Here is the full copy of the email interview
Q: What’s the story and meaning behind the name “Faraday Future”?
A: Our name is inspired by the founding principles of electric motors, known as Faraday’s Law, created by Michael Faraday. The law centers around the energy found when wrapping a tightly coiled copper wire around a magnet and running a charge through the coil which spins the magnet – leading to the invention of the electric motor.
Q: The media often refers to Faraday Future as “mysterious” (http://jalopnik.com/mysterious-faraday-future-bleeding-cash-blasted-by-for-1761636432; http://fortune.com/2016/04/13/faraday-future-nevada-groundbreaking/). Do you agree that the company maintains a “mysterious” appeal, or do you think Faraday Future makes its goals clear? Can you comment further about the way the company is portrayed in the media?
A: We are still a couple years away from launch so we aren’t ready to share all our plans yet.
When we do communicate company milestones we aim to provide meaningful information to the public. Although, maintaining a bit of mystery isn’t without its advantages.
Q: The FFZERO1 is a unique, one-seater vehicle. What was the reasoning behind making it a solo driving EV? What is the inspiration behind it and should we expect all of your EVs to be similar in style and design?
A: The Faraday Future FFZERO1 Concept is a “car of concepts” with a new driver focused, technologically advanced experience in mind.
Many design features of FFZERO1 will be found on our future production models such as the UFO line, the headlight band as well as the helix shaped instrument panel. However, rest assured, our production vehicles will have more than one seat.
Q: When it comes to Faraday Future, media opinions have been mixed with regard to the recent unveiling of your first EV. What do you have to say to all of the would-be critics?
A: The FFZERO1 is a “Car of Concepts” that exhibit amplified examples of our engineering and design capabilities. We will share more about our future production vehicle closer to launch.
Q: Are you currently developing or do you plan to develop a vehicle to rival the Tesla 3 with regard to its appeal to moderate-income earners?
A: We intend to produce a range of vehicles that meet various consumer demands. The advantage of our VPA platform allows us to explore many different vehicle segments quicker than a conventional vehicle platform. It is too early to share our product portfolio plans.
Q: Speaking of Tesla, how does Faraday Future differentiate itself from Tesla? How does Faraday Future plan to compete with Tesla in the consumer marketplace?
A: The industry will benefit from more players helping to advance e-mobility product catalog and simultaneously move the automotive industry forward. We don’t believe that today’s cars meet today’s needs and there is an opportunity to better meet the demands of technology hungry individuals. Our mission to connect people to their vehicle and content seamlessly is something not yet resolved in the industry.
Q: You broke ground for a $1 billion electric vehicle factory in Nevada on April 13th, 2016. Will the FFZERO1 be the first and/or only vehicle to be produced at this factory? Are there other vehicles in the works set to be produced here? What type of volume of vehicle production are you expecting once the factory is complete?
A: FFZERO1 is not intended to go into production as of now. Our first production car will be for the premium electric vehicle and it will be built at our North Las Vegas facility.
Q: What makes Nevada an ideal location for the new EV factory?
A: The Apex Industrial Park site in North Las Vegas offers what we need to develop our first manufacturing plant in the United States. It also affords us the ability to grow in the future. The site’s central location in the west, its close proximity to Las Vegas, Interstate 15, railways and port locations in neighboring cities and its location at the South end of the electric highway, all make it an ideal place for Faraday Future to establish itself in Nevada. Last but certainly not least, we selected this location because of the great talent pool available in the area.
Q: Logistically speaking, how does Faraday Future plan to cut a four-year strategy of getting the factory running within half that time as stated by VP of Global Manufacturing Dag Reckhorn? (http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2016/04/16/first-faraday-cars-rolling-fast/83138220/)
A: We cannot discuss timing of specific project milestones, but this is a huge undertaking and we are moving as fast as possible for a project of this magnitude.
Q: Will your vehicles be sold only in North America or do you have other markets in mind?
A: We plan to sell the car globally, with the US and China being the biggest markets for FF.
Q: What are the three most important features of the Faraday Future brand that you want the public to know?
A: Faraday Future’s mission is to give our users their time back through seamless connectivity, serve as a breakthrough from the traditional automotive industry, introduce a new business model that moves beyond the traditional means of selling cars and introduce extreme technology which means integrating artificial intelligence into our vehicles, creating an advanced interface that is always learning about its users.