Las Vegas – As hard as it is to build an automobile these days, Faraday Future (FF) is jumping into the fray with an advanced all-electric vehicle that will be available to buy by 2017. On the eve of the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the upstart California company unveiled its FFZERO1 Concept built on FF’s Variable Platform Architecture (VPA), a modular engineering system optimized for electric vehicles.
“The FFZERO1 Concept is an amplified version of the design and engineering philosophies informing FF’s forthcoming production vehicles,” said Richard Kim, head of design, Faraday Future. “This project liberated our designers and inspired new approaches for vehicle forms, proportions, and packaging that we can apply to our upcoming production models.”
Watch the FFZERO1 Concept debut in this TFLcar video from CES in Las Vegas.
The concept is a high-performance vehicle designed for the race track. It has four motors, one at each wheel, and the equivalent of more than 1,000 horsepower. Unleashed, the FFZERO1 will accelerate from zero to 60 in less than three seconds and have a top speed that exceeds 200 miles per hour.
The Variable Platform Architecture is designed and engineered specifically for electric vehicles and will underpin future FF vehicles. The modular platform will allow Faraday Future to reduce R&D and manufacturing time, control costs, and bring a quality vehicle to market faster – much like VW’s MQB platform designed for shared modular construction. VPA’s flexible design can accommodate different motor configurations, be configured for front-, rear, or all-wheel drive, and extended range options.
Power and range is adjusted by varying the number of small, compact batteries, which are more easily replaced or changed than a single, large battery pack.
Utilizing lightweight materials and composites on the VPA platform, the FF design team experimented with new driver-focused proportions, pushing the canopy forward for a perfectly aerodynamic teardrop profile.
FF’s soon-to-be signature “UFO line” runs around the center of the vehicle and is intended to give the sense that this vehicle is not completely of this world.
Aero tunnels run through the interior length of the vehicle, allowing air to flow through the car rather than around it, dramatically reducing drag and improving battery cooling.
The FFZERO1 Concept is only a prelude to a production electric vehicle. FF is promising its first production car will become available for purchase by 2017.
About Faraday Future
Faraday Future is based in California and is less than 2 years old. It received $1 billion funding from a Chinese billionaire, Jia Yeuting. Along the way, FF has been recruiting experts from automotive, aerospace, technology, and digital content fields. Key players are…
Nick Sampson – product architect, supervised Vehicle and Chassis Engineering for Tesla Model S
Richard Kim – Head Design, former BMW i8 Concept and i3 Concept
Silva Hiti – Senior Director of Powertrain, former lead for Chevy Volt powertrain development
Pontus Fontaeus – Interior Design, previously created designs for Lamborghini, Ferrari, Land Rover
Page Beermann – Exterior Design Chief, former Creative Director at BMW
Porter Harris – Batteries, prior battery executive at SpaceX
The company recently announced it will soon start construction of a 3 million square foot, environmentally conscious manufacturing facility in North Las Vegas, with plans to employ 4,500 workers.
