(October 19, 2011) ANAHEIM, Calif. — Fisker Automotive confirmed today that the 2012 Fisker Karma sedan has received emission certification and fuel economy ratings from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), allowing the company’s dealers to begin selling the car to customers immediately.

As the first luxury sports sedan on the market with a range-extended electric powertrain, the Karma creates an alluring class of its own. It blends supercar performance and luxury with a tailpipe CO2 output that is comparable with today’s conventional compact hybrid cars.

The EPA — with its newly formulated methodology for rating electric vehicles — found that, when running in electric mode, the Fisker Karma sedan achieves the energy equivalent of 52 miles per gallon city/highway combined.

Running on gas only, the combined rating is 20 mpg.

The Karma’s all-electric range was found to be 32 miles by the EPA under its test criteria. To put that figure in perspective, a Karma driver with a 40-mile commute who starts each day with a full battery charge will only need to visit the gas station about every 1,000 miles and would use just 9 gallons of gasoline per month. 

Fisker’s own analysis suggests that many Karma drivers will actually experience a longer all‑electric range under most every day driving conditions. Research also reveals that more than half of American’s have a daily commute of less than 32 miles, a comfortable distance for the Karma to run in electric-only mode from a single charge.

“We are delighted to have EPA certification and fuel economy ratings that verify the Karma’s remarkable green credentials.” said Henrik Fisker, CEO and co-founder of Fisker Automotive.

“As with all electric vehicles, range varies greatly on the conditions of the road and how you drive the car.  We firmly believe that most owners will get up to 50 miles of driving range on a single charge and will use our electric-only mode most of the time they drive the car, thereby running on zero emissions.  Overall, we are very pleased with the results of EPA’s tests. The Karma is a groundbreaking product with a unique powertrain.”

Base price of the luxury sedan is about $97,000.