Lucid CEO:Rawlinson emphasized that Lucid’s expertise and technological advancements could contribute to the realization of affordable EVs through partnerships and collaborations with other automakers
Peter Rawlinson, Lucid has no plans to manufacture a $25,000 electric vehicle itself. However, the company is open to providing the required technology to facilitate the development of such vehicles. Rawlinson emphasized that Lucid’s expertise and technological advancements could contribute to the realization of affordable EVs through partnerships and collaborations with other automakers.
According to Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson, putting high efficiency first and using smaller battery packs to lower EV costs are the keys to developing an affordable electric vehicle. Rawlinson emphasized that Lucid’s cutting-edge technology has the potential to help the mass-market EV sector lower prices in a recent interview with Auto Express (via Teslarati). He emphasized the critical link between efficiency and smaller battery packs, arguing that in the coming decade, as other aspects of EV development take precedence, the importance of driving range will decline.
“The biggest impact on the mass market car will be with smaller battery packs. My vision is could we get to six miles per kilowatt-hour? We’re at 4.6 now. Could we get to six miles per kilowatt-hour with a fast-charging infrastructure, with overnight charging? The electric car of the future only needs 250 miles. We don’t need 500-mile cars in the future, 10 years from now.”
Future electric vehicles may be able to run on smaller 25-kilowatt-hour battery packs if they can achieve an efficiency of six miles per kilowatt-hour and take into account the average buyer’s requirement of 150 miles of range, according to Rawlinson’s further explanation. By significantly reducing the size of the battery, production costs could be reduced, ultimately lowering the price of EVs for consumers. The industry can move toward cost-effective solutions if EV manufacturers concentrate on maximizing efficiency and meeting range requirements.
“That’s a $4,000 pack particularly with a bit of industrializing scale and battery manufacture. That’s what we need to make a $25,000 car and that’s what the environment and the world needs urgently to get masses into electric cars. You need the $25,000 car.”
Peter Rawlinson admitted that Lucid lacks the financial means to independently design and produce a $25,000 electric vehicle, though. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence in the company’s ability to use its recently established tech supplying business—exemplified by the Aston Martin deal—to help realize such a vehicle. In this area of the business, Rawlinson sees huge potential, and he sees Lucid as the Intel of the electric vehicle world, using its partnerships and technological know-how to advance the sector.
“Now is Lucid going to make that? [the $25,000 car] No. It’s a horrible thing to be making. But could we be the ‘Intel Inside’ for that car? The enabler? Absolutely. And that’s where we could get the multiplier effect.”
Drawing a comparison to the well-known “Intel inside” logo found on computers, Rawlinson stated his desire to see the “Lucid Inside” logo displayed on automobiles.
Although it is not currently possible to produce an electric car for $25,000, Lucid intends to release more affordable models in the second half of the decade, providing options at lower price points than their $90,000 Air luxury sedan. The Project Gravity SUV’s introduction is the company’s current priority, and deliveries should start in 2024.
Lucid plans to create rivals to Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y after the release of the Gravity SUV, with a target price range of around $50,000, possibly even as low as $48,000. Even though specifics are still being worked out, Rawlinson emphasized that this is the future’s vision.
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Source: Auto Express via Teslarati