In the early hours of Sunday, September 28, 2025, an electric SUV manufactured by Faraday Future ignited at the company’s Los Angeles headquarters, resulting in an explosion that damaged a portion of the building’s wall. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded promptly, extinguishing the blaze within 40 minutes. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The affected structure, a two-story annex adjacent to the main headquarters, sustained significant damage. Consequently, the city’s Department of Building and Safety has red-tagged the building, indicating that it may require structural repairs before it can be reoccupied.
John Schilling, Faraday Future’s communications director, acknowledged the incident, stating, We are aware of a fire at our facility yesterday; there were no injuries to FF staff, and no evacuation was required. The specific cause and origin of the fire is under investigation.
In a subsequent statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Faraday Future asserted that the vehicle’s battery pack remains largely undamaged and that there is no evidence that the battery pack was the cause. The company suggested that possible causes might include an electrical short circuit in the showroom wiring or a short circuit related to a loose connection in the vehicle’s 12V low-voltage system. Additionally, Faraday Future noted that the vehicle involved was an early engineering prototype with interior materials that do not meet the flammability standards of production vehicles.
This incident occurs at a precarious time for Faraday Future, as the company’s tenure at its Los Angeles headquarters is uncertain. The startup, which has faced financial challenges for years, sold the headquarters in 2019 to generate cash and has been leasing it since then. In February 2024, the property’s current owner, Rexford Industrial, filed a lawsuit seeking to evict Faraday Future over late payments. The two parties reached a settlement in April 2024, allowing the company to remain in the building until the lease’s expiration at the end of September 2025.
When asked about the current status of Faraday Future’s lease, Schilling indicated uncertainty. Notably, the property, including both the main building and the annex where the fire occurred, is being advertised as available for lease by commercial real estate company CBRE.
