With a futuristic steel exterior, and an interior dedicated to clean energy, the new Faraday Future facility is a milestone in manufacturing
Start-up electric vehicle company Faraday Future have had the automotive world speculating about their flagship vehicle, the FFzero 1, for months. Described as an electric supercar, the FFzero model is designed to be a versatile platform for future vehicles from the company, but experts in the sector have been skeptical.
That was, until Faraday Future silenced the critics with the announcement of one of the biggest EV manufacturing facilities. Early this year, the company announced the building of a state-of-the-art factory in Nevada, one big enough to rival even Tesla’s technological innovations.
Changing the face of Nevada
Covering a sprawling three million square feet, the site on the Apex Industrial Park in North Las Vegas promises to create 4,500 jobs and to come with a $75 million bond from the company to the surrounding roads, rail and water lines that will serve the factory.
The facility will be used to manufacture the electric vehicles that up until now have only been a fanciful dream for Faraday Future. The site promises to be connected, futuristic and environmentally conscious. It will contain adaptable workspaces and energy-efficient plumbing, robotic automation and clean energy. It will even have a large exterior LED video screen showing what’s going on inside the factory in real time.
“The facility will use the latest materials in the construction process and aim to exceed the standards set forth by the industry.”
Materials for a greener future
Key to this futuristic and energy-conscious dream is steel.
“The facility will use the latest materials in the construction process and aim to exceed the standards set forth by the industry,” Dag Reckhorn, VP for Global Manufacturing at Faraday Future stated in a press release in April. “Materials for the facility will include the latest glass, steel, LED lighting and water-based paints.”
The main exterior of the building will be made from steel, with large glass windows. “The facility’s exterior will be a clear calling card of the Faraday Future look and feel from the air and from the highway,” says Reckhorn. “This will encourage passers-by to visit and see the latest in mobility manufacturing.”
Steel was chosen for its aesthetic qualities but also for minimal environmental impact. Future Faraday is adamant that the building be built to the highest environmental standards.
The company will harvest a combination of wind, solar and geo-thermal energies, together with its local energy provider, to help meet its clean energy goals. In addition, there will be a water-free paint shop and a heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) and plumbing system aimed at improving energy efficiency.
Driving development
The construction of the new facility will be handled by AECOM, and is forecasted to be completed in two years.
The ground-breaking took place at the site in Nevada on 13 April 2016
Faraday Future is certainly hitting the ground running, with the facility’s ground-breaking ceremony in April 2016 described as a milestone for the progression towards the company’s first vehicle, the FFzero 1 supercar.
Hiring for the facility is also already in progress. “We are moving extremely quickly for a project of this size,” says Reckhorn. “Our aim is to complete a programme that would normally take four years and do it in half the time, while still doing it right.”
Images: Faraday Future