Faraday Future Reveals FF91, A Self-Driving EV without Door Handles That Oozes Connectivity

Faraday Future has maintained an aura of secrecy and mystery, even amid mounting rumors of financial woes and impending collapse. The Tesla rival hopeful finally gave the public a peek behind the curtain at its press event in CES 2017, unveiling the autonomous FF91, which is its first ever production car.

The FF91 is being touted as a piece of work that is “more than a car” and will change “the future of mobility”, at least according to Nick Sampson, VP of R&D at Faraday Future. It comes packed with features that makes it among the most connected of cars we’ve seen, including a LIDAR sensor for self-driving, smartphone integration, self-opening doors (there are no handles), and self-parking capabilities.

All this connectivity is meant to create a car that adjusts itself to its passengers’ needs and behavior. It has a facial recognition system to allow it to recognize and sync to its passengers and drivers. The FF91 also comes with in-vehicle Wi-Fi and HD screens for all sorts of in-transit entertainment. Mainly funded by LeEco’s CEO Jia Yueting, the FF91 has ambitions of becoming a virtual ecosystem complete with music and media integration through your smartphone.

As a car, its specs are powerful and impressive. It comes with a 130 kilowatt-hour capacity battery with a range of 378 miles and a supercharged 1,050 horsepower engine that takes the FF91 from 0 to 60 in 2.39 seconds.

From what Faraday has trumpeted at its press event, the FF91 is a fast, powerful, and hyper-integrated car that oozes connectivity. It’s slated to start deliveries in 2018. Final price details have yet to be revealed, but you can place a refundable $5000 deposit on an FF91 through Faraday’s website if you’re interested.