- Faraday Future (FF) beats timeline objectives with first FF 91 body-in-white at new Hanford factory
- A major step forward on many fronts for the disruptive EV startup
- Key suppliers working side-by-side with FF BiW team to meet or beat deadlines
- FF team on site projects first FF 91 user cars likely to be ready in December as announced
LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Faraday Future (FF) announces today that the first complete body-in-white (BiW) for the FF 91 all-purpose fully connected luxury EV has successfully initiated full-vehicle assembly, following its arrival at the new FF Hanford factory two days ahead of schedule.
FF 91, first introduced to the public and media at the January 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, has undergone over two years of intensive validation testing in all possible conditions to be certain that the final product exceeds the expectations of the most discerning VIP users.
Faraday Future FF 91 first production-level body-in-white completed and painted awaits further build stages in FF Hanford factory.
Faraday Future FF 91 first production-level body-in-white undergoing assembly.
Faraday Future FF 91 first production-level body-in-white undergoing assembly.
Faraday Future FF 91 first production-level body-in-white undergoing assembly.
This clip shows FF 91 body-in-white factory assembly.
FF Tooling and Equipment Manager for Body-in-White, Hector Padilla, helps oversee this entire process on site and reports, "It is honestly inspiring to see how hard we as a team are working to achieve FF 91. And it is not that we must push people to work, but everyone is more and more eager to do so as they see the complete car become a reality."
Several cutting-edge manufacturing technologies are used on FF 91 BiW (and by December all to be possible under the same roof at FF Hanford):
1,500+ self-piercing rivets for joining the aluminum body structure
Among the several job-specific body-joining technologies: Aluminum resistant spot welding, cold metal transfer (CMT) welding
Flowform® screw technology allowing an innovative uni-directional joining process not possible with conventional sheetmetal joining methods
Among first applications of Flexweld® resistance element welding (REW) on "Class A" panels that facilitates aluminum-to-steel welding - a particular challenge
Earliest use of wireless "transducerized" torque tools for all appropriate safety-critical points (a great help in comprehensive error-proofing, total process connectivity/traceability, and precision of assembly)
Senior VP of Manufacturing for FF, Dag Reckhorn, said, "There is no question that this team and our suppliers have faced many significant challenges in getting FF 91 to this point, and even slightly ahead of schedule. This is really a huge accomplishment over these past two years. All while focusing on the true luxury and quality of the final product. Our constant focus on teamwork, avoiding functional 'silos', has paid off."
FF Founder and Global CEO, YT Jia, said, "This is one of many big milestones ahead for FF as we enter the final stage in introducing 'our new species', the FF 91 flagship. In the truest FF spirit, our teams and global partners have gone above and beyond to get to this important phase ahead of schedule.
"Everything we do relies on our proven UP2U (User Planning To User) approach. FF will redefine the meaning of customization at a whole new in-depth, high-end, and personalized level – each user in the near future will have the opportunity to provide input and witness the creation of their own personal FF 91 along the bespoke production line at FF Hanford."
The order book for FF 91 early users – aka "FF Futurists" – has been open since the start of 2018 and first deliveries are due starting in December of this year through the middle of 2019.
ABOUT FF 91
FF 91 is an all-purpose fully-connected EV with an estimated 0-60 mph acceleration below three seconds and an expected range of 300+ miles. This intelligent robotic vehicle is a 3rd internet living space and the embodiment of FF's vision to create a shared mobility ecosystem that empowers people to move, connect, breathe, and live freely.
ABOUT FARADAY FUTURE
Faraday Future is a clean-energy intelligent mobility company with headquarters in Southern California. Our global team leverages the talents of leading thinkers and passionate creators to break the boundaries and standard business models of the automotive, internet, new energy, AI, and technology industries to bring the first intelligent and open shared-mobility ecosystem to people worldwide.
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