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Good Karma vs. Bad: European body gives Fisker Karma 112 mpg rating, EPA only 52

Recent reports from the European certification agency Technicher Üeberwachungs Verein (TÜV) revealed that the Fisker Karma EV has received an official rating of 112 mpg. That rating, while excellent, is in stark contrast to what the EPA had earlier given the SoCal startup’s extended-range electric vehicle – a respectable, but vastly different, 52 mpg.

While we certainly don’t need mathematics degrees from MIT to see that the figures are different, the real question goes begging. What could cause such a large discrepancy? While there is always a difference in mpg ratings of U.S tested vehicles and their European counterparts, the discrepancy between the TÜV and EPA is so large that it certainly brings into question exactly how each body conducts its tests.

Conspiracy theorist abound, the positive note for those lucky enough to drive one of these beauties can rest assured that you can achieve mpg ratings similar to the TÜV regardless of whether you are driving in southern California or southern France.

Amir Iliaifar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Associate Automotive Section Editor for Digital Trends, Amir Iliaifar covers the ever increasing cross-section between tech…
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