Another day, another update on fledgling electric carmaker, Faraday Future.
Recent reports point to an incident in a satellite building to the company’s Los Angeles headquarters, in which a vehicle prototype allegedly caught fire.
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And it’s not coming at a great time. Last year, it was reported that Faraday Future had been nearly evicted from its California headquarters for failing to pay rent before striking a deal with its landlord.
The company has since struggled to put out vehicles – it delivered just two in the first quarter – all while pivoting to sell low-cost, Chinese-built EV vans. It even announced a new crypto strategy.
But at least according to Faraday, the fire was … kinda no big deal.
The automaker issued a press release following the incident, clarifying that all operations at its headquarters were unaffected and that there were no related injuries. They also said some of the wall surfaces were damaged and that it would continue to work with authorities to determine the cause.
An FF 91 show vehicle is the suspected cause of the fire, according to Faraday – an important distinction considering the company said it is a 9-year-old car.
Faraday Future suggested this vehicle was a beta prototype and likely experienced a loose connection or wiring short circuit in the 12-volt system. They’ve clarified that the vehicle in question is “entirely different from FF 91 production vehicles.”
The company added that the interior materials “do not meet the flammability standards of production vehicles,” therefore a recall would not be required.
Still, a report in Carscoops pointed out that, even though it doesn’t pose a risk to the handful of vehicles that Faraday Future has sold to date, “it’s certainly not going to restore trust or confidence in owners, landlords, and shareholders alike.”
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