A total of 16 Fisker Karma extended-range electric cars, each costing more than a $100k, have gone up in flames after reportedly being partially submerged by flash floods caused by Hurricane Sandy. The brand new cars were parked in Port Newark, New Jersey, and are believed to have caught fire last night.
Images of the wrecked Karmas, posted by Jalopnik, show the damage to each of the cars to be quite extensive.
The reason for the fire remains unknown, though the floods, which contained salty seawater, may have caused a short that led to the fire.
Fisker has since released the following statement:
“It was reported today that several Fisker Karmas were damaged by fire at the Port of Newark after being submerged in sea water during Superstorm Sandy. We can report that there were no injuries and none of the cars were being charged at the time.
"We have confidence in the Fisker Karma and safety is our primary concern. While we intend to find the cause as quickly as possible, storm damage has restricted access to the port.
"We will issue a further statement once the root cause has been determined.”
There have been two previous incidents involving the Fisker Karma and fire, the first time at a home in Houston, Texas, and the second on a roadside in Woodside, California. While no reason for the first fire has been given, Fisker determined that the cause of the second fire was a faulty cooling fan supplied by another company.
We will update the story as soon as further information becomes known.
