Fisker PHEV Sport Sedan to Bow at NAIAS

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North American Int’l Auto Show

Fisker Automotive Inc., a partnership between Irvine, CA-based Fisker Coachbuild LLC and Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc., plans to formally unveil its first environmentally friendly premium car in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Called the Fisker Quantum Hybrid, the new vehicle is a 4-door premium sport sedan with plug-in hybrid-electric capability that “will change the way we look at the automotive world,” says Quantum President and CEO Alan Niedzwiecki.

Most of the technical details, such as those for the internal combustion engine, have yet to be released. However, a key component to the car’s performance is Quantum’s hybrid-electric architecture, which allows the vehicle’s lithium-ion battery pack to be recharged overnight by plugging into a standard 110-volt home outlet.

For faster charges, a 220-volt system, complete with a solar panel carport, will be offered as an option.

The upgraded charging station will feature solar modules supplied by Quantum and its German partner Asola Advanced and Automotive Solar Systems GmbH, which also will provide the Fisker Quantum Hybrid’s optional solar roof panel. In addition to providing power for ventilating the cabin when parked, the solar roof will aid in cooling and trickle charging the Li-ion battery for maximum efficiency, Quantum says.

Framing the hybrid system is a unique chassis developed by Quantum, which allows for optimized vehicle dynamics and performance.

’10 Fisker Quantum Hybrid to debut at NAIAS in January.

“The sleek design accentuating the long hood is a direct result of our breakthrough chassis, which carries the battery pack at the center of the vehicle between the two axles,” says Fisker CEO and designer Henrik Fisker, who also penned the Aston Martin DB9 coupe and BMW Z8 roadster.

“This positioning provides optimal vehicle driving dynamics, maximum safety, proportionate design (parameters), as well as industry-standard performance figures within this car’s class.”

Deliveries of the Fisker Quantum Hybrid are expected to begin in fourth-quarter 2009, as a ’10 model, with production reaching 15,000 vehicles annually. Pricing has yet to be determined.

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