Jia Yueting, who suffocated his dreams, has been making cars since 2014 for 9 years. Finally, in August of this year, he delivered the first FF91 to users, achieving a breakthrough from "PPT car making" to "actual delivery". On November 23rd, FF announced that it had signed an agreement with two companies in the Middle East to conduct business in the region starting from 2024.
Nine years ago, under the heavy burden of huge debt, Jia Yueting flew across the Pacific to Los Angeles, USA, in an attempt to restart his life through car manufacturing, establish Faraday Future (FF), and claim to create a smart electric vehicle that surpasses Tesla and subverts the traditional automotive industry.
How is the California factory carrying Jia Yueting's dream of making cars currently operating? Can FF 91 really become a "disruptor of Ferrari and Maybach" as Jia Yueting said? The Daily Economic News reporter recently flew to California, USA for an in-depth investigation, revealing the mysterious veil of FF California factory and FF 91.
FF factory stands guard for 4 hours: empty factory area, scattered garbage, no workers seen
The FF ieFactory California is located in the suburbs of Hanford, California, USA, sandwiched between Los Angeles, the largest metropolitan area in California, and the Bay Area, the second largest metropolitan area (Silicon Valley). This is an area mainly focused on agriculture and animal husbandry, making it difficult to connect it with the manufacturing of intelligent electric vehicles.
The picture shows a ranch on the San Jose Hanford Road
There are many farms along the way, and heavy trucks transporting fruits, vegetables, and livestock are occasionally seen on the road, but there are hardly any large factories on either side of the road.
The image shows FF factory from a distance on the highway
At the intersection 4.8 miles south of Hanford and about 9 miles out of the city, turn left and the reporter finally saw the FF factory.
The figure shows the unique identifier of the FF factory
According to satellite maps, the entire FF factory covers an area of approximately 20.8 acres and is surrounded by a 3-meter-high iron fence; On the outside of the iron fence, there is a parking area about 5 acres in size, which can be freely accessed.
Schematic diagram of FF factory annotated based on Google Satellite Map
The image shows the entrance of FF factory gate
The reporter was driving through the main entrance of the factory, but was stopped by a female security guard who said, "We will not allow anyone to enter unless you have permission from internal personnel."
She said that the factory is currently in operation, and cars can be seen inside the factory, but an appointment is needed to visit. When the reporter asked who to make an appointment with, she only answered with "someone" and did not provide a specific appointment method.
The reporter could only temporarily leave the FF gate and drive along the parking area mentioned earlier to the other end of the factory.
The figure shows the FF factory building and parking area
Here, the reporter discovered a small door and planned to get closer and explore. At this moment, a male staff member walked out of a dilapidated car parked at the entrance of the factory. He noticed the reporter and took the initiative to inquire. The reporter attempted to enter the door on the grounds of wanting to use the restroom, but was refused. The reporter searched through the door and found that the doors and windows of the factory were tightly closed, making it impossible to see the internal situation. However, there were no signs of human activity in the outdoor area of the factory.
The image shows the small door on the other side of the factory and its interior scene
In the parking area outside the factory, the reporter found that there were hundreds of parking lot stakes on the ground, but most of them were empty. At a glance, the view was very broad. During the journalist's stay in the parking area, no vehicles entered or exited.
The figure shows the parking area in front of the FF factory
The reporter walked along the iron fence in the parking area and found that there were about 20 windows and dozens of floor to ceiling doors in the factory building on that side, but the vast majority were closed, with a few doors partially closed, and no workers were seen entering or exiting. There are no valuable items such as materials or goods for manufacturing cars piled up outside the factory building; The empty space in front of the factory building is scattered with scattered garbage, as if no one has been taking care of it for a long time.
The image shows the FF factory taken from the parking area
That day was a working day (Thursday), and the reporter stayed around and near the FF factory from 11am to 3:30pm. However, there were no signs of worker activity inside the factory, nor were there any sounds of mechanical operation inside the factory. Not only that, during the approximately 30 minute wait by the reporter near the gate, only one Tesla Model 3 entered the gate, and no other vehicles drove out of the factory.
But if you turn your gaze to the surroundings of the FF factory, it presents a completely different scene.
Next to the FF factory is a sand and gravel factory, with sand, gravel, and soil materials piled up outside the factory. Semi trailer trucks come in and out, and dust is flying; The large machinery in the factory area is operating in a tense and orderly manner, and a series of roaring sounds are heard.
The image shows the sand and gravel factory next to FF factory
The reporter drove around the entire factory multiple times, and apart from the old signboard at the entrance and the conversation with the security guard, it seemed that the entire factory could not find any more FF elements.
The image shows the FF factory and parking area taken from the highway
At a McDonald's parking lot in Hanford, a reporter asked a local passerby if he had heard of a luxury car manufacturing factory nearby. He bluntly stated that he was unclear and stated that "Asian faces are rarely seen in Hanford.". The reporter subsequently received the same answer from the McDonald's staff.
Test drive FF 91: Bugs under surging power, strong kinetic energy recovery, and extremely strong drag
Causing dizziness
Jia Yueting once claimed that the FF 91 was a pioneer in the era of intelligent electric vehicles and a pioneer in the high-end and super high-end market of intelligent technology. It was also a disruptor of traditional ultra luxury car civilization represented by Ferrari and Maybach. But as of now, the delivery volume of the FF 91 is only 8 units, and Volkswagen's impression of this car has always been stuck in PPT and videos, let alone personal experience of this car.
During the investigation in the United States, Daily Economic News reporters finally caught a glimpse of the FF 91 at FF Los Angeles headquarters and conducted a test drive on site.
FF headquarters: There are approximately 5 FF 91 vehicles in the testing workshop, but none of them have been completed
The reporter arrived at FF headquarters around 10:30 am. When they arrived, the two gates on the main road were tightly closed and unguarded. But on a nearby path, there is a door that can be accessed normally. As soon as I entered the door, the security guard stopped me to inquire about the reason. After learning that the reporter had made an appointment in advance, they requested to register their documents and report it.
The image shows the entrance of FF headquarters
During the waiting period, the reporter walked straight into the interior of the building through a doorway opposite the parking area. About five or six staff members are busy working inside, but none of them are wearing uniform.
According to Scott, the Global Product Marketing Director and Delivery Ambassador of FF who later arrived to be responsible for reception, the location where the reporter is located is a testing workshop, where "testing vehicles" are parked to test different components, including performance, air conditioning, interior, and chassis.
According to the reporter's observation, there are about 5 FF 91 test vehicles parked in the entire workshop. From the outside, the vehicles are all unfinished to varying degrees, some seats are not installed, some steering wheels are missing, some front hood is open, and some are being debugged with computers plugged in.
After meeting with Scott, the reporter expressed the hope of meeting Jia Yueting at FF headquarters. Scott said, "Jia Yueting comes to work early almost every day and is also here this morning.". He then led the reporter to the large office area on the second floor of the headquarters building. According to Scott, Jia Yueting's office is located in a separate room in the large office area. However, after walking into this room, the reporter did not see Jia Yueting's figure.
The image shows the office area of FF headquarters building
"YT (Jia Yueting's English name) is very busy and may have gone out," Scott explained. He told reporters that Jia Yueting brought the "overtime culture" to Los Angeles, and both the employees and him worked very late, even having frequent meetings after work at night. "Are foreigners the same?" asked the reporter, and Scott said, "We treat everyone equally."
Static experience: Luxury interior with spacious rear seats
At the delivery exhibition hall, the reporter finally saw a complete FF 91 test drive car. After close observation, the reporter found that the FF 91 continues the appearance design of the prototype car when it first appeared in 2017, and it is not outdated even today.
The image shows FF 91 seen by the reporter in the delivery workshop
The front of the FF 91 adopts a through type LED light group design, with the letters FF flipped counterclockwise by 45 degrees; Deg; The formed logo will also emit light. The body lines are smooth and simple, with hidden door handles and rearview mirrors on the sides. All four doors adopt a "double door" design, and the 22 inch oversized wheels highlight a sporty feel. In terms of rear design, the FF 91 has an oversized taillight assembly.
The image shows the lighting effect of FF 91 tail lights
Entering the back of the car, the reporter's first impression was luxury. A journalist with a height of 175cm can feel that there is ample legroom and headroom, and the seats are also very soft and snug, with functions such as massage, heating, ventilation, and memory. According to Scott, the length of the vehicle is 5250 millimeters, the height is 1602 millimeters, the wheelbase is 3200 millimeters, and the rear seats can be folded down 180 degrees. However, in today's era of diverse electric vehicles, the "boss seat" function is already standard on domestic electric vehicles priced between 250000 and 300000 yuan.
The image shows the rear row of FF 91
Software and hardware collaboration: deep menu, delayed response, and door failure to close
The FF 91 has no less than 10 screens, including a head up display, LCD instrument panel, streaming rearview mirror, 15.4-inch central control screen, 17 inch passenger screen, 27 inch rear entertainment display system, etc; The interior is also wrapped in soft materials, with layered lines and white decorations on the door panels, central armrest, and center console.
The image shows the front row of FF 91
The FF 91 is commendable in creating a visual sense of luxury technology, but in terms of operating experience, the reporter did not feel the actual convenience.
Scott demonstrated to reporters that adjusting the backrest of the car seats, steering wheel, rear screen, audio system, and other daily operations are all done using the car screen. However, the reporter found that many controls require clicking to open multiple submenus on the screen, which is very inconvenient. For example, adjusting the control for the backrest of the seat requires clicking to enter the submenu before operation, and there is a certain lag in the seat's response after the command is given.
In addition, Scott experienced a delay of nearly 2 seconds in the transmission response between software and hardware when demonstrating how to enjoy audio and video entertainment functions on the rear entertainment display system using his phone.
The image shows the FF 91 rear door screen
Since the reporter entered the car, Scott has been carefully explaining the various comfort function adjustments of the vehicle, but the reporter found that even a simple door opening and closing requires touch buttons. During the repeated door opening and closing tests, the reporter surprisingly encountered a situation where the doors could not be closed and there was no response through touch operation inside the car. Scott saw the situation and quickly repeated the reporter's operation, but the car door still did not respond. Finally, he closed the car door through remote control on his phone.
In the subsequent test drive, when the reporter operated the automatic door closing function of the FF 91 equipped with the brake pedal from the driver's seat, there was once again a situation where the car doors did not respond. The second time the brake pedal was deeply applied, the car doors were closed. Scott's explanation is that he also gave instructions to close the car door, which may conflict with the journalist's operation.
From the above details, it can be seen that although the FF 91 has a luxurious appearance, the coordination and smoothness of software and hardware are not enough, and it cannot even compare with domestic electric vehicles priced at only one tenth of its price.
Dynamic test drive: Accelerates sharply and steadily over corners, but the kinetic energy recovery is too strong, causing discomfort under extremely strong dragging
After the static experience, Scott brought the reporter to the test drive section.
In Jia Yueting's eyes, the FF 91 2.0 series can be considered an all-around product, comfortable and luxurious, while also providing driving pleasure and a sense of "control" in racing. He has described the driving experience of the FF 91 in multiple scenarios as "you can see an elephant dancing."
The test drive area is the outdoor parking lot of the headquarters building, with a total area of approximately 1.5 football fields.
At the moment the vehicle started, the reporter experienced the "heaviness" of the car model in the back seat. The suspension system of the vehicle leaned towards comfort, the power output was smooth and stable, and the delay or jitter was well controlled. The driving sound was also very low and dynamic, without the common buzzing or sharp sounds of electric cars.
In HyperDrive mode, Scott stepped on the accelerator and the reporter felt a strong push back sensation; When turning at high speeds, the vehicle exhibits strong stability, and during the moose testing phase, the reporter can feel feedback on the road conditions inside the car. When turning sharply, there is no leaning sensation like a comfortable sedan or SUV.
Subsequently, the reporter conducted a test drive. Compared to other large-sized ultra luxury sedans, the FF 91 does not have a bulky feeling when driving, the steering wheel is very light, the steering clearance is not large, and the feedback is clear. Subsequently, the reporter forcefully stepped on the accelerator to accelerate the vehicle to a speed of about 80KM/h, and quickly applied the brake to stop the vehicle for a short period of time, experiencing the braking performance of the vehicle. The subjective feeling is that the brakes are soft, the braking is smoother, and the feet are not too tired.
In addition, when driving the FF 91 normally, if the accelerator is released, the vehicle feels extremely dragging and the kinetic energy recovery is strong, causing a sense of dizziness that seriously affects the dynamic driving experience.
Scott explained to reporters that some drivers have also reported this issue, but to ensure the driving range of the FF 91, the amount of kinetic energy recovery is indeed relatively large and cannot be adjusted temporarily; If adjusted, the current range of 381 miles (approximately 613 kilometers) cannot be guaranteed. The reporter noticed that even mainstream electric vehicles priced below 300000 RMB in China have standard configurations for adjusting the intensity of kinetic energy recovery.
Regarding the above-mentioned issues with FF91, some automotive industry insiders have pointed out to reporters, "The acceleration performance of electric vehicles must consider changes in other indicators. Truly excellent car companies need to cooperate and tune their electronic control systems. A more linear deceleration experience during the kinetic energy recovery process is a problem that even electric vehicles costing tens of thousands of yuan need to consider."
FF announced on its official account that FF 91 has "FF aiDriving", which is the first private domain all unmanned driving launched in the industry with multimodal fusion perception and industry top computing power. However, during this test drive, Scott did not show the reporters the high-tech and fully autonomous driving experience described on his official website.
Revealing the Business Model of "Co creation and Delivery": Innovation or Reproducing the "Starry" LeEco System?
Along with the emergence of FF 91, there is also Jia Yueting's "co creation delivery" model. FF explains that the co creation business model is an open UP2U (at your discretion) business model that allows users to become partners of FF, thereby achieving value co creation.
During a conversation with a reporter from the Daily Economic News, Scott also explained, "Co creation means' customers and we provide resources to each other. '" He also gave an analogy to the reporter, "For example, Jason sells luxury homes. Let's' co create' together, shoot a video, and depict the luxurious life in Southern California, which can be helpful to us."
Scott's name for Jason is American real estate tycoon and Netflix star Jason Oppenheim (the second delivery owner of FF 91).
Every drawing
According to FF, Oppenheim is an American celebrity, luxury real estate agent, president and founder of The Oppenheim Group, and a star star in Netflix's popular global reality series "Sunset Mansion" and "Orange County Mansion"; His real estate agency has offices in Los Angeles, Newport Beach, San Diego, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
According to FF WeChat official account, in consideration of Jason's influence among luxury lovers including luxury houses and cars, FF and Jason have reached an agreement that Jason will provide social media content for the company and attend company activities for a fee.
Source: FF official WeChat official account
As of now, the delivery volume of FF 91 is 8 vehicles. Except for Jia Yueting himself, the delivery targets are all celebrities with certain social influence or internet celebrities with a large number of fans.
When it comes to the production plan for FF 91, Scott said, "Currently, FF 91 is still custom-made and not in mass production. There is only a production schedule, where we communicate with customers about preferred configurations, delivery times, and locations, and then schedule production as needed. Customers who are interested and have paid a deposit have already been scheduled until early next year."
After the reporter expressed his intention to purchase, Scott said that if he was interested, he could make a reservation first and then proceed with "internal allocation". When the reporter expressed that his friend is a venture capitalist (VC) who may become a potential customer of FF, Scott immediately showed great interest in the reporter's friend and relaxed to the reporter, "If your friend is a VC, you can help introduce investors or invest yourself. Overall, Co creation will give priority to obtaining FF 91 cars. Lea from different industries
