Riding along in Faraday Future's FF 91 at CES 2017

The FF 91: A Glimpse into Faraday Future's Electric Vehicle

We were thrilled to have the opportunity to revisit the Pavilion and showcase some of the capabilities of the FF 91, an electric vehicle (EV) that has been generating a lot of buzz since its reveal. The car's potential was highlighted during its presentation, where it was put head-to-head against the Ferrari 488 and Tesla's models X and S. To learn more about the car's capabilities, we were happy to oblige Faraday Future's invitation.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with two beta models of the FF 91, which served as test meals for our experience. We didn't expect much in terms of an interior, but that was okay – after all, it's a test model! However, the big deal made about the car's instant acceleration during its reveal was not just hype. The 130 KW battery pack is able to provide the FF 91 with the equivalent of 150 horsepower, and its electric motors deliver instant torque, rocketing the EV forward from 0 to 60 in a mere 2.39 seconds.

The first demo we conducted took us on a thrilling ride, where the car flew forward with substantial force, slamming occupants into their seats. The way it did so was on par, if not better than some high-end sports cars like Ferrari or Porsche. We got a few extra runs in just to confirm our initial impressions – less dramatic but equally impressive was how tight the turning radius was for the long wheelbase Crossover at low speeds. The rear wheels assisted in steering, making it easy to maneuver the large car in day-to-day situations.

At higher speeds, we can expect the FF 91's torque vectoring capabilities to assist in precision cornering. Having a string of battery packs set into the floor of the FF 91 gives the car a low center of gravity, making it feel steady and planted during tight steering situations. Our next demo took us out to the parking lot to showcase the FF 91's autonomous parking capabilities with just a simple press of a button. The car deployed a hood-mounted light sensor and began rolling steadily through the parking lot, scanning for open spots along the way.

Once it found an available spot, the car backed into it and awaited its next command. Faraday Future claims that the FF 91 will learn the operator's habits and frequent surroundings, enabling conveniences like self-parking. Every day, an FF 91 owner drives to work; it will recognize the route as a frequently visited area and familiarize itself with the environment once it gathers enough information. It will then alert the owner that it can park itself from that point onward – all the owner needs to do is recall the FF 91 from their app command, and the car will pick them up at the door.

While we were impressed by the demo, it was also a bit underwhelming given our expectations. We knew that the FF 91 would have instant torque and a planted center of gravity due to its EV design – we've seen demonstrations of cars driving themselves around a lot, and parallel parking for years, so this wasn't new territory.

However, what we did see was impressive enough to make us want to try it out ourselves. We were also eager to experience some of the more unique functions that the FF 91 has to offer, such as its facial recognition and connectivity capabilities – may or may not be a game changer, but it's certainly an interesting feature.

Overall, the FF 91 has the potential to be a very good car, and we're excited to see how Faraday Future develops this vehicle further. With its impressive performance capabilities and innovative features like autonomous parking, it's clear that the company is pushing the boundaries of what electric vehicles can do.