Faraday Future has kept fairly quiet in the months following its January appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The electric-car startup's showing earned some mixed reviews at the time. The event was not without glitches, and the presentation was seen by some as rough around the edges.
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Here's everything we know so far about Faraday Future's FF91 electric, self-driving car
The FF91 recently hit public roads in beta form after it officially debuted at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show in January.
Faraday Future FF91
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Faraday, like most of the upstart automotive companies of late, has remained aggressive in its bid to stake a claim in the future of driving. That means autonomous, electric vehicles — drenched from bumper to bumper in immersive technology.
The mission is not easy. Building a car company is hard enough, but setting out to completely redefine the concept of driving, as Faraday Future says it wants to do, is a gargantuan task, fraught with nearly endless potential for failure. This week, the company released a video of its first car, the FF91, driving on public roads in what looks to be nearly production-level livery.
However, the car is not yet complete. Beta versions of the FF91 have been roaming the streets of Southern California, Faraday tells Business Insider of how far along the company is at this juncture.
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Here's everything we know about the current version of Faraday Future's FF91, so far.
Faraday Future's current FF91 beta models are equipped with near-production level powertrains — motors and battery systems. Braking, suspension, and handling dynamics are also part of the testing regiment.
The FF91 is expected to be loaded with first-generation technology. Its UI/UX — seen as some of the most immersive tech in the auto industry — is not being tested on the road yet, but Faraday representatives tell Business Insider those elements are being developed concurrently, in-house.
At the moment, Faraday has 21 beta FF91s on the road.
The FF91's autonomous-driving capability is still in development. Faraday has five vehicles testing its autonomous systems right now.
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Faraday says the FF91's interior will be one of the most tech-forward interiors on the road, but progress has been slow. That's due in part to a seat designer that sued the company last year. That lawsuit has since been dismissed, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records.
Faraday tells us the FF91's interior today is close to "production-intent," but the full layout isn't ready to be shown publicly. Business Insider viewed real-life models of the FF91's interior during a tour at Faraday Future headquarters in December. We can tell you there will be lots of screens.
The FF91's user interface and connectivity are are being developed alongside the beta vehicles. By Faraday's own admission, the UI/UX is incredibly complex. It remains to be seen how well those elements are integrated into the final product.
Let's talk about crash tests. It's easy to get lost in the glamour of slick, self-driving electric vehicles and forget that, sometimes, cars get wrecked. Faraday says it completed physical crash-testing on its beta vehicles in January.
About those FF91 reservations. Without giving specifics, Faraday says it has received a "huge amount" of customer interest "through different channels." Former Faraday Future executives told Business Insider in January there were about 60 people who paid a cash deposit to reserve one. It's unclear at this point if, and how much, those numbers have changed.
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Watch the full video of the FF91 on the road.
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