Think the plug-in hybrid/electric vehicle industry is all about flowers, rainbows, and friendship? Think again -- the EV automakers are at each other's throats.
Going back a few years, Tesla had tried to sue Henrick Fisker for the development of the Fisker Karma plug-in electric vehicle while Fisker was still under a design contract for the Model-S. Essentially, the paycheck Fisker received to create the Tesla Model S was enough for Fisker to finance the development of a car of his own.
Still feeling bitter about his archival, Elon Musk takes a jab at Fisker: "The fundamental problem with Henrik Fisker - he is a designer or stylist...he thinks the reason we don't have electric cars is for lack of styling. This is not the reason. It's fundamentally a technology problem. At the same time, you need to make it look good and feel good, because otherwise you're going to have an impaired product. But just making something look like an electric car does not make it an electric car."
In fact, Musk went as far as to say, "It's a mediocre product at a high price." Harsh, yes, but not completely untrue. While Fisker utilizes a GM-sourced 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder and plug-in hybrid powertrain similar to that of the Chevy Volt, Tesla's electrification innovations are now sold to companies such as Toyota.
What's more, Fisker has been struggling against major headwinds already. Fires and safety recalls caused by manufacturing defects from A123 systems caused a tremendous setback for the company and severely tarnished its reputation.
Defending his vehicle, Henrik Fisker rationalized, "Obviously, Tesla and Fisker are appealing to two different customer bases with two totally different technologies. Tesla has pure EV and Fisker has a range-extended offering with no compromise on range."
At the end of the day, does the industry have enough room for fair play between the two companies? Can't we all just get along? Is all truly fair in love and war? Which automaker would you want on your driveway? Let us know in the comment section below.
