Upstart Lucid has new models, CEO talks pending SUVs, EV future
One showroom at Lucid One, the headquarters of Lucid Motors in Newark, includes a display of stators, the electric motor component that helps create a magnetic field. It’s a mini-museum and geek-out showcase for electric vehicle engineering enthusiasts.
But it’s far more interesting and entertaining when Peter Rawlinson is there gushing with unbridled enthusiasm. He holds up the part used by Tesla, his former employer, and the counterpart used by Toyota. He explains why Lucid’s version is superior, detailing the craftsmanship of its tightly interwoven copper tapestry and how other EV manufacturers fall short.
Rawlinson, who lives in Foster City by way of his upbringing in South Wales, is the company’s CEO, head technology officer and formerly the chief vehicle engineer of Tesla. Rawlinson and Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, are not best friends.
Lucid, which began selling cars in October 2021, delivered 6,001 vehicles in 2023. Tesla, the dominant EV carmaker, delivered 1.8 million vehicles globally and 491,000 in the United States last year.
Rawlinson’s recent appearance before about a dozen journalists occurred impromptu during the second session of a media visit. He spoke only via video earlier in the week.
Lucid had its best sales volume in the first quarter of 2024, but it also remains a difficult time. Carmakers continue to emphasize electric vehicles to adhere to pending federal mandates. But there’s a caveat.
J.D. Power, the Michigan-based data analytics company, predicts the growth rate of EVs will continue to fall this year. Consumers “very likely” to consider purchasing an EV has declined for four straight months, according to the company’s US Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Ownership Study.
Rawlinson is a realist. The company has two, still-veiled, mid-size SUVS set for 2026 release. The price points are slated to start below $50,000, about $20,000 less than the current lowest-priced Lucid.
“There’s a temporary blimp (in the industry) and that’s triggered by a few things,” said Rawlinson while standing beside Lucid’s covered pending SUVs. “It’s largely macro-economics and interest rates. It’s the fact that electric cars are a little bit more expensive than their gasoline counterparts.
“And I think the main reason for that is that there hasn’t been sufficient focus on high-tech driving efficiently so you can drive further with less battery. Why are we able to offer to Lucid Air for $69,900 and that it only has an 88-kilowatt battery pack and yet we have a 419-mile range and no one else has that range? That’s the enabler.”
Lucid empathizes its vehicles, the Air, Gravity and performance-topping Sapphire, with discussions of the “human experience.” One feature is called Sanctuary. It’s a mode for non-driving when the vehicle’s screens display iconic California nature scenes matched with mood music, a massage feature and upgraded LED lighting. It’s car zen.
The upstart manufacturer also has a feature called “Digital Detox.” It’s the ability to disengage Lucid’s technology wonders or as a Lucid spokesman said “to remove too much tech for when less is more.”
Like other now-defunct EV manufacturers, Lucid’s legacy could have been brief. But since April 2019 it has been majority-owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). It’s the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia that also owns and operates many businesses including LIV Golf, the fledgling challenger to the PGA Tour.
Just like during the rest of his candid and animated presentation, Rawlinson offered unasked:
“I just want to be clear; we’re here to stay. We have two key differentiators. We’ve got the best EV technology in the world, and it’s widely recognized. And we’ve got great financial support from the PIF. That’s two big differences.
“It’s all just driving down that cost with all that we’ve learned about range and efficiency. What we’ve seen normally is a company that’s in a niche for an expensive class of EV vehicles. We currently very much appreciate our current customer base. But that’s not the vision of the company. That’s not the mission.”
James Raia, a syndicated automotive columnist in Sacramento, is the founder and senior editor of www.theweeklydriver.com. It includes signups for a free newsletter and podcast. E-mail: james@jamesraia.com.
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