Fisker Karma - MTA's environmental passion

MTA, announces the collaboration with Fisker for the Karma sedan, the first genuinely plug-in hybrid luxury car available in the market. For this beautifully styled car that redefines the concept of luxury showing how elegance and performance are compatible with environmental awareness, MTA supplied dashboard and touch panel, both using digital technology.

The dashboard is comprised of three 5.7” TFT displays. The two displays at the sides show usual vehicle information such as road speed, rpm and fuel reserve, whereas the central display shows the typical parameters for electric cars, such as battery’s state of charge and remaining range. The use of TFT technology gives evidence of a markedly innovation-oriented design concept, as it allows for great freedom of configuration, broad customization thanks to the possibility of browsing through many hidden menus, and easy upgradability whenever needed. Innovation also encompasses aesthetic details, such as the chrome-plated dash trim and the innovative materials and techniques that enhance both the vehicles’ sustainability and refined appearance. The high-level graphic performance is obtained through a very advanced micro-controller optimized for those applications that require high performance demands from the CPU, combined with advanced graphics. The other innovative product supplied by MTA to Fisker Karma is the stylish, intuitive touch panel, a slave device that displays the information output by certain control modules installed in the car. The touch panel basically provides an interface with the car’s audio, telephone, climate control, navigation and infotainment systems, in place of buttons, for more intuitive, user-friendly operation. The touch panel is a 10.2” TFT display with tactile feedback provided by a piezoelectric crystal - yet another first in the automotive world. When an icon is pressed, the display produces a vibration to confirm that that function has actually been activated without distracting the driver. Vibration strength and duration can be set by the user. In addition to vibration, the device also provides audio feedback. The micro-controller is similar to that used for the dashboard, and offers equivalent features.