A prototype exploded at Faraday Future headquarters, leading to the closure of the Los Angeles building (2 photos)

Faraday Future prototype fire incident

Faraday Future is back in the spotlight, but for a bad reason. On the morning of September 28, one of the company’s early prototypes, the FF91, caught fire at the company’s Los Angeles headquarters. No one was injured, but the building was damaged and is now closed to employees.

Firefighters’ actions and aftermath

The Los Angeles Fire Department was called at 4:37 a.m. and had the fire under control in 40 minutes. Sprinkler systems slowed the spread of the fire, but the explosion did damage part of the wall. After the fire was extinguished, the building was declared unsafe for use.

Company Response and Possible Causes

Faraday Future quickly issued a statement to try to reassure the public. They stressed that the battery pack was not the cause of the fire, but rather an old prototype that caught fire. The car, which had the internal designation B40, was built about nine years ago. The company noted that its materials did not meet current fire safety standards for production cars.

According to representatives, “this beta prototype is completely different from the production FF 91 models, so we believe this incident will not result in a recall of production cars.”

A full investigation is underway, and preliminary estimates suggest that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit in the room’s electrical wiring or a problem with the car’s 12-volt system.

Previous Incidents and Context for the Company

This is not the first time a Faraday Future test vehicle has caught fire. In 2022, another prototype also caught fire, although the details of that incident remain unknown. For a company already facing financial difficulties, such events only add to doubts about its stability.

The latest incident comes at a time of instability for Faraday Future. After the failed launch of the FF91, the company has focused on federalizing and selling a Chinese van with a front-facing screen. The firm has also been criticized for its cryptocurrency-related initiatives and delays in paying rent on the premises where the fire occurred. The lease expired at the end of September.



While the company insists the fire poses no threat to production vehicles, the incident is unlikely to restore trust among owners, lessors, and shareholders. Further investigations could shed more light on systemic safety issues, especially given past incidents and financial challenges that have weighed on the electric car maker's reputation.