Troubled Faraday Future shows off speedy FF 91, its first proper car

FF 91, revealed today, is due sometime 2018. Photo credit: Faraday Future.

Troubled electric vehicle startup Faraday Future today unveiled its first production model, one year after it disappointed onlookers with a wild concept car that will likely never be built.

The all-electric and partially self-driving FF 91, launched this morning ahead of CES 2017, represents the first Tesla challenger from the China-backed, US-based outfit. Much of the project money comes from Chinese tech billionaire Jia Yueting.

Photo credit: Faraday Future.

Photo credit: Faraday Future.

Photo credit: Faraday Future.

Photo credit: Faraday Future.

Photo credit: Faraday Future.

With 1,050 horsepower (783 kilowatts) from its electric motors, the FF 91 goes from standstill to 100 kph in 2.39 seconds, beating any Tesla even in “ludicrous” mode. It gets 378 miles of range from the 130 kWh battery, or 482 miles at 55 mph (88 kph) – the speed limit in much of the US, said Peter Savagian, Faraday’s VP of propulsion engineering, at the event in Las Vegas.

Money problems