- Lucid CEO confirms the corporate is searching for extra established automakers to associate with.
- It is already in talks with two unnamed automakers after signing a deal to supply Aston Martin with its EV tech.
- Lucid desires to promote 1 million autos 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 rapidly change into an electrical automobile expertise chief. It’s keen to share its EV tech with others and it’s already serving to Aston Martin create its personal bespoke EV platform. Nevertheless, it additionally desires to seek out extra automakers to associate with.
In a latest interview with Bloomberg, Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson mentioned the corporate was presently in talks with “a pair” of automakers, however he didn’t title names—one in all them might be Genesis. He mentioned, “It might be beautiful if we might provide expertise to a conventional automotive firm to assist them on their technique to sustainability, and maybe we will leverage economies of scale with their elements bin and different elements of the enterprise.”
In different phrases, Lucid can be concerned with supplying its EV tech and count on to realize know-how from its potential companions. This doesn’t apply to its cope with 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 cope with Volkswagen to develop electrical autos. VW has pledged to speculate near $6 billion, and the partnership’s first autos 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 fully unreasonable to counsel that the upcoming Scout Terra and Traveler might have some elements in frequent. That may make the truth that Scout and Rivian aren’t 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 autos on the earth. The startup lacks information about scaling up manufacturing into the a whole bunch of 1000’s, which is the place the expertise offered by a longtime automaker can 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 making ready the beginning of manufacturing for its third mannequin. This shall be a smaller and extra inexpensive midsize electrical SUV, whose beginning worth shall be round $48,000, so it ought to promote in greater volumes than any of its present fashions—the most cost effective Lucid proper now could be the Air Pure, which begins at $71,400, however you possibly can pay over $250,000 for a top-spec Air Sapphire.
Peter Rawlinson beforehand mentioned that Lucid is aiming to promote 1 million autos yearly, and it’s banking on not one however two midsize electrical crossovers to get there. This yr, it produced round 10,000 autos, so it is bought an extended technique to go to attain the acknowledged aim.
