- Lucid CEO confirms the corporate is searching for extra established automakers to companion with.
- It is already in talks with two unnamed automakers after signing a deal to offer Aston Martin with its EV tech.
- Lucid desires to promote 1 million automobiles yearly and it’ll want an OEM’s assist to assist it ramp up manufacturing.
Though Lucid Motors is a startup with a lot much less car-making expertise than conventional OEMs, it has shortly develop into an electrical car expertise chief. It’s prepared to share its EV tech with others and it’s already serving to Aston Martin create its personal bespoke EV platform. Nonetheless, it additionally desires to search out extra automakers to companion with.
In a latest interview with Bloomberg, Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson mentioned the corporate was at present in talks with “a pair” of automakers, however he didn’t identify names—considered one of them might be Genesis. He mentioned, “It might be beautiful if we may provide expertise to a conventional automotive firm to assist them on their approach to sustainability, and maybe we will leverage economies of scale with their elements bin and different features of the enterprise.”
In different phrases, Lucid could be excited by supplying its EV tech and anticipate to realize know-how from its potential companions. This doesn’t apply to its take care of Aston Martin, which is one-sided for now, however Lucid expects to earn extra than simply cash from its future partnerships. Aston Martin will launch its first EV, which could have Lucid tech and know-how, in 2026, and it says it has a number of EVs within the pipeline.
Lucid isn’t the one EV startup searching for established OEM companions. Rivian arrange a multi-billion greenback three way partnership take care of Volkswagen to develop electrical automobiles. VW has pledged to speculate near $6 billion, and the partnership’s first automobiles are anticipated to debut in 2027. Apparently, a Volkswagen EV prototype is already working on a Rivian platform with Rivian tech.
Volkswagen additionally owns the Scout EV model, so it’s not totally unreasonable to counsel that the upcoming Scout Terra and Traveler might have some elements in widespread. That may make the truth that Scout and Rivian usually are not the identical firm even much less obvious.
Lucid’s in-house-developed electrical motors and 900-volt platform enable it to make a few of probably the most environment friendly electrical automobiles on this planet. The startup lacks information about scaling up manufacturing into the tons of of hundreds, which is the place the expertise supplied by a longtime automaker could be very helpful.
Now within the means of ramping up manufacturing of its second mannequin, the Gravity full dimension SUV, Lucid will then transfer on to getting ready the beginning of manufacturing for its third mannequin. This will probably be a smaller and extra reasonably priced midsize electrical SUV, whose beginning worth will probably be round $48,000, so it ought to promote in larger volumes than any of its present fashions—the most affordable Lucid proper now’s the Air Pure, which begins at $71,400, however you’ll be able to pay over $250,000 for a top-spec Air Sapphire.
Peter Rawlinson beforehand mentioned that Lucid is aiming to promote 1 million automobiles yearly, and it’s banking on not one however two midsize electrical crossovers to get there. This 12 months, it produced round 10,000 automobiles, so it is received a protracted approach to go to attain the acknowledged objective.
