New Fisker statement on Karma fire: batteries not to blame

As we suspected yesterday, the first official word from Fisker about the Karma that caught fire in Woodside, CA this weekend is that the li-ion batteries are apparently not to blame. Fisker has released a statement, which you can find below, that says that independent investigators from Pacific Rim Investigative Group are looking into the cause of the blaze and that:

Evidence revealed thus far supports the fact that the ignition source was not the Lithium-ion battery pack, new technology components or unique exhaust routing.
The area of origin for the fire was determined to be outside the engine compartment. There was no damage to the passenger compartment and there were no injuries.

More information will be released when Fisker and the investigators have something to report. To see a video of the fire and read our original report, here you go.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (PDF), between 2005 and 2009, 1,150 spontaneous vehicle fires happened each year, half of those in passenger vehicles. So, just under 600 a year take place in an average year, out of a national fleet of around 250 million vehicles. Two Karma fires in four months is thus noteworthy, especially given the newness of the technology and general worries about the safety of li-ion batteries, but it’s not something to panic about. We await further details of this investigation.