The biggest reveal of CES 2016 so far has to be the astonishing Faraday Future’s FFZERO1 electric concept car that can go from zero to 100kph (60mph) in less than three seconds.
Faraday Future’s battery-powered FFZERO1 has a 1,000 horsepower engine, can go from 0-60 in just under three seconds and has a top speed of 200mph.
The Tesla rival’s product may, however, have some way to go before it can find itself on the open road and within the clutches of mere mortals. The car revealed at CES was a concept, and the first production vehicles, which could look very different, won’t be on the market for at least two years.
The concept car revealed at CES 2016, which resembles the Batmobile, has beautiful aerodynamic curves and its bodywork is just inches from the ground, no doubt making it a nightmare for getting over speed bumps.
Faraday Future is building a car platform for the future
Instead, however, the real secret is Faraday Future’s Variable Platform Architecture, which could be used to churn out a myriad of saloon and sports cars, and SUVs. This platform enables Faraday to change the power of the drive system, which allows it to use different-sized battery packs to suit different types of vehicles.
Faraday Future is headquartered in LA and is building a $1bn manufacturing plant outside Las Vegas.
The company’s mysterious backers include the Chinese internet TV provider LeTV.
The FFZERO1 has a glass roof and features a smartphone mount in the centre of the steering wheel, a Halo Safety System to support the driver’s head and neck and a helmet that feeds the driver water and oxygen.
It also boasts an instrument panel that can gather biometric data about the driver.
Getting your hands on a Faraday Future vehicle will also buck the traditional car-buying experience, with users subscribing to plans rather than buying cars, accessing different vehicles according to their needs – a sports car for the weekend or an SUV for a long trip with the family.