The latest reports from both the AlwaysOn Going Green conference in Sausalito, Calif. and from the Frankfurt Motor Show confirm that Fisker Automotive is targeting a sub $40,000 hybrid by 2012.

At the AlwaysOn Going Green conference Ray Lane of Kleiner Perkins investor, and former President of Oracle, hinted that one of their clients is developing a new type of hybrid car.

And the hybrid vehicle is expected to have one major difference from the typical plug-in vehicle, Lane said. It’s not going to be an electric car.

“I cannot talk about it because we have not described what it is. It requires protection today,” Lane said. “But it is not an electric vehicle. Do not think batteries.”

Speculation is that the client is Fisker Automotive. This was fueled further from an interview with Henrik Fisker at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Here he announced:

…the lower-cost hybrid will sell for $39,900. The company is looking at several closed assembly plants in the United States for a potential site to build about 100,000 vehicles annually.

Many questions are still left unanswered. Are the two announcements really tied? Does this have something to do with another Kleiner Perkins client such as Think Global or ultracapacitor developer EEStor? Has Fisker been approved for the DOE loan? Just what the heck could  a hybrid be that’s not electric?

[Source: Cleantech Group, Forbes]

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Fisker Automotive has been selected from a list of over 3500 nominees.

It’s always nice to get recognized for your good work.

The Guardian and Cleantech Group™, LLC, providers of leading research, events and advisory services for the cleantech ecosystem, have announced the Global Cleantech 100 – the first ever list of this scale highlighting the most promising private clean technology companies around the world. Supported by the Carbon Trust, the Global Cleantech 100 recognises companies at the forefront of cleantech innovation offering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

The most interesting part to this list is the little sidebar widget that shows a numeric indicator of the amount of buzz around each company. Fisker has been making a consistent climb to the top over the past 90 days. This is a very good sign as we are rapidly approaching  the much anticipated arrival of the first production models to roll off the assembly line.  It’s very important for a company in this position to maintain reasonable expectations. We saw this once again this week with the release of the 67 mpg fuel economy numbers. Of course, time to market is the one everybody is watching. We have all seen there’s a big difference between getting the first few vehicles out the door and having a quality, consistently built  product.

[Source: Cleantech Group]

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As of Jan 31– the latest available reporting– with revenues of just $6M and and an operating loss of $12M for the quarter, to say that growth is  slow at Quantum would be an understatement. So would could possible cause this to happen:

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc., a partner in the creation of Fisker Automotive, has completed a private placement of Common Stock Units that has raised $12.3 million.

None other than the Fisker Karma. With the buzz around the Karma hitting a fever pitch it appears that Fisker’s channel partners are taking advantage as well. Currently Quantum only has a few small military test projects and a couple concepts up and running. With the Karma due for release the middle of next year it is as real as it gets for Quantum. By providing the Q Drive drivetrain and the solar panel roof Quantum has a couple of ponies in this race.

Quantum co-founded Fisker Automotive Inc., a joint venture with world-renowned automobile designer Henrik Fisker, which operates from offices in Irvine, Calif., and Pontiac where it set up an engineering center last fall. As a start-up company, Quantum depends on investment capital.

Proceeds of the stock sale, net of placement agent fees and expenses, will be used for general working capital purposes, Quantum officials said Tuesday.

[Source: The Oakland Press]

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At its global headquarters in Irvine, California, Fisker Automotive is abuzz with activity. Designers, engineers, clay modelers dedicate their talents and tools to bring the world’s asthma first luxury plug-in hybrid, the Fisker Karma, to life.

[Source: MotorWeek]

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The title of the original article is “Fisker CEO has plans for smaller electric car in 2010.” I’m not sure that got it quite right. None the less there is some interesting information here. First, we hear that there is a plan for yet another vehicle to be built on the Karma platform. No official  word has been given however, speculation is that it could be some sort of  crossover vehicle or a two door coup. Beyond that more information is given about a higher volume, lower priced car.

Pontiac {Michigan} will be at the center of the action, according to the head of Fisker Automotive, as he plots the company’s strategy for moving into the less-expensive end of the vehicle market.

Henrik Fisker, founder and chief executive officer of Fisker Automotive, said that now is “the most dramatic change in the history of cars. It’s the first time in 30 or 40 years where new start-up car companies have a real chance. They really haven’t had any chance in the last 30 or 40 years because they would just come up with another gasoline-powered car and nobody needs that.”

Fisker is preparing to launch a new plug-in hybrid early in 2010.

“What you’re seeing now is these start-up companies like Fisker Automotive — we have the technology — that we’re actually more experienced than the big car companies,” Fisker said, whose new automotive company is based in Irvine, Calif. Fisker established a technical center in Pontiac last fall.

“You can compare that to guys that started Google, or Apple with iPhone. You have these things happening when you have a dramatic new technology. You find people are willing to try new technology or even a new design,” Fisker said.

Fisker has already lined up dealers to sell the four-door Fisker Karma in early 2010, but he has more ambitious plans — including a lower-priced vehicle that uses the same plug-in hybrid technology.

“We’re first doing the four-door and then we’re doing the convertible and then we’re planning some third derivative off the Karma platform. Then we’re planning a high-volume vehicle for a lower price. We’ve applied for a Department of Energy grant. If that loan comes through, we’ll have this vehicle on the road in 29 months,” he said.

[Source: The Oakland Press]

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