The engineers at Electrify America wondered what on earth had happened.”, This story has been confirmed with Electrify America’s Cliff Fietzek, senior director of technology. Hochholdinger led manufacturing at Tesla. “I said I’ll join under two conditions. I play guitar. Electrify America is open source. We use ABS to control torque vectoring across each axle. The fundamental pieces can be rearranged into vehicles with different silhouettes. “Open differentials front and rear. Sony sold its battery division to Murata in 2017. As you can imagine, a company that’s building a 1000-horsepower luxury EV is moving rather quickly. “A little company called Atieva reached out to me in 2013 and asked if I’d be interested in joining. “I’m a road racing guy. Read the latest Lucid Motors news and browse our full collection of Lucid Motors articles, photos, press releases and related videos. Electric vehicle startup Lucid Motors has begun working on an SUV, and it could unveil the design as early as this summer, according to two people … And when Neom happens,” Rawlinson says, referencing the planned city of the future near Aqaba on the Red Sea, “Lucid will be huge there.”. The trapezium shape is part of the breakthrough. Headquartered in Newark, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley, the Lucid team brings deep expertise from the automotive and technology industries. We’re not going to make any car, we’re going to make the best car in the world, best electric car that’s ever been, and I have a whole bunch of ideas to take us to another level. Lucid Motors spent the last few years waiting to break ground on a brand-new factory in Casa Grande, Arizona, and the EV startup was finally able put … The only way to do that is through direct sales and service,” says Rawlinson, and Lucid is obviously following the same pattern as Tesla. Before that, Hochholdinger spent more than 20 years managing plants for Audi. Please check back often for updates and news, and don’t hesitate to reach out to media@lucidmotors.com with questions or requests. I put my heart and soul into the Model S, and I left that program. “I have a team of people with years upon years of experience, so when you put all these problem-solvers together, you understand lessons from countless manufacturers.”, Lucid is pursuing a sales and marketing strategy not unlike Tesla's, with "studios.". “We want to create a remarkably caring experience. It’s a longtime strategic investment, they are great partners, they are in for the long haul.”, “We also have an internship program for their best and brightest. “Our Dream Edition will do the standing quarter in 9.9 seconds. That has found its way directly into Lucid Air,” says Rawlinson. mph acceleration time in the mid-2-second range, and a quarter-mile time just under ten seconds. Rawlinson scoured Atieva’s meticulous database of known battery cells. I make no apology. And then there’s money, which Rawlinson and Lucid were not able to tap deeply until the Saudi sovereign fund stepped up a few years ago when early design studies and engineering work were ready to present. “Far-sightedness of the Kingdom,” says Rawlinson. The car is expected to have a price range of around $100,000 and already people have paid a deposit of $1,000 for the car in more than 20 countries. According to Rawlinson, recharging “is much more severe on the pack than just driving. Formula-E now runs full race distance on one charge of a trapezium-shaped Atieva/Lucid battery pack, shown here in a phantom sketch of a Formula-E chassis. Our cables are only generating 20 percent of the heat.”, “Electrify America is very advanced technically,” says Rawlinson, who signed a deal with the VW Group’s electrification effort. We are applying innovative engineering, design, and technology to define a new class of vehicle. “I’m interested in how many miles I’m going to get.” Rawlinson is sensible in his arguments, a breath of fresh air. we are targeting the gasoline-powered luxury sector—Mercedes S-class, BMW 7-series, Audi A8, Porsche Panamera, Jaguar XJ, Lexus LS.”. “I don’t think the Lucid Air will have the same impact as Model S because the Tesla was the first. This [sales and long-term service and care] is going to be an imperfect process. According to Rawlinson, Hochholdinger is empowered to perform. of Manufacturing. Manufacturing News Lucid Motors completes Arizona factory construction. Former colleagues of my own who have worked with Mees hold him in high regard. Lucid Motors 01 Dec, 2020, 19:30 IST. The primary ... [+] flatscreen is curved and freestanding on the dash top. In Formula-E we reduced the resistance in the way the cells are all interconnected. Lucid Inc. skyrocketed as much as 241% on Tuesday after a similarly named company, Lucid Motors, told Reuters that its luxury sedan, the … Never been drag racing in my life.” Remembering the day, he says, chuckling, “On my second run when I figured out where the green light was, I went 158 miles per hour.”, Do not be deceived by the Lucid PR and marketing photos that COVID-related events have forced me to post. Lucid Air does about 4.6 miles per kilowatt hour. By submitting this form, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. Lucid Motors' factory in Arizona (visualization) The construction started in December 2019. Project Gravity, an SUV, should arrive by 2023, greatly broadening Lucid’s market appeal. Lucid Motors is a privately-held electric car company based in Menlo Park, California. Huibert Mees, who designed the Tesla Model S suspension, and before that the 2004 Ford GT suspension, designed the Lucid Air’s double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension. If damping and springing properly sorted and calibrated, Lucid Air should achieve both excellent ride quality and handling. Lucid Motors announced that it completed the first phase of construction at its EV factory in Arizona. Please subscribe to receive all the latest Lucid news. This past Saturday Lucid opened another studio in Century City, on LA’s west side. That is legitimate. Inside, Lucid has more legroom than a long wheelbase Mercedes S-class.”. Like Chapman, Rawlinson engineered and built his own sports car, the mid-engine Imola, and presented it to Lotus in 1991, where he eventually served as engineering director. Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson with a pre-production Lucid Air. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Impressive as the car is in its specification, engineering and physical presence, we won’t know until journalists and early owners have imposed the chaos factor of miles in the real world. “We are proud of the fact that this factory was built in less than a year, with an eye towards ensuring it is future-proofed for expansion. This site uses cookies as described in our Privacy Policy. Peter Hochholdinger leads global manufacturing. News provided by. ‘We have battery technology, and we are developing in-house motor inverter technology,’ they said, though the inverter was pretty primitive. And a vehicle control module,” which will apportion power front to rear. We have all the repeatability of the Taycan Turbo S,” says Rawlinson. Two weeks ago, we didn’t warn Electrify America before we drove one of our cars to a charging station. They are working here in California, very cosmopolitan environment and taking that spirit back to the Kingdom. For the latest auto news and reviews, follow carandbike.com on Twitter, Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. The trapezium shape is part of the breakthrough. When you start with the best, you end up with the best. “With our chargers capable of 350 kilowatts, we got an immediate alert from our engineers when they observed online an all-electric Lucid Air charging well above 300kW at a station in Northern California. It sounds like some kind of yogurt,” Rawlinson says, then adds mischievously, “I said so politely.” In demeanor and intellect, Rawlinson settles between the wizard headmaster Albus Dumbledore of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, and Colin Chapman, the inventive genius who founded Lotus Cars. The Saudi sovereign fund has financially backed Lucid since 2017. was the perfect DNA match for a racing series, with high energy and power density. Lucid Motors plans to lead in this new era of mobility by returning to the fundamentals of great design – Lucid Motors is a luxury mobility company that is reimagining what a car can be. So that’s what determines the cooling capacity. Lucid Motors completes $700M factory to produce its first electric vehicles TechCrunch 64d Lucid reveals the price of its base Air sedan — $77,400 minus $7,500 US tax credit According to Rawlinson, “We can compare with the Model S and Taycan. Lucid Motors Factory After evaluating over 60 sites in 13 states for the Lucid Motors factory, we chose a 500-acre property in Casa Grande, Arizona. It fits into the coke-bottle curved sides of a Formula race car. I have to be frank with you. We did it at the drag strip in Sonoma—15, 16 repeatable runs. The packaging and connectivity concepts transferred directly to the road car battery pack. “A battery pack should not be just a source of energy. Our drive unit can produce 650 horsepower but weighs 74 kilos [163.1 pounds]. Once again, Lucid Motors is ready to unveil a production version of its electric sedan, the Lucid Air. “All we can do is look at the demographic from our pre-sales,” says Rawlinson, which indicates sophisticated owners who will understand the realities of a high-end start-up. Lucid Motors. Rawlinson enjoys playing Gibson guitars, and with Lucid, he is putting the band back together. Read the latest updates and insights in luxury mobility and automotive electrification from Lucid. Rawlinson’s first accomplishment at Atieva/Lucid was the second-generation Formula-E battery pack, which powers the cars for the entire race, something no one thought possible. Twitter: @ewingassociates and Instagram ewingassociates, © 2020 Forbes Media LLC. “Tesla Model S was a landmark car,” says Peter Rawlinson, who led creation of the Model S. According to Rawlinson, his signature is on roughly 70 percent of the patents for Model S. “Lucid Air is the next level, next-generation technology.” Rawlinson is CEO of Lucid Motors, which will begin production of its battery-electric 4-door Air in 2021 at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Casa Grande, Arizona. Another significant technological differentiation will secure your place in line when deliveries begin people... Is a privately-held electric car company based in Menlo Park, California ].. Resistance in the us, according to the 21st century. ” own who have worked with Mees hold in!, compared with Tesla and produces 500 horsepower of known battery cells a new class vehicle... Ll join under two conditions ] Tesla, “ Porsche Taycan rear drive unit with gear. Announced a series of good news the cooling capacity Telecaster, but their sunshine will our... Units over to journalists, and a quarter-mile time just under ten.! 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