Skip to main content

For Faraday Future, Pikes Peak was both a race and a testing lab

While it is still unclear whether Faraday Future will be able to get its FF 91 electric car into production anytime soon, the company at least proved that the FF 91 is pretty fast. At the recent Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Faraday Future’s creation set a record for production-based electric cars.

Staged on the Colorado mountain of the same name, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb features a 12.42-mile course with 156 turns that climbs 4,270 feet from the starting line to the finish line. The thin air at Pikes Peak’s high altitude gives electric cars an advantage since, like people, internal-combustion engines do not do very well when deprived of oxygen. Besides the FF 91, recent all-electric entries have included purpose-built race cars, a modified Acura NSX, and a Tesla Model S, among others.

Recommended Videos

Driven by Faraday engineer Robin Shute, the FF 91 ran in Pikes Peak’s Exhibition Class. It covered the course in 11:25.083, beating the previous record for a production-based electric car by more than 20 seconds, according to Faraday. “Production-based” is key here because the FF 91 isn’t actually on sale yet. Hopefully the eventual production model will feel as fast as the racer looks in the above video, which was posted to the Pikes Peak YouTube channel.

Faraday used a “beta” development vehicle that was largely representative of the eventual production model, albeit with some Pikes Peak-specific hardware and software tweaks. Faraday viewed Pikes Peak as a testing opportunity, with Shute saying that engineers identified “key battery pack relay and system seal issues” that will improve the production process. But the automaker will also get more public exposure from the high-profile race. Pikes Peak is not Faraday’s first motor-sport foray, it also backs a team in Formula E.

“The hill climb at Pikes Peak serves as the ideal setting to further develop the electric propulsion system and supporting thermal systems of FF 91,” Faraday research and development boss Nick Sampson said in a statement ahead of the race. Seeing how components perform under the stresses of racing was a major reason for going to Pikes Peak, Farady engineers explained in a video (see below) produced by the automaker. “Testing the performance of FF 91 in real-world conditions sets the bar even higher as we bring the vehicle to market in 2018,” Sampson said.

Sampson’s confirmation of a 2018 launch date aligns with previous statements from Faraday, but it seems like an optimistic goal. The company has halted work on its North Las Vegas, Nevada, factory indefinitely, and has not announced concrete plans for a new factory. Between building a factory, completing development work on the FF 91, and tooling up for production, Faraday has a lot to finish in a very short amount of time.

Faraday has also had to contend with instability at its main backer, Chinese tech firm LeEco. The company is laying off most of its U.S. workforce, and billionaire founder Jia Yueting said in November that it was running out of cash. Faraday has said it is unaffected by the LeEco cuts, although it is now looking for additional sources of funding.

Updated: Added second video and updated information on Faraday’s Nevada factory.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
The week in EV tech: From sky-high dreams to ground-level drama
tesla robotaxi feud alef in transition flight

Welcome to Digital Trends’ weekly recap of the revolutionary technology powering, connecting, and now driving next-gen electric vehicles. 
Buckle up, folks — this week we’re taking off with a look at the futuristic dream of flying electric cars possibly gliding above U.S. roads sooner than you think. But before we get carried away, let’s bring it back down to the bumpy road of present-day realities.
Even if you’re mostly interested about the tech powering the electric vehicle (EV) revolution, it’s become increasingly hard to avoid the politics around it: You guessed it, we’re talking about this week’s public feud between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump.
What does this have to do with EV tech? Well, quite a lot actually. For starters, the technology behind Tesla’s Autopilot and Full-Self Driving (FSD) modes may return in the crosshairs of regulators: Despite the names, these are still driver-assist features that require active driver supervision, and until Trump’s election, they had been under heavy scrutiny by safety regulators for several years.
Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  (NHTSA) launched an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD. Big questions remain about the driver-assist system's performance under adverse, yet naturally-occurring conditions such as fog, sun glare, rain, and snow.
When Musk, who spent about $275 million to help elect Trump, was appointed to head a newly-created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), it raised more than a few eyebrows about his power and influence over the regulators who are supposed to oversee traffic safety, and therefore Tesla.
It didn’t help that the Trump administration followed Musk’s recommendations and relaxed crash-reporting requirements put in place since 2021, while also relaxing rules to accelerate the deployment of fully-automated robotaxis.
The Trump/Musk clash takes place just as Tesla is due to launch its robotaxi pilot progam in Texas later this month. While Trump is now threatening to pull billions of dollars in government subsidies and contracts from Musk’s companies, it’s unclear whether he might pressure the Department of Transportation to again tighten the regulatory screws on Tesla. What is clear is that Trump has never been a fan of electric vehicles and is already trying to end federal subsidies on EV purchases and leases. And while he had made a big deal about buying a bright red Tesla Model S back in March, Trump now says he wants to sell it.
Back to the tech
Meanwhile, Tesla is still required to respond to information and data requests from NHTSA regarding the safety of its robotaxis by July 1. And ultimately, it should come down to the performance of the technology.
For Autopilot and FSD, Tesla has opted for less expensive navigational tech relying on multiple onboard cameras that feed AI machine-learning models. But especially for so-called adverse driving conditions, it’s the more expensive technology relying on a blend of pre-mapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (a laser-light radar) which has received the nod of regulators.
Waymo, the sole robotaxi service currently operating in the U.S., and Zoox, Amazon’s upcoming robotaxi service, both use that blend of navigational tech.
For its robotaxis, Tesla is said to have upped its game in terms of autonomous driving with its Hardware 4 (HW4) technology, which does include radar sensors and promises enhanced environmental perception.
Will that be enough for Tesla to convince regulators, catch up with Waymo, or compete effectively with Zoox?
We’ll have to wait and see.
Flying cars
In a recent edition, we noted that while consumer confidence about robotaxi technology is on the rise, most people also want more data before they hop into a self-driving vehicle.
What about flying taxis? According to a recent survey by Honeywell, nearly all U.S. airline fliers, or 98%, said they would consider using a so-called electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, or eVTOL, as part of their travel journey.
But while the buzz around flying electric vehicles has mostly focused on air taxis— like Archer Aviation’s Midnight, expected to fly athletes around the 2028 LA Olympics, or Joby’s slick air taxi, backed by Toyota — one California startup is shooting for something a little more... driveable.
Meet Alef Aeronautics, a Bay Area company that wants to put the “car” back in “flying car.” This week, Alef announced it has received over 3,400 pre-orders for its electric flying vehicle, the Model A — and get this: it’s not a futuristic prototype gathering dust in a lab. Alef says production could begin by the end of 2025, or early next year.
On the ground, the Model A operates like a low-speed electric car, complete with hub motors in the wheels and—wait for it—a real steering wheel. You can legally drive it at up to 25 mph on public roads, parking it in a normal garage like any other EV. It’s refreshingly manual in an increasingly hands-free world.
But when it's time for lift off, the steering wheel takes a backseat. For vertical takeoff and flight, the Model A transforms into a drone-like aircraft. Its cabin rotates sideways to create lift, and eight electric rotors—controlled by a flight system and joysticks—take over. No pedals, no yoke, just a bit of joystick magic (or autopilot, if you prefer).
The Model A has already received the nod from regulators for test flights.
While the $300,000 price tag won’t fit everyone’s budget, the company is clearly betting on a future where you don’t have to choose between a car and a flying machine—you can have both.

Read more
8 key things you need to know from Apple’s WWDC 2025 event
From a fresh look and updated names, to new features, more intelligence and live translation
iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 shown on devices.

The WWDC 2025 keynote ran for just over an hour and a half. For those of you who don't fancy sitting through the whole presentation, we've pulled out the key things you need to know from the latest Apple event.

1. Welcome to the 26 club

Read more
Tesla’s robotaxi service is almost here, but it’s not the car you want to see
Silver Tesla Model Y Juniper side

Tesla chief Elon Musk has said that the automaker is aiming to launch its robotaxi service on June 22, in Austin, Texas.

“Tentatively, June 22,” Musk said in a post on X on Tuesday, adding: “We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift.”

Read more