A year after wowing the CES crowds with a conceptual electric hypercar, Faraday Future has returned to the consumer technology showcase with its first production model, the FF91.
However, rather than a sleek and slippery rechargeable Bugatti challenger, the FF91, visually at least, has more in common with the Bentley Bentayga or Jaguar F-Pace as it’s a wedge-shaped SUV.
At its official unveiling, executive VP of engineering, Nick Sampson declared the car: “The first of a new species.”
In terms of performance, this could be true. The car has a 0-100km/h time of 2.39 seconds, which, if supported by independent testing would make it the world’s fastest production EV. Likewise its range between recharges is 378 miles (based on US testing standards) and 435 miles using European criteria. That would put it head and shoulders above even a Tesla Model S.
However, since the company burst onto the scene in January 2016, the electric vehicle landscape has changed beyond recognition. As well as established marques like Tesla and now GM, the FF91 will have to stand up to the Lucid Motors Air — a 1000hp, 400 miles-on-a-single-charge, BMW 7 Series competitor; the Volvo-developed Lynk & Co 1 SUV; and the NextEV NIO EP9.
Although, like Faraday Future, NextEV has come from nowhere, it is a company packed full of some of the industry’s biggest talents.
What’s more, the company’s first car has real-world data to back up its makers’ claims. It goes from 0-100km/h in 2.7 seconds, 0-200km/h in 7.1 seconds and has officially lapped the Nurburgring in seven minutes, 5.12 seconds.
And, in 2018, when the FF91actually goes into production the competition and choice will be greater still.
Jaguar will have an all-electric SUV on sale, Porsche will be readying the production version of its Mission-E four-seat super coupe and Henrik Fisker will have returned to the electric automobile fray with the E-Motion, a 161mph luxury coupe with a 400-mile range.
Still, according to BMW, choice is great for the consumer. “This industry is vibrant, it is still moving forward and part of that is the competitive landscape,” said BMW’s global head of Sales and Marketing, Dr. Ian Robertson, when asked about new companies with new technologies challenging the likes of Ford and GM in the mainstream and BMW and Mercedes in the upper echelons. “I don’t underestimate any current competitors or any future competitors. I am absolutely sure that in this era that we are now entering there will be a lot of new players.”
Still, whether or not they can establish themselves like Tesla, or whether they’re acquired by bigger, older car companies remains to be seen.
Either way, the electric car landscape has never looked more exciting.