In a bold proclamation at CES last night after pulling back the cover on their new electric hypercar concept, Nick Sampson, head of R&D for Faraday Automotive said, “We must anticipate the future and act upon it with speed.” Built on a unique variable platform architecture, the 1,000 horsepower Faraday Future race car concept is just the tip of the spear of what’s to come, if their claims are to be believed.
Let’s start with the actual concept car and then talk about the concept behind the company. The Future features 4 Quad Core Motors, one at each wheel, that delivers over 1,000 horsepower and a claimed top speed of over 200 mph. And while the torque numbers weren’t discussed, they should be massive because the Future is capable of running from 0-60 in under 3 seconds.
Inside, this race car concept features a single molded seat, laid back at a 45-degree angle. The lightweight materials have been custom developed specifically for Faraday. The Future is a fully-connected car featuring intuitive UI for integration between virtual and head-up displays to help drivers stay focused on the task at hand. And the technology includes Smartphone-connected remote vehicle setup and anticipatory personalization, which customizes the vehicle as you drive it based on how you’re driving it.
Outside, if the design looks familiar, here’s why. The Future – and all Faraday products – are being designed by Richard Kim, the man who created BMW’s innovative i8. As such it uses carbon fiber and other lightweight composite materials. It also uses air flow not just to enhance performance and reduce drag, but significantly improve battery cooling through aero tunnel design.
But Faraday isn’t content to invent just a new car. They’re looking at innovative ways to own and use your car. With its autonomous capabilities, the all electric Faraday will be able to pick you up from work and chauffeur you around when you’re not interested in driving. They are even looking at shared ownership concepts to help reduce the number of cars on the road.
It’s an interesting start for a very young company that’s being financed by Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting. With a factory being built already north of Las Vegas and a full-speed ahead attitude, we’re sure we’ll be hearing more about the Future from Faraday very soon.