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KARMIC EVOLUTION
The reinvented Revero GT offers plenty to get excited
about. It will launch in a Luxury spec that promises a
4.5-second 0-60 time, a new 28-kW-hr battery pack using
new nickel–manganese–cobalt lithium-ion battery cells,
an EPA-certified electric range of 61 miles (though Kruse
said “best case” EV range is closer to 80 miles), plus 280
miles of extended range thanks to a new 1.5-liter three-
cylinder engine-generator sourced from BMW’s i8, rated
to produce a continuous 170 kW to supply electricity to the
Revero GT’s battery and/or electric motors. Karma says
the Performance version of the updated Revero will trim
the 0-60 time to just 3.9 seconds, with a power output of
536 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque.
You might think using BMW’s three-cylinder engine
would be a simple plug-and-play solution, but Kruse
explained why it isn’t. “Our use profile is different, so we
had to do a whole recalibration of the engine, recertifi-
cation of the engine for OBD requirements,” Kruse said.
“We have our own engine management controls, and
on top of that we have our supervisory controls that sit
above the ECM to decide when to call for generator, how
to distribute torque, how to do the regen blending.”
Weight is always a concern with vehicles that carry bat-
teries on board. The new car weighs approximately 5,050
pounds (production curb weight hasn’t been finalized),
compared with the previous Revero’s 5,407 pounds. “The
engine was part of [the weight savings]; the battery waspart of it,” Kruse said. “The whole rear drive unit is more
compact and more efficient.” On top of the weight savings,
all updated Reveros will benefit from improved steering,
ride quality, and torque delivery.
“Right now in 1.0 I have a common torque path right
and left; now [with the Revero GT] I have a gearbox that’s
split, so I’m bringing on torque vectoring because I can
control the left side independently from the right side,”
Kruse said. “It’s true torque vectoring—positive and nega-
tive torque—because we have two motors in the rear and
each motor is directly coupled to one wheel. So it’s easy to
spin the outside wheel faster in a curve, or whatever the
accelerometer says we want to do.”
The Revero GT isn’t just new under the skin. “We made
sure to analyze what we are advocates of [in the original
design] and what we must not lose,” Thurner said. “Of
course there were aspects that we felt we must develop,
must change, as well. The hips went further out, and
they almost curve up, so the whole cabin sits in between.
Now you see the spoiler coming up, emphasizing that.”
Interior and exterior designer Samuel Lim noted some
of the new Revero GT’s other highlights. “Inside, basically
everything that the driver directly sees is all new,” Lim
said. “The steering wheel is all new. The center console is
all new. Even the complete headliner and sun visors are
new. The seats are all new, with a push for comfort, but
they’re also very sculptural.”“WE ARE COMPETING WITH ASTON
MARTIN, McLAREN, FERRARI. ... I KNOW
RIGHT NOW WE CANNOT FIGHT, BUT
WE CONTINUE TO PUT OUR CAR IN
COMPETITION WITH THESE BRANDS.”