Lambo Blogging: Faraday Future Reveals New Manufacturing Plant in California

Faraday Future has secured a new manufacturing plant in Hanford, California. The move comes just one month after the EV startup confirmed it halted plans on a $1 billion facility in North Las Vegas, Nevada.

The production switch-up is intended to help Faraday Future begin producing its first vehicle more quickly than it otherwise could have. “Our new production facility is the latest demonstration of our commitment to getting FF 91 on the road by the end of 2018,” said Faraday Future Vice President of Global Manufacturing Dag Reckhorn in a statement. “Despite significant head winds on the path ahead of us, we are laser-focused on that one key milestone.”

Faraday Future will lease the new facility that boasts 1 million square-feet. It will eventually employ up to 1,300 workers over three shifts, the automaker says. The current tenants of the facility are expected to move out in late November. According to Automotive News, the site was formerly a Pirelli tire plant.

Last month, Faraday Future announced it was shifting its manufacturing strategy by halting plans for a facility in North Las Vegas. Announced in late 2015, the factory was once expected to cover 3 million square-feet, although those plans were later scaled back to 650,000 square-feet. Faraday said it will keep the land where the plant was to be built in hopes that the space will eventually be used.

The automaker has suffered a number of setbacks in its short history. It reportedly missed several deadlines for paying workers at the North Las Vegas site, and it pulled the plug on plans for a factory on Mare Island in Vallejo, California. Financial issues surrounding LeEco’s Jia Yueting, backer of Faraday Future, have also garnered negative attention for the company.

If it arrives in 2018, the FF 91 may pack quite the punch. Faraday Future claims the model, which debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, produces 1,050 hp and can hit 60 mph in 2.39 seconds.

Source: Faraday Future, Automotive News (Subscription required)