Much like other EV startups, Faraday has had plenty of ups and downs and has nothing for sale except Faraday merch. That will supposedly change later this year. That’s when it finally begins delivering an EV SUV it has taken seven years to develop. It has seen several revisions in that time, so there’s almost no 2017 tech inside. Now, it is trying to maintain exposure with its FF91 Futurist Alliance version of the Faraday Future. 

Are the Faraday Future numbers better than other EVs?

But this isn’t like a Tesla Model 3 or Mustang Mach-E. Faraday has plans to build only 300 of the Futurist Alliance EVs. And at $309,000, the price is way beyond almost a car buyer’s EV budget. So it is highly limited, expensive, and features many things not available in other lesser EVs. Or does it?

Looking at the raw numbers, the Futurist Alliance pumps out 1050 hp from three motors. Two of them are in the rear, with a single in front. The 0-60 time comes in at 2.3 seconds, which is quite quick. And the range is decent at 381 miles. 

What else is there about the Faraday Future that stands out?

So while the numbers look good, they’re not earth-shattering. However, buyers must have something intrinsic to pony up for these first Faraday products. That’s something that Faraday hopes will be its unique style and exclusivity. 

While those metrics are as undefinable as defining why you like vanilla ice cream instead of chocolate, we can make a few observations to that end. For one, at least in pictures, the Futurist has a hulking presence, even for an SUV. Its proportions are long and wide. We’ll have to see whether that strikes a note with EV buyers. 

What’s up with the strange delivery steps?

Car and Driver notes that it’s unclear if the first buyers are actually getting anything at all. The first of them is part of a “co-creation delivery for the first industry expert Futurist Product Officers.” As the website explains, being an FPO gives “exclusive experiences with Faraday Future products, provide feedback, generate creative ideas, and see your ideas turn into reality.” 

So call us dense, but we aren’t sure whether first buyers actually get a car or only get to “experience” a vehicle. We’ll know when Faraday conducts its Co-Creation event on June 6 this week. Then there are assurances that first buyers get their EVs during the “second phase of delivery.” Was there a first phase? Will there be a third and/or fourth phase? 

Cutting to the chase, it looks like Faraday is carving out plenty of extra time beyond the first delivery announcement for, well, we don’t know. Maybe, after seven years, it needs to appease investors it is making and delivering Futures even if, well, even if they’re not actually landing in buyers’ hands. Or, maybe it is something else?

EV startups are having tough times

Looking at the EV startups as a whole, companies like Lordstown, Fisker, and Lucid either can’t do more than eke out a couple of cars, or they say they’re delivering cars but aren’t saying how many or where. Fisker, for one, still hasn’t delivered a single vehicle in the U.S., and its delivery record for Europe is somewhat oblique. Bloomberg says it is “facing delays delivering its debut electric SUV to customers because of software integration problems.”

But let’s face it, starting a car company is mind-bogglingly expensive. There’s a reason only one company started after WWII has made it, and that’s Tesla. The history of the automobile is littered with thousands of brands that never made it. Whether Faraday, Fisker, or any other EV startups become part of that list remains to be seen.