FF91 Assembly Starts, but Who Are These EVs For?

• Faraday Future EV production starts in Hanford, California, after several years of delays.

• The FF91 promises a 1050-hp output and a 381-mile range, according to an EPA estimate, with the crossover vying for a slice of the luxury EV pie.

• The EV is expected to start above the $150,000 mark and will be offered in several versions once production fully gets going.

Some six years after it was revealed in prototype form, production of the Faraday Future FF91 has begun. The EV startup has begun assembling series-production examples of its EV at its factory in Hanford, California. The milestone comes after a series of delays, with the start of assembly initially having been planned for 2018.

Production began just a few weeks after Faraday Future indicated it had secured $135 million needed to start production, following a fresh round of investment.

The tri-motor FF91, loosely categorized as a crossover, is arriving with 1050 hp and a 381-mile range, according to an official EPA estimate. The EV is powered by a 130-kWh battery in production form—one of the largest fitted to passenger EVs at the moment—placing it into an elite group when it comes to range, though still well short of range leader Lucid.

"I want to thank each and every valued stakeholder to FF, including our employees, supportive investors, suppliers and all of our partners that have traveled alongside us on this long road of perseverance, leading to where we all stand today here in Hanford," said Xuefeng Chen, Global CEO of Faraday Future.

One item that curiously remains unannounced to this day is the vehicle's price, though it is widely expected to start a bit north of the $150,000 mark. Those who had placed deposits will probably have enough to secure delivery, which will begin in a matter of weeks, though at one point a price near $300,000 was mentioned in 2017.