Faraday to reveal its electric car plans at CES in January

LOS ANGELES — Las Vegas will get the first look at what mysterious electric carmaker Faraday Future's eventual product will look like at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. By that time the public should know if that product will be manufactured in North Las Vegas.

Faraday officials answered questions at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Thursday, with their trademark vagueness.

What to expect from the concept car?

"Something cool. Something bold," said Richard Kim, Faraday's head of design.

Faraday Future burst onto the automotive scene over the summer, creating speculation simply by how much there was to speculate about. The company is based in Gardena, Calif., andhas ties to Chinese investors, according to media reports, but hasn't named a CEO.

Nevada is said to be in the running against three other states for the company's manufacturing plant. California, Louisiana and Georgia are also in the running.

The company has publicly said it plans to invest $1 billion in an estimated 1 million-square-foot plant that would employ about 4,500 workers.

Kim spoke on an auto show panel about cars of the future, though he offered no details about Faraday Future.

He spoke mostly about changing the user relationship with cars, saying automakers need to follow the lead of the cellular industry. As soon as you drive your dream car off the lot, it drops in value, he said, but a smartphone gains in value as you pour information into it.

That's why you seen grown men cry when they lose their cellphone, he said. Phones have become more than devices to make calls, they've become our world, he said.

Kim said he wants to see car designers thinking less about how to cut down on commuting time and more on creating user experiences. He suggested scenarios where a drive is no longer just a drive — but time to watch a movie, work, get a massage or take aromatherapy.

Kim's comments shed some light on the company's website statement alluding to Faraday's vision of itself as much more than an automaker.

"In addition to producing vehicles, the company plans to explore other aspects of the automotive and technology industries, including unique ownership and usage models, in-vehicle content and autonomous driving," the company's website states.

Nevada working deal past year

Nevada's economic development chief said Thursday his office works daily to close a deal with Faraday.

"Faraday is obviously very interested in Nevada and we are obviously very interested in them," Steve Hill, executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development, told the state economic development board in Carson City.

It was the first public acknowledgment in months by state officials of ongoing negotiations to land the factory in Southern Nevada.

"It's a complex deal and we have a number of people who have worked on this for approximately a year," Hill said.

Hill briefed the board in generalities, saying he's limited by a strict confidentiality agreement.

"We are looking at a number of infrastructure issues. We are also looking at workforce issues," Hill said. "This is a significant opportunity for Southern Nevada and the state. But it's also one that … we need to check the boxes and the company needs to check the boxes."

Infrastructure critical

Stacy Morris, Faraday's director of communications, confirmed that North Las Vegas is the only spot in Nevada being considered.

She wouldn't go into specifics about the company's site assessment, but said it's on the shortlist. She said Faraday wants a site with airport access, infrastructure, talent and room to grow.

Infrastructure could make or break a deal with Faraday.

The company is looking at Apex, a 20,000-acre industrial park that lacks basic infrastructure such as water and natural gas. Two bills were approved by the 2015 Nevada Legislature that could be used to help bring infrastructure to the site.

Rumors of a special legislative session have swirled for months, but Hill wouldn't predict an outcome and Sandoval wouldn't venture a guess on when a special session might be called to ink a deal.

Faraday has been pitched as a rival to Elon Musk's Tesla, which picked Northern Nevada for its massive battery plant last year. Both companies are named for 19th Century scientists. The special legislative session for Tesla also gave a boost to the Apex site.

Lawmakers authorized cities and counties to create an "economic diversification district" offering tax breaks to industries that will collectively invest $3.5 billion in Nevada within 10 years.

North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee has said he wants to use the new tax tools created for Tesla to solve Apex's "chicken and the egg" problem — businesses want utilities, but in order to invest in utilities there need to be businesses.

A fully developed Apex could be a big boon for the region, Robert Lang, director of the UNLV Brookings Mountain West Institute, said last year when the plan was announced.

About 800 of Apex's 7,000 acres that can be developed would be in the tax incentive district.

Lang said the best outcome at Apex would mean a $670 million boost in state and local tax revenue.

— Contact Bethany Barnes at bbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861. Find her on Twitter: @betsbarnes. Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901. Find her on Twitter: @SandraChereb.