A year after Faraday Future unveiled a crazy concept
at CES, the electric startup has presented its first production vehicle in
prototype spec at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, dubbed the FF 91.
Faraday Future says that the FF 91 is powered by a
130 kWh battery pack and uses four electric motors sending power to the ground.
All up, it delivers 1,050 hp and 1,800 Nm of torque and is able to launch from
a standstill to 96 km/h in just 2.39 seconds. What's more, it also has
an EPA-estimated range of 378 miles.
According to the brand, the multi-motor setup of the
FF 91 allows for real-time torque vectoring to the rear wheels to provide
“agile cornering” and safety. The battery pack, co-developed with LG Chem, can
be charged to 50 per cent with the included home charger in under 4.5 hours at
240 volts.
As expected, the FF 91 supports autonomous driving
but the company has yet to announce just what level of autonomy it will
achieve. It has been confirmed to feature 13 long and short range radars, 10
high definition cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors and a 3D retractable lidar in
the hood. This hardware will allow the FF 91 to park itself courtesy of the
Driverless Valet, effectively FF's answer to Tesla's summon feature.
A lot of focus in the FF 91's development has gone
into its exterior design. FF says its design “driven by aerodynamics” and that
it has a drag coefficient of 0.25, making it one of the market's slipperiest
production (almost) vehicles.
Much of the design has also been optimized around
maximizing indoor space. Although no images have been provided of the
yet-to-be-completed cabin, Faraday Future says it will offer class-leading
interior space and include rear seats capable of reclining by up to 60 degrees,
significantly more than the 43 degree angle achievable by current
Mercedes-Maybach models.
Although the vehicle presented at CES isn't the
finished production car, reservations for the FF 91 have already been opened at
the company's website, requiring a US$ 5,000 refundable deposit. The first 300
units produced will be the limited-run FF 91 Alliance Edition. A portion of the
sale proceeds for each Alliance Edition will be donated to an environmental
fund.
