Competition for Tesla: Faraday Future Enters the Game
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Faraday Future made its grand entrance with an exotic racecar. The FFZERO1’s main mission is to attract attention to this automaker which aims to give Tesla a run for their money. Of course, the car features a number of original and innovative ideas, but to what extent will they be leveraged? We’ll have to wait and see what happens in the next few years.
The Car Guide (CG) had the chance to catch up with Faraday Future’s lead designer, Richard Kim. He was tight-lipped about the company’s future, and even more so about the next model to come out of their Las Vegas plant. But he did provide a few interesting nuggets of information.
Firstly, the new plant will be built for $1.4 billion. Ground is scheduled to break at the end of January. A Chinese billionaire owns 40% of the company and he’s the one who gave the green light to go ahead with this initiative.
CG: You designed this car just to garner attention?
Richard Kim: Exactly. We wanted to prove that we can produce a car in a short period of time thanks to our variable platform architecture. We can build any size car or utility vehicle using this base.
CG: How long did it take to create the FFZERO1?
Richard Kim: Just three months. We started in August.
CG: Did you use Tesla's technology? We know the California-based company has made their patents available to anyone who wants them.
Richard Kim: It’s hard to answer that question. We developed our own technology, but it’s possible that the battery structure may be similar.
CG: What’s the next step for Faraday Future?
Richard Kim: Right now we’re working on our first production vehicle. It will hit the market in two years.
CG: Will it be a car or a crossover?
Richard Kim: We’re not sure yet. But it will be a high-end vehicle. We’re not out to challenge the Chevrolet Bolt for the time being!
CG: Will the FFZERO1 go into production?
Richard Kim: We do intend to put it into production. As a racecar. It would be hard to produce as a road car. But we’re working on all aspects.
Clearly, Richard Kim is not much of a talker! But what he said suggests that good things are in the works. Just like when Tesla started out, many of the invited journalists were sceptical about the company’s viability. Yet, the masterminds working for this new automaker have plenty of experience. Richard Kim has personally managed teams of stylists for Audi, Bentley and Porsche at the Volkswagen studios in California. He then joined BMW to participate in the development and production of the i3. His colleague, Nick Sampson, is an engineer with 35 years of experience in the industry. He worked at Lotus before getting hired at Tesla. Today, he’s Vice President, Research and Development at Faraday Future.
The first Faraday intended for the general public should come out in 2017, or so I was told. This new player may very well come shake up the game—just like Tesla did a few years back.
