• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Would-Be Tesla Competitor Faraday Future Offers New Details

By
David Z. Morris
David Z. Morris
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Z. Morris
David Z. Morris
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 15, 2016, 11:40 AM ET
Faraday Future FFZERO1 Concept Car
Electric vehicle concept from Faraday FutureFaraday Future

Faraday Future is a U.S.-based, Chinese-funded startup that has been aggressively ramping up to build an electric car to challenge Elon Musk’s Tesla. The company seems to be emerging from its cloak of secrecy, most recently with manufacturing vice president—and former Tesla exec—Dag Reckhorn offering a few new data points in an interview with The Verge.

Among other reveals, Reckhorn says that Faraday plans to build a variety of cars around a single chassis, with the ability to mix and match batteries, power trains, and presumably body types. He also says the company’s target for its car battery capacity is “20 or 30% over the competitor.” And, helpfully, Faraday’s cars will have “more than one seat”—apparently a reference to the concept racecar Faraday rolled out as part of its public debut.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Note Reckhorn’s reference to a singular competitor—he believes Faraday’s only peer is Tesla (TSLA), which both says something about Faraday’s ambition, and amounts to some serious side-eye to the Nissan Leafs of the world. Creating a battery even 20% better than Tesla’s would in itself be enough to make Faraday a serious contender in the expanding electric car market.

But whether the company can meet those or other goals is unclear at best. Faraday still publicly says it wants to deliver a car within two years, but Reckhorn told the Verge that they’re only now “moving into beta, getting closer and closer to that reveal.” He also says Faraday Future has nearly completed the design of its factory in Nevada, and will begin construction soon.

As our Katie Fehrenbacher pointed out earlier this year, Faraday’s extremely aggressive timetable casts some doubt on its viability, and the idea that they’ll go from a ‘beta’ vehicle to actual production in less than two years only seems to reinforce that concern.

To see Faraday’s concept car, watch our video:

To put things in perspective, Tesla has faced intense skepticism for wanting to reach full production of its new Model 3 by 2018. But Tesla not only already has a nearly-complete design for that car, but has also been making cars for a decade. The Model 3 will embody the collective wisdom gained during that time.

Even with some poached Tesla talent on board, for Faraday to produce a car in two years that successfully competes with that level of expertise would be, to say the least, impressive.

About the Author
By David Z. Morris
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

tillis
CommentaryCongress
Thom Tillis: Free markets built American prosperity. Government intervention puts it at risk
By Thom Tillis and John StanfordApril 30, 2026
26 minutes ago
iran
CommentaryIran
The Strait of Hormuz is a data problem, not just a military one
By Erik Bethel and Ami DanielApril 30, 2026
56 minutes ago
Current refi mortgage rates report for April 30, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current refi mortgage rates report for April 30, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganApril 30, 2026
2 hours ago
Mortgage rates today, April 30, 2026
Personal Financemortgages
Mortgage rates today, April 30, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganApril 30, 2026
2 hours ago
Current ARM mortgage rates report for April 30, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for April 30, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganApril 30, 2026
2 hours ago
Aerie built a $2 billion brand by rejecting Victoria’s Secret’s old playbook. Now it wants to win the AI backlash.
C-SuiteRetail
Aerie built a $2 billion brand by rejecting Victoria’s Secret’s old playbook. Now it wants to win the AI backlash.
By Phil WahbaApril 30, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
By Preston ForeApril 27, 2026
3 days ago
‘Take the money and run’: Johns Hopkins economist Steve Hanke on why the UAE quit OPEC
Energy
‘Take the money and run’: Johns Hopkins economist Steve Hanke on why the UAE quit OPEC
By Shawn TullyApril 29, 2026
1 day ago
‘The cost of compute is far beyond the costs of the employees’: Nvidia executive says right now AI is more expensive than paying human workers
AI
‘The cost of compute is far beyond the costs of the employees’: Nvidia executive says right now AI is more expensive than paying human workers
By Sasha RogelbergApril 28, 2026
2 days ago
Jamie Dimon gets candid about national debt: ‘There will be a bond crisis, and then we’ll have to deal with it’
Economy
Jamie Dimon gets candid about national debt: ‘There will be a bond crisis, and then we’ll have to deal with it’
By Eleanor PringleApril 29, 2026
23 hours ago
‘They left me no choice’: Powell isn’t going anywhere—blocking Trump from another Fed appointee
Banking
‘They left me no choice’: Powell isn’t going anywhere—blocking Trump from another Fed appointee
By Eva RoytburgApril 29, 2026
14 hours ago
More than two-thirds of U.S. schools say they’re unable to afford the cost of student free lunch—and MAHA’s dietary guidelines may make it worse
Economy
More than two-thirds of U.S. schools say they’re unable to afford the cost of student free lunch—and MAHA’s dietary guidelines may make it worse
By Sasha RogelbergApril 29, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.