the full force of VLF behind it, I’d say it’s got a much better shot at success than the Karma.
The Detroit News1}
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VLF Force 1
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VLF Destino
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