Faraday Future FF91 to race at Pikes Peak

Faraday Future FF 91: All the details

21 January

Faraday Future has just launched its highly-anticipated FF 91 at the Consumer Economics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Set to rival the Tesla Model X, this is its first all-electric 'production' car.

The firm released several teasers leading up to the show, including a video of the car covered in camouflage beating a Ferrari 488 and its Tesla rival on a drag strip.

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The FF 91 takes its styling cues from several SUVs. The car has the latest automotive technology on the market, such as vehicle summoning and a companion app that allows owners to log their vehicle preferences and personalise their experience.

With strong connections to the Chinese tech giants LeEco, the FF 91 will incorporate facial recognition software, which can unlock and start the car by scanning the user's face. It's also expected that these systems will be upgraded in future in a similar fashion to Tesla's software updates.

Here's everything we know about the FF 91 so far:

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Design

While the FF 91 features the long and tall proportions of a mid-size SUV, Faraday Future says the car has been designed to incorporate strong aerodynamics with user comfort. Its swooping front end and angular rear are all used to efficiently channel air flow around the car, while its longer wheelbase offers more room for occupants.

Getting inside the FF 91 does not require a key, as the onboard cameras detect the owner approaching the vehicle and open the door for them. Facial recognition is also used for starting the car which can change songs on the radio to adapt to the driver's mood.

Buyers can use their smartphone to tailor their driving experience using Faraday Future's FFCTRL app, which can pre-set the music playing on the radio and adjust the seating position before the user enters the car. The firm aims to turn the brand into an ecosystem, meaning the user's preferences will sync with any Faraday Future car that they are allowed to access.

Interior

The FF 91 is expected to have a luxurious interior with flowing white leather seats and plenty of blue light. Although Faraday has yet to reveal how many occupants the SUV will carry, initial images suggest it will take up to four people, including the driver. Rear-seat passengers will be offered massage seats with lumbar and back support, as well as masses of legroom, thanks to the long wheelbase.

The two back seats look "as large, sumptuous and reclining as anything Rolls or Merc offers", says Top Gear, which adds that the doors open "coach-style" in the same manner as a Rolls-Royce Phantom, swinging open electronically with the tap of a button on the side so there's no need for door handles.

Close attention to the car's acceleration demo at CES shows the development car has a very limited interior with racing bucket seats. Clearly, this will not make production, but it would remove a substantial amount of weight and could explain why the FF 91's zero to 60mph time is so fast.

Performance

The FF 91 SUV is powered by a 130kWh battery that produces 1036bhp and 1328lb-ft of torque, making it considerably more powerful than a McLaren P1 hypercar. This helps launch the all-electric SUV from zero to 60mph in just 2.39secs, which would give it the fastest acceleration of any electric vehicle on the market and make it around 0.51secs faster than a Tesla Model X.

Faraday Future says the battery has a range "in excess of 378 miles" and can be charged using 200kw fast-charging stations similar to Tesla's supercharger docking hubs. The battery can be fully charged in less than 4.5 hours using a regular charger at home.

Rivals

The FF 91's clearest rival is the Tesla Model X, which Faraday made very clear in its teaser videos leading up to the launch. Both are mid-size SUVs that utilise a design similar to a coupe crossover and are powered by battery-electric motors.

Elon Musk's firm offers its car in a variety of trim levels, starting with the entry-level P60D 60kWh battery and peaking at the 100kWh P100D model, which offers 289 miles of range and a 0-60mph time of 2.9secs. Faraday Future has only revealed one configuration, a 130kWh battery, which boasts a range of more than 378 miles and goes from zero to 60mph in 2.39secs.

However, other rivals could include the Range Rover Sport and Bentley Bentayga. While these large SUVs are powered by petrol and diesel engines, the FF 91 appears to offer similar levels of luxury and could be priced to compete with them. There's also Jaguar's all-electric I-Pace to consider, which is expected to rival the Tesla Model X when it launches next year.

Prices

It's not yet known how much the FF 91 will cost, but future buyers will need to make a (fully refundable) deposit of $5000 (£4,077). Engadget reports that 64,124 reservations have been made since the car's unveiling on Wednesday. The company did not say how many people had paid for "priority reservation".