Faraday Future could be a front for Apple’s electric car project

A mysterious electric car maker called Faraday Future — backed by large resources — could be a front for Apple, a report speculated on Friday. The company only began operating out of a former Nissan research facility in California last year, but already has over 400 workers, and is aiming to have 500 by the end of 2015, news.com.au said. Some of the staff include the head designer of the BMW i8, a SpaceX battery specialist, and a former interior designer for Ferrari. Others have resumes with employers like Facebook, Google, Ford, General Motors, and Volvo. Unusually, Faraday has refused to disclose the name of its CEO. Its de facto spokesman has been Nick Sampson, a senior VP who previously served as the director of vehicle and chassis engineering for Tesla. The company is planning to spend $1 billion on a manufacturing plant in California, Nevada, Georgia, or Louisiana, and on top of selling cars the company has claimed it “plans to explore other aspects of the automotive and technology industries, including unique ownership and usage models, in-vehicle content and autonomous driving.”