Fisker Karma to race the Alps in the Bodensee-Elektrik Rallye

This weekend the Bodensee-Elektrik Rallye will be run through the Alps in an effort to demonstrate electric mobility under the challenging driving conditions found the German, Swiss and Austrian Alps.

Fisker Automotive announced today it was entering a Fisker Karma in the the inaugural Bodensee-Elektrik Rallye, due to take place this weekend from May 3 – 6. The Rallye takes place on challenging roads in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and covers a distance of hundreds of kilometers.

Independent journalists from Autobild magazine will be among those driving the Karma throughout the event. The event is already underway with scrutineering, and on Thursday some training for the drivers and publication of the crews deemed eligible to enter the actual Rallye.

The event supports four classes of vehicle: a) Pure electric cars (e.g. Nissan Leaf), b) electric vehicles with fuel cells (e.g. Mercedez Benz B-Class F-Cell), c) electric vehicles with longer range (Fisker Karma), and d) plug-in Hybrids (Ampera/Volt).

“We’re very proud that after just four years of true development, we have brought to market a range-extended electric car capable of performing in an event such as the inaugural Bodensee-Elektrik Rallye. With the Karma on-sale and being delivered to customers throughout Europe, it is a great time to show what the car is capable of,” said Bernhard Koehler, co-founder of Fisker Automotive.

The Fisker Karma is an electric vehicle in the plug-in serial hybrid configuration, meaning it has a pure electric drive drive train, and a gasoline engine that is purely used as a generator. Fisker says that independent testing by Germany’s Technischer Üeberwachungs Verein (TÜV) found the Karma could be driven 83 kilometers (51 miles) in electric mode, and have a total range of 483 kilometers (300 miles) between electric and gasoline drive trains.

It is a luxury car designed by famed car designer, Henrik Fisker. The Karma recently won a design award from International Design Awards, and the Edison Awards recognized it with a Silver Trophy in electric vehicles.

Updates will be posted on Fisker Automotive's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/fiskerauto