We haven’t heard much from Faraday Future since the troubled electric car startup’s big debut at CES in Las Vegas last January. But the company has helpfully reminded us that it has yet to go out of business by uploading a new video featuring the FF91, its first production car, in action.
Titled “Emergence,” the video offers us the best look so far of the uncamouflaged version of the FF91 driving around like a regular car. The elongated, crossover-hatchback electric car is seen cruising through a variety of washed-out settings, like serene forests and a foggy urban environment. And, of course, there’s plenty of synth-heavy beats and Inception-style “BRAAAAAMs” — because what sizzle reel would be complete without that?
Even with the weird shape and the off-putting circle in the center of the hood (from which the vehicle’s LIDAR sensor emerges for eventual self-driving functions), the FF91 has all the bells and whistles commonly associated with “the future.” FF says its first production vehicle will have a 1,050-horsepower engine (I rode in the beta version, and yes, this car is infectiously speedy), as well as a 130 kilowatt-hour capacity with 378 miles of range. There is a full suite of self-driving sensors: 10 front- and rear-facing cameras, 13 long- and short-distance radars, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and the high-def LIDAR.
But will you ever be able to own one?
But will you ever be able to own one? If and when the FF91 rolls off the assembly line, you certainly won’t be able to afford it — rumors put the price as high as $300,000. It’s unclear the extent to which Faraday Future has recovered from the spate of negative headlines it suffered leading up to and immediately proceeding CES in January 2017. Mounting debts, unpaid bills, supplier lawsuits, and financial mismanagement have all served to chip away at Faraday Future’s foundation. The FF91’s embarrassing onstage malfunction made it the laughing stock of this year’s CES. The company lost several top executives, including its “global CEO” associated with FF’s main financial backer, Chinese tech giant LeEco (currently undergoing its own financial crisis).
If news has been scant since CES, it’s probably because the company is in full-on fundraising mode. “Priorities are likely about funding now,” a former Faraday executive told us last week, “that's their oxygen, nothing else matters at this point.”
The last updates from the company were that it had finally begun construction on its long-promised factory in North Las Vegas, Nevada, and that it had appointed a chief financial officer. FF has also said it plans on participating in this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, slated for the end of June. Just one of many hills left for the company to climb as it moves into production.