ShowBoats International — May 2017

WWW.BOATINTERNATIONAL.COM MAY 2017

PHOTOGRAPHS: ARTHUR WOODCROFT; GETTY IMAGES

MAY 2017

BOAT LIFE

Competition is hotting up in the six-figure

electric vehicle market, says Brett Berk

Charging into battle

esla has dominated the market for

luxurious long-range electric vehicles

(EVs), in part because it is the only

manufacturer producing them. In the next

couple of years, however, European automakers like

Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Aston Martin and Jaguar will

bring a range of EVs to market. And additional

homegrown competition may arrive from Tesla’s

neighbors on the West Coast.

Production-ready concepts were recently unveiled

by the California-based automotive start-ups

Faraday Future and Lucid Motors. These share some

basic specs: six-figure price tags, luxurious materials,

around 400 miles of expected range, an abundance of

screens for information and entertainment, wireless

connectivity, and sophisticated autonomous driving

capabilities. They also share investment from Jia

Yueting, a Chinese billionaire who founded LeEco,

China’s leading media streaming service.

The Faraday FF 91 is ostensibly an SUV – a high

riding, all-wheel-drive vehicle built for all-weather use

and utility. Yet its angled and rounded fuselage and

improbably long wheelbase gives it a profile and

proportion like nothing else in the category. Lucid

Motors’ Air is more of a traditional four-door sedan,

but again its shape is anything but traditional, with a

snub nose, deeply sculpted flanks, and an extra bubble

canopy tacked on to its rear, where it hangs out over the

almost non-existent deck.

Both vehicles also share an expansive cabin, the

result of a liberating design advantage of pure electric

vehicles. Since the batteries are in the floor and the

motors that drive the wheels are at the wheels

themselves, there is no need for a bulky hood

(no engine!) or hump-like interior tunnel

(no transmission!). More space can thus be given over

to the passengers. And when the car drives itself, as

each vehicle is designed to do, everyone on board

becomes a passenger. The best seats are now in back,

where broad, contoured chairs tilt down and extend,

like those in a private airline cabin. All the better for

consuming media, or getting some work done.

Because electric motors produce all of their thrust

as soon as you hit the go pedal, and because these

vehicles are as powerful as the proverbial lightning

bolt, they are both extremely fast – Ferrari fast – so you

can hurtle into the future at breakneck speed.

>

The rear seats in the

Lucid Air recline

by 55 degrees for

private aircraft-level

comfort

The FF 91 parks itself

with its “driverless

valet” system

When the car

drives itself, as

it is designed to

do, everyone on

board becomes

a passenger

T

LUCID MOTORS AIR FARADAY FUTURE FF 91

Price: $160,000 (estimate)

Power: 1,000hp

Range: 400 miles

Performance: 0-60mph 2.5sec

Price: $190,000

Power: 1,050hp

Range: 375 miles

Performance: 0-60mph 2.4sec

TOP ELECTRIC

SUPERCARS

boatinternational.

com/supercars

Sunglasses

1. Dolce & Gabbana,
   davidclulow.com


2. Tom Ford, tomford.com


3. Tom Davies,
   tdtomdavies.com


4. Tom Ford, tomford.com


5. Persol, davidclulow.com


6. Taylor Morris,
   taylormorriseyewear.com

1 2 3 4 5 6

SIX OF

THE

BEST

EAST

COAST

EDIT

SUNSET BEACH

André Balazs’ favorite

summer restaurant is... his

own – and I agree. The

Shelter Island haunt is as

good for celeb-watching

(Brooke Shields, Christy

Turlington)

as it is for

unfussy,

delicious

Italian and

French food.

Lucy Sykes

THREE OF THE

BEST SEASIDE

RESTAURANTS

WÖLFFER

KITCHEN

The

gorgeous

Sag Harbor venue was

created for the food to go

with wine from the nearby

Wölffer Estate Vineyard –

the homemade pasta

gets rave reviews.

NAVY BEACH

A cross between boho Ibiza

and glamorous Saint-

Tropez. Owner Leyla

Marchetto, daughter of

famed chef/restaurateur

Silvano, brings just the right

amount of Euro to Montauk

on Long Island. Pack the

Melissa

Odabash to

really fit in!

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