Karma develops E-Flex platform for electric vehicles

MANILA: Karma Automotive confirmed the development of the Karma E-Flex Platform, a revolutionary chassis that provides solutions for electric mobility. The range includes high-performance supercars, regular driver vehicles, and autonomously-driven utility vans.

Karma is a car company based in Southern California that has made a mark in the automobile industry through its range of luxury electric vehicles. The company has evolved as a high-tech incubator providing an excellent platform for industry leaders to demonstrate their new technologies.

Established in 2014, Karma continuously recreates the conventional retail automobile business model. This is through the introduction of its innovation, layout, production, and manufacturing services to other companies looking to accelerate product growth, obtain new technologies or make their products more elegant.

The initial launch of the highly versatile platform demonstrates support for the 2020 Revero GT, the premium extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) of Karma. The vehicle is powered by dual electric motors. This incorporates the objectives of the company in delivering vehicle architecture, technology, innovation, and exceptional customer experience.

Additional EREV product options, battery-electric-only vehicle systems (BEVs), and "proof-of-concept" automobiles will be introduced in the following weeks as part of the initiative.

The key concept behind the Karma E-Flex Platform is to provide a solution to boost market introduction, and decrease the cost of producing new plug-in vehicles (both BEV and EREV). The E-Flex Platform also aims to showcase the growing capabilities of Karma and emphasize the significant state-of-the-art applications of the E-Flex Platform, which include innovative transport strategies, artificial intelligence, hardware, software, and autonomy.

Karma has already spent enough money and time in designing its products. Thus, selling this technology is sensible at this point.

Karma acknowledged a strong demand for the production of a new electrified platform with improved flexibility within the electric vehicle market. Before the E-Flex Program of Karma, the cost of designing, evaluating, certifying, and constructing a new BEV or EREV platform was not allowed. This is because it needs almost a billion-dollar investment for the production process.

The flexible E-Flex Platform of Karma will enable automakers to join the electric vehicle market more rapidly at significantly lower development costs.

According to the COO of Karma Automotive, Kevin Pavlov, they were able to develop a physical product that can be configured into five various products. The product may be referred to as a one-dimensional skateboard, but what they also call as the multi-purpose E-Flex Platform.  There are around 22 potential designs available. All configurations include various forms of battery-packaging and different electric motor drive systems. Karma will also offer a wide variety of configurations, depending on the preference of the manufacturer.

Karma CEO Dr. Lance Zhou stated that the new design, technology, engineering, and other services harness the knowledge of Karma and the skills of its partners. Their primary goal is to deliver highly creative solutions. Karma looks forward to introducing more unique platform innovations and technology in the coming months.