Extremely fast, extraordinarily spacious and also emission-free in operation - the American-Chinese electric car newcomer F Future has launched its first production car. The FF 5, now presented at the electronics fair CES in Las Vegas (January 8 to 91), is expected to come onto the market in 2018 and, above all, make Tesla's Model X look old.
On the outside, the 5,25-meter-long FF 91 presents itself as a mixture of an SUV and a van; a distinctive style element, in addition to a design language reminiscent of BMW i models, is the continuous headlight band on the front. The rear lights also stretch across the entire width of the vehicle. Inside, two reclining chairs in the rear, together with a gigantic wheelbase of 3,20 meters, are supposed to create a business-class ambience, and a darkening glass roof protects the rested from glances. In addition, all occupants should benefit from the fastest internet connection in the car to date, according to the manufacturer.
But the FF 91 wants to be more than a luxury lounge on wheels. The drive, for example, would also honor a super sports car: the electric motors of the all-wheel drive crossover together produce 772 kW / 1.050 hp and provide a torque of 1.500 Nm. Tempo 100 is already reached after 2,4 seconds. The necessary energy comes from an extra large battery in the vehicle floor, which with a capacity of 130 kWh also surpasses the largest Tesla-X battery by 30 percent. Thanks to a fast on-board charger, refueling should ideally be completed in an hour; the manufacturer specifies a charging time of 4,5 hours for 50 percent of the battery capacity at the household socket.
Faraday Future is also in full swing when it comes to safety and comfort electronics. The FF 91 has a whole range of sensors, the most spectacular part of which is a lidar system that extends from the bonnet as a rotatable cylinder and is intended to improve the environment detection for autonomous driving functions. An automatic parking assistant and a facial recognition system are also highlights. The latter should enable the vehicle to be started without a key.
It is still unclear what amount the first customer will have to invest in order to enjoy the FF 91. So far, the company has only mentioned the price for the advance reservation; $ 5.000 is due for this. How many cars are to be built each year is also still unknown. Interested parties shouldn't be too euphoric. Also because the company recently made rather negative headlines, for example with rumors of shortage of money and the departure of executives. One of the company's founders also left a few days before the premiere. (Holger Holzer / SP-X)