As if it wasn’t facing enough setbacks already, Fisker Automotive is now forced to deal with a new one through no fault of its own. The California-based carmaker announced today that it has halted production of its Karma plug-in hybrid luxury sedan due to a shortage of battery packs.
Fisker CEO Tony Posawatz said at the LA Auto Show that the carmaker is waiting for the outcome of the December 6 auction of A123 Systems, the company’s sole battery supplier that has filed for bankruptcy.
“Because we have no batteries, there’s no production right now. Inventory is starting to get a little low”, said Posawatz. “We’d like to restart production as quickly as possible. We should know the outcome of the auction by the middle of December.”
Johnson Controls, which was initially thought to have acquired the battery maker, and China’s Wanxiang Group that has received the green light from its government will most certainly be among the bidders for A123. According to Reuters, though, other companies, such as Siemens and NEC, have expressed interest in acquiring the bankrupt battery maker.
Sure, there are other suppliers out there but unfortunately for Fisker, things aren’t so simple. Posawatz said that testing and evaluating a new battery pack could take nearly a year.
“I wish this was more of a ‘plug and play’ situation, but that’s not the case”, he explained, adding that the company “would be fine” with either Johnson Controls or Wanxiang acquiring A123 Systems.
By Andrew Tsaousis
Story References: Reuters
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