New Faraday electric car goes overboard with digital screens

This breakout American car maker is pushing the boundaries of interior design as it hopes to crack the mainstream, but it may have gone too far with its latest addition.

Faraday Future FF91

An ambitious American electric vehicle start-up has reimagined car interiors with a hi-tech offering bursting with colour screens – and it even has seats that can weigh its occupants.

The radical luxury interior of the Faraday Future FF91 features 11 screens to take care of everything from infotainment and instruments to basic settings for seats and ventilation.

There’s even a 27-inch screen that “descends from the roof, displaying an HD picture comparable with a high-end living room experience”.

The Faraday Future FF91 has 11 digital screens.

Some of the FF91’s screens are subtly integrated into the doors and dashboard while others – including the central infotainment screen – look more like a tablet computer floating in front of the dash.

The FF91 also has three modems, with one dedicated to over-the-air software updates to keep the vehicle running. Others ensure those inside are suitably entertained with streamed content.

There are hints of Big Brother thinking with an advanced artificial intelligence system that recognises occupants by using facial and voice recognition as well as measuring their weight.

Once the vehicle has identified someone it adjusts the infotainment system, seats and ventilation. It can also account for the driver’s mood, even tailoring the scent.

The FF91 has three modems, with each used for different purposes.

“Our goal is to make your daily commute the highlight of your day through a rich digital experience and give you back more time in your day,” said Faraday Future CEO Carsten Breitfeld. “At the end of the day, we designed our AI and user interaction to be as intuitive and convenient as possible, giving you back more of your invaluable time.”

First class: The FF91’s rear seats can recline up to 60 degrees.

A “seamless entry” system uses the Bluetooth of a smartphone as a key – something Tesla, BMW and others currently have – but also aims to transition the connected life you have in your home or office to the car.

The rear seats are claimed to offer first class-like comfort, which starts with the ability to recline by 60 degrees.

Those back pews are also claimed to be “Zero-Gravity Seats” that take “principles learned from NASA’s space experiments” to boost comfort by adjusting where support is provided.

Powering this hi-tech limousine are multiple electric motors producing up to 783kW – more than a Formula 1 car.

Faraday has still yet to make a production version of any vehicle.

Whether any of this tech makes it to a showroom remains to be seen.

Faraday Future was announced in 2014 and quickly touted as a potential Tesla rival and tech-focused car company.

Its ideas and futuristic designs have attracted plenty of news coverage but the company is yet to produce its first saleable car.

Despite hiring as many as 1000 workers, late last year it reportedly slashed hundreds of them.

The FF91 is planned to be the flagship model for Faraday Future.