Automotive

Auto startup teases a futuristic, connected electric car

Auto startup teases a futuristic, connected electric car
Faraday Future teases its first car
Faraday Future teases its first car
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Faraday Future teases its first car
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Faraday Future teases its first car
Design sketch
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Design sketch

Beyond having four wheels, Faraday Future's first vehicle may have very little in common with the average automobile on the streets today. At least that's what the California-based tech startup is promising as it drums up interest for an electric car it intends to launch in 2017. It is designing that car behind a vision of "clean, connected, smart mobility for all."

Faraday Future wants the world to call it "FF", but that's just way too close to Ferrari's shooting-brake, so we'll keep referring to it as Faraday Future or Faraday. The company teased its first car this month and is making bold proclamations of an auto industry shakeup comparable in scale to the introduction of the internet. "The greatest leaps in evolution require revolution," its website reads. We'll reserve our excitement for the day when Faraday offers up actual details about what type of car it's designing.

What we do know is that it promises to introduce an all-electric car in 2017. Beyond that, the startup is sticking to generalities like "fully connected" and "personalized in ways you’ve never even considered possible." Based upon those vague descriptors and the general direction the auto industry is going, we're expecting to see some serious automated technology inside and out, along with a powerful electric drive system. That's assuming we see anything at all.

It's usually easy to dismiss startups with bold proclamations of revolution, or at least put them on a permanent back burner until they've actually revealed something of substance. Faraday Future is raising eyebrows, however, thanks to the team it's developed since its founding last year. Two former Lotus employees created the vision, and Faraday claims to have pulled together a hundreds-strong team with all kinds of experience in the technology and automotive sectors. According to Motor Trend, its employees have previously worked on projects like the Tesla Model S, Chevy Volt and BMW i.

Putting the right employees together is a great start, but that in no way guarantees success. Henrik Fisker was a highly esteemed car designer with experience at Aston Martin and BMW prior to founding his ill-fated green car company. There have been plenty of other electric-car failures, and even industry darling Tesla went years without sniffing a profit. Maybe Faraday Future will lead an automotive revolution, but it's just likely to disappear without so much as carving its name into a wooden bench.

Design sketch
Design sketch

At the very least, Faraday should provide a nice rendered and/or modeled concept car. Its initial sketches promise a rather futuristic design with rounded glasshouse and large wheels. The company doesn't hint at whether it'll reveal more information before 2017, but you can sign up to its mailing list on its website.

Given the LA Auto Show's proximity and focus on green tech, it seems like a good venue for a concept car debut, perhaps this year or in 2016. Or maybe Faraday will follow Tesla in making an announcement outside of the major auto shows. Or maybe we'll never hear another peep about its groundbreaking connected, electric car ever again.

Source: Faraday Future

5 comments
5 comments
Robert Walther
This car could be the answer to all problems, but calling it a 'Faraday' pre-judges it as an Edsel or a comical Jetson flivver.
Daishi
I assume the company is named after Michael Faraday. They no doubt have their work cut out for them especially with the sleeping giants in the auto industry slowly starting to spin up their own EV efforts but I like the practice of naming companies after scientists.
Neil deGrasse Tyson made a point (I think during Cosmos) that nearly everyone can name more serial killers than they can nobel prize winners. This is mostly true of inventors and scientists as well and it's kind of disappointing.
It's great to see companies named after guys like Tesla and Faraday. Maybe people will stop getting the idea that they will be immortalized for shooting up a movie theater when it stops being true.
Mirmillion
When they have been able to harness the power of the kids jumping around in the back seat, they will have arrived at the pinnacle of the electric car world..
Maybe they can arrange the batteries into a hollow cylinder running the length of the vehicle; inside of which the coolant circulates and, in turn, spins a micro steam turbine to...extend range. Coupled with coil-over-magnet shock absorbers and two-way tire pressure pumps, they should be able to pick up about 20% more range. Either that or put in a liquid-thorium micro-reactor...
Slaven
What was the point of this article? "Somebody claimed something somewhere".....
Misti Pickles
I was thinking "harsh" when I read Chris's article here, but then thought....he's RIGHT to be so disbelieving. I mean, even a rich guy like Elio with all of his wealth has led America on a pipe dreaming goose chase for years. I'm sick of the hype that is solely designed to separate green investors from their cash.