Faraday Future’s FF91 is the EV maker’s first vehicle and will cost $200K.
After a period of silence, Faraday Future is using Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for a low-key demonstration of its vehicle’s capability, starting with key executives driving one of the company’s prototype electric vehicles from its base near Los Angeles to the Vegas Strip.
Faraday CEO Carsten Breitfeld teamed up with Bob Kruse, the company’s new vice president, who is now responsible for product development, engineering and manufacturing, and the pair drove 270 miles from LA to Las Vegas to demonstrate the range of the FF91.
The prototype FF91 finished the drive with 110 miles of range left in its batteries after its trek, said Kruse, an automotive industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience, including time at Karma and General Motors as well as working with start-up companies and consulting.
(Faraday Future shows off new production FF91)
Kruse, who joined Faraday in November, was one of the key engineers who developed the Chevrolet Volt during his years at GM. He noted could not help but be impressed by the FF91’s performance. The FF91 is equipped with three 350 horsepower electric motors that produce a combined 1,050 horsepower and a zero to 60 time of 2.9 seconds.
Faraday’s FF91 drove from L.A. to Las Vegas on a single charge and still had 110 mile remaining on the batteries.
“There a real torquey feel. It snaps your head when you put your foot down,” he said.
The drive also gave him a chance to check out the vehicle’s high-tech interior with its multiple, internet connected screens. The screens can be used for streaming entertainment and for continuously monitoring the life of the car’s battery.
Faraday has dubbed the interior of FF91 the “third internet living space” that integrated many of AI, internet, luxury and comfort functions as well as the new features of its high-tech interior.
The company expects its Variable Platform Architecture to evolve over time into an automated luxury vehicle.
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“The Smart phone was introduced first back in 2007 and changed everyone’s digital life on the go. The Smart TV was introduced first in 2013 and changed the way we access digital contents at home. Faraday Future’s mission is to change the concept of digital life when we are in our vehicles,” Faraday officials said.
John Schilling, Faraday’s director of communications, said Faraday is using its display at CES to offer test drives and to show off the features in the vehicle’s interior. Faraday’s plans call for putting vehicles on the sale by third quarter.
The FF91 is expected to hit U.S. roads in the third quarter of this year.
Breitfeld said back in September that his number one job is to line up financing to help Faraday get to the next phase of the company’s development.
“We don’t have anything to announce yet,” said Schilling, who also noted company’s presence at CES proves that reports of the company’s demise have been premature.
The Founder of Faraday Future, Yueting Jia, filed last October for bankruptcy and restructuring under Chapter 11 in the United States. This was done to address his personal debts in China. In connection with the filing, a creditor trust for the benefit of the creditors is planned, which will be jointly managed by a committee of creditors and the trustee.
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He plans to transfer all his existing equity interest in Smart King Limited, the global holding company for Faraday Future, to the creditor trust to better protect his creditors and repay his debt.