Fisker to use GM Ecotec motor to recharge Karma’s batteries

The forthcoming Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sports car will be able to drive 50 miles on the electricity it gets from your home outlet, but after the batteries are depleted it will use a 2.0-liter Ecotec engine from General Motors to recharge the cells, the company has announced.

Typically rated at 260 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, it’s unclear if the engine will be detuned or otherwise modified to reduce its fuel consumption. It’s not that four-banger is particularly fuel thirsty, but rather we fail to see why such a powerful engine is needed, unless it’s the only way to provide quick enough charging.

In any case, it’s good news for GM to have one of its products associated with a car like this, and it’s good news for Fisker because it has partnered with an automaker that has the means to provide it with more units can it sell.

Fisker recently announced a deal with Valmet Automotive to build the Karma in Finland. Valmet also builds the Porsche Boxster and Cayman.