Consumer Report’s review Death Toll for Fisker?

After having their shiny new Fisker Karma shut down completely after 200 miles on the odometer, Consumer Reports was finally able to finish their testing and write a complete review on the vehicle. If you've ever had issues with your navigation unit or engine control module, you know how frustrating it is to try and solve weird electrical problems. Consumer Reports couldn't even begin testing on the Karma before battery issues bricked the car in their parking lot. Their summary after getting it back from the shop: not good.

While the design is lauded as “simply stunning,” the gasoline engine when activated is noticeably loud. Its heavy 5395 pound body doesn’t help the handling department, and the touch screen has a grayscale look and requires so much menu flipping it “makes MyFord Touch look like a brilliant design.”

During testing, after they got it back from the shop of course, the speedometer and energy meter display disappeared when driving, on top of having several other rogue warning indicators appear during the week. These included the ESC, ABS and brake warning lights. There is also an intermittent warning tone and light that indicates an overheating situation; the warning lamp illuminates, then instantly turns off. 

Oh, were you using these? Sorry.

 What’s more troubling is that Consumer Report’s experience with the Karma is not isolated. Only 500 have been shipped and there are already dozens of complaints in all available outlets, with a range of sometimes mysterious issues.

One person couldn’t put their car into drive, tried to reboot the system several times to no avail, and had a technician come out and do a hard reboot. While this finally enabled the car to get into drive, the person then drove their kids to school and became stranded in the school parking lot with the same issue – even after a hard reboot, the car would not be put into gear.

One customer reported that their Karma required a completely new differential with only 1000 miles on the odometer because of a worn-down coupling between one of the motors and the wheels.

By far the most disturbing report is of a Karma owner that had their vehicle shut down completely while driving 35mph – all of the lights on the dash illuminated, the brakes would not work, and they had directional control of the vehicle only. While the other issues are indeed irritating and not acceptable for any brand new vehicle, paying $108,000 for a death trap is outrageous.

 With all of this information pouring in, there are many who have stood up for Fisker, saying that any brand new vehicle from a brand new manufacturer with new technology is going to have birthing pains. They also state that in order to keep up with strict deadlines in order to receive funding, some of the details in making the Fisker had to be rushed.

I don’t know about you, but funding or no funding I don’t feel rushing to get something out the door is ever appropriate when lives are at stake. While I understand this is a new company, selling a vehicle that is not completely developed is not only dangerous to consumers, but very damaging to the company’s image and future.

Hopefully Fisker will address these issues (there have already been two recalls on the Karma), but either way no one could get me to purchase one of these buggy, albeit beautiful, deathtraps.

Cameras that keep uninsured motorists from getting gas?

 Britain is famous for many things: double decker buses, Big Ben, the British Royal Family… and an extraordinary network of surveillance cameras. Everywhere. On public street corners, in front of shops, even in some residential neighborhoods, the British government has cameras installed to make sure every infraction is caught on tape, including those expired registration tags you forgot about awhile ago. Unfortunately for you, that little memory relapse may now prevent you from putting gas in your car, if a new proposal gets approved in the U.K. Forget about filling up that F350 dually you're trucking around England in - your diesel injectors and diesel turbo parts will be running on fumes.

 Installation of cameras at gas stations have special scanners that record license plates, originally installed to prevent people from filling up at the pump and speeding away (just making a pay-before-you-pump system as we do here seems to work well, but hey, who are we to judge). They are now thinking of using these scanners and linking them to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (their version of the DMV) database to cross reference plates to valid registration and insurance. No insurance, no gas.

I see what you're doing there.

This is a big problem for the 1.4 million, or 1 in 25, uninsured drivers in the U.K. This would be an even bigger problem for the 1 in 7 uninsured motorists we have in the United States – that’s a whopping 27 million drivers. You might want to double check your own car insurance policy to make sure uninsured motorists are covered.  If it weren’t for American’s vehement opposition to being watched, I’m sure the DMV would love to implement this system here as well – think of the cash rolling in!

There are, of course, two sides to this argument. The first is that the government already has too much control, and they have no business telling people whether they can or can not put gas int their vehicle. On the other hand, car insurance is a legal requirement and by driving without insurance you are breaking the law, and putting everyone around you at risk.

Do you think preventing uninsured motorists from pumping gas is justified or wrong?

NJ Law Gets Tough on Fastlane Slowpokes

We have all been there – coasting on the freeway, a long distance to go and cruising to get there in a reasonable amount of time, when you hit someone going 55MPH in the left-most lane. We didn’t buy a car with a turbocharger or supercharger just to sit behind this inconsiderate person driving 10 miles under the speed limit. Most of us know the left-most lane as the “fast lane” – a lane for drivers to coast at the maximum speed in order to cover longer distances. New Jersey has recently implemented laws that impose heavier fines for these traffic-causing individuals in an effort to keep them to the right.

These are usually referred to as “keep right laws,” and New Jersey isn’t alone in implementing them.  They are notable however in pursuing a crackdown and greater penalties for offenders. Speeding is much easier to enforce and more profitable in ticketing so police officers around the nation usually focus their efforts on ticketing speeders. The people of New Jersey however have made this issue a priority to keep the traffic and road rage caused by slowpokes in check. 

State Senator Donald Norcross (D) has sponsored the bill, telling the Philadelphia Inquirer "Being trapped behind a slower vehicle is one of the biggest triggers for road rage. Some people have told me the fines we're proposing are not high enough. They said, 'It should be execution.’”

He has decided on a softer approach, increasing the minimum penalty from $50 to $100 and the maximum penalty from $100 to $300. The increase in fines may help motivate police to pursue offenders, and thus encourage offenders to move to the right.

 Many offenders are from out of state, so the increased revenue from the tickets will help pay for new signs when crossing state lines warning every one of the keep right laws in effect in New Jersey. I can only hope that this trend will sweep across the nation and that California will also enact similar laws – we all have places to go!

“Five Good Things” about the High Price of Gas

The price of gas is rising to an alarming level as of late. Just hearing the fuel pump in the fuel pump assembly in my car kick on makes me nervous. It’s difficult to be anything other than dismayed at the current situation, but Insideline at Edmunds posted an interesting take on five “good sides” to the insanely high price of gas currently.

See how she's walking? Yay fitness!

 1. You can get in shape. With the price of gas so high, you will supposedly forgo driving short distances to walking or cycling, so you can arrive a sweaty disgusting mess at work after jogging 6 miles to get there.

2. You can learn to drive more efficiently. You will no longer floor it to get around that special individual in a Prius on the freeway going 10 miles under the speed limit, because it would cost you $1.25 to do so. You will patiently coast your vehicle behind the Prius and hope that you can safely and efficiently ease out from behind them by switching lanes, and then increase speed slowly…. And not think how worth it it would be to pay $1.25 to cut that special individual off.

3. You can “say goodbye to stress, traffic tickets, and accidents.” Theory is, practicing the above referenced efficient driving you will no longer be wildly weaving in and out of traffic, and your former habits of speeding will magically cease.

Take out a loan to fill this sucker up.

 4. You will be more inclined to support energy independence. Not being able to afford gas, you will be motivated to take public transportation, ride a bicycle, or because you’re so broke, fork out tens of thousands of dollars for an electric car (that uses lithium batteries we are still dependent on other countries to source). Or you can beg your boss to telecommute as an act of patriotism, because no one fears for their jobs already in this economy.

5. You now have a built in excuse for anything. Don’t feel like fulfilling familial obligations? Sorry Grandpa, I can’t afford to drive to your birthday party. Friend asking you to move? Sorry, can’t afford to cart your stuff back and forth.

There you have it. Five excellent things about gas prices being so high. Take them or leave them… I think I know which one I’m going with.

Love/Hate Relationship with Concept Cars

Concept cars are awesome. Automakers get to showcase the latest and greatest features, while at the same time innovating the next generation of vehicle specifications. As cool as concept cars are though, the version that eventually makes it to production is usually a watered down shell of what could have been the greatest thing ever. An epic concept with a revolutionary car navigation system that integrates with your smartphone turns into a base production model  that you feel lucky they included a car CD player in. Lame.

 

Lamorghini Spiga concept

 Still, even getting to set eyes on some of these is worth it. Just look at this Lambo Spiga concept. Its wheels look like a revolver chamber. The world is a cooler place because this exists, even if no one will get to drive it. Hopefully they will take feedback from what people like about these cars, and incorporate it into later production models. Even if they don’t, making concepts allows automakers free reign to design new crazy features and innovate the most cutting edge technology for automobiles today.

 Even better, occasionally a company will sell a concept car so at least a tiny handful of lucky people get to drive it around. This was the case with the Ferrari Avendator J we wrote about the other day. They only sold the one unit they made –to the tune of 2.8 million dollars – but someone gets to take it home and put it in their garage. Same with FAB Design’s take on the McLaren MP4-12C Terso on display at Geneva this year – they’re making and selling five units, so a handful of people can create an extra-exclusive cool kids club of vehicles that storm troopers drive.

These are not the concepts you're looking for.

 All in all, even with the frustration of knowing they won’t make it to production, concepts are an interesting and necessary fixture in the auto industry to push the limits and discover new technologies. Even if we don’t get the chance to drive these ourselves, at least we can admire them and hope the features we fall in love with will make it to production someday. How do you feel about concept cars?

Lamborghini's Speedbike on Four Wheels

For the most hardcore, car-loving honeymooners, what could be better than the new Lamborghini Avendator J roadster? Sure, buying her a new Car CD Player  or Car Navigation System would be nice, but the way to thrill a real car lover is throwing that out the window (if this car had any) and getting this speedbike on four wheels instead.

 

Think of it now: you, her, nestled into carbon-fiber woven seats jetting 300kmh down the road, hearing the roar of that 700hp engine over the howling wind rushing by you. The experience sounds incredible, but as with most great things, a few scarifies must be made.  The first that comes to mind is the fact that with no windshield or windows to speak of, that howling wind (and everything living/flying in it) will be intimately associated with your face.

That is, unless, you invest in some awesome full face helmets with two way communicators. You can make the helmets match the car! Then you can comment and laugh at all the people staring wide-eyed at the work of machine-speed-art you’ve blessed upon their consciousness. The best part is, with those full face helmets you two can have your own private laugh fest while all the rest of the world sees is your best stoic Stig impressions.

 Investing in helmets that have good ventilation will be key to both of your comfort, however, as there will be no climate control in this beast. As the car as no roof or windshield to speak of, the outside weather will be directly associated with how much enjoyment you will get from driving the car. Sweltering, miserable heat with huge clouds of insects? Might want to pass. Glorious fall day with lots of sun and a cool breeze? Best. Day. Ever.

If those obstacles don’t deter you, and you have a few million dollars to spare to impress your sweetheart, there’s only one more roadblock to parking this in your garage. While the Avendator J is not a concept car and is for sale, after the Geneva Motor Show this year, they will not be making any more units. Not even for the Lamorghini Museum (so zipping in Mission Impossible style isn’t an option). So your one and only chance is to try and buy it off the guy who already paid 2.1 million euros for it (at the current exchange rate for the day, that will run you about 2.76 million dollars). As you can imagine, the chances of that happening are pretty slim. Oh well, at least we can all enjoy these amazing photos and know that someone, somewhere, is living the dream of driving this through the Tuscan countryside.

How Close Are We To Flying Cars?

We’ve made some major technological advances in the last century – the internet, the AC Compressor and the A/C  Compressor would have been unimaginable in 1912. Still, there are things that we have been dreaming about in science fiction for decades that still haven’t come to be. One of the most prolific is the idea of the flying car.

Cops and Cabs in The 5th Element

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has dreamed of flying away while stuck in traffic. It would be just like the movies! Highways in the sky, floating traffic lights, silent flying cars whooshing by, and all self-driven and pre-programmed to whisk us to our desired locations. It’s a beautiful dream that many believe is the future for personal transportation. Question is, is it?

Terrafugia Transition

Fortunately, there are some people working on making this dream a reality. Terrafugia is a U.S. company that will debut a roadable aircraft at this year’s New York Auto Show.  The craft, called Transition, is a fixed wing personal aircraft that can fold its wings in and become a street legal automobile. This wouldn’t replace your car, although it can fit in a standard parking space, but it could replace your own personal aircraft if you had one. This craft also requires a runway, and since it flies, you have to have a pilot’s license and use an airport to take advantage of its flying capabilities. Given all of these limitations, it doesn’t quite seem like the type of flying car we’d envisioned, though it is a very convenient option for those who love to fly.

Urban Aeronautics AirMule

 Also developing what they dub “fancraft” is Urban Aeronatics in Israel. They develop Vertical-Takeoff-and-Landing (VTOL) utility aircraft in several different models. This looks more like we imagine – smaller craft, can take off and land anywhere, no body roll when moving from side to side, and the blades are not exposed so there are no risk of losing your (or your neighbors) head. Problem is, this vehicle is intended to be primarily a search and rescue plane to go where helicopters cannot. Helicopters have great difficulty flying close to buildings or mountains and the exposed blades make them dangerous to operate in tight spaces. The fancrafts produced by Urban Aeronautics can fly right next to, between, or on top of structures. Also, since it has no body roll and much more stability, it can actually partially touch a surface on any side of the craft without losing control. The cost of these is currently prohibitively expensive for personal use, but they welcome future developments to make their design more accessible to the masses.

What we’re really after is a PAV, or Personal Air Vehicle, but as it stands there are no tested vehicles that truly fit the bill. Thankfully, there are several companies out there with investors that have the same dream we all do: to fly away from traffic jams and into the future. I’ll hold on to my dream and hopefully we’ll see it become a reality within our lifetime.