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Image source, Reuters
The Lucid Air Dream Edition can travel more than 500 miles on a single battery charge.
It started manufacturing its first cars in September and at the end of October it delivered a few dozen units to its first customers. However, Lucid Motors has already exceeded the market value of century-old companies like Ford Motors.
And it is that this Silicon Valley-based company is seen as a promise of the emerging market for electric vehicles. Its market value, in fact, already exceeds US $ 85,000 million.
Its first model, the Lucid Air Dream Edition, has been recognized as the “car of the year” by the specialized magazine MotorTrend and, according to data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, It is the electric car that can travel the longest on a single charge: about 520 miles (852 kilometers).
That number -520- is also the number of units he plans to sell of that first exclusive model at a value of $ 169,000 per unit.
It is a super luxurious vehicle that includes the option of having seats that massage the body of the passengers and a solid glass roof.
And if that was not enough, its more powerful version can outrun a Ferrari.
The following models are relatively cheaper: the Air Grand Touring (US $ 139,000), the Touring (US $ 95,000) and the Air and Air Pure (US $ 77,000), although the latter two will not be on the market until 2022.
Lucid assures that so far it already has more than 17,000 reservations and that next year it expects to deliver about 20,000 units, a minimum fraction of the more than 4 million cars that Ford sold in the world in 2020, even despite the pandemic.
So what is Lucid’s secret?
From super luxury to mass production
Although it may not seem obvious, Lucid’s real bet is not aimed at the auto market of superlujo but to the mass production of electric cars.
Image source, Reuters
Peter Rawlinson was responsible for engineering for the Tesla Model S.
Its CEO, Peter Rawlinson, has explained in interviews with the press that he considered the first model as a very important step to establish the brand in the market.
“We needed to create a technological feat and I think that is what we have achieved with the Lucid Air. We define our brand, we define our future,” he said.
Rawlinson is also, in himself, one of the reasons why investors bet on Lucid because his fame precedes him.
This 64-year-old man was responsible for the engineering of the Tesla Model S, where he left for personal reasons as well as a bad relationship with Elon Musk. He had previously worked with Jaguar and was chief engineer for Lotus.
In addition, it has registered numerous patents for innovations in the batteries used in electric vehicles.
Much of the Lucid Air’s success stems from its obsession with reducing engine size and weight and the components of the car, which not only allows more energy to be used, but also saves space that can be used to offer other comforts.
Rawlinson has said that he sees the luxury car market as a step on the road to his true goal: the massification of the electric vehicle market, even selling his technology to other companies that can make low-cost cars.
Image source, Reuters
Although Lucid is based in Silicon Valley, the assembly plant is in Arizona.
To get there, however, you first have to ensure the viability of your own company, which, for the time being, does not produce profits but losses and has many challenges ahead.
A good part of these difficulties are included in the report that the company delivers to potential shareholders so that they are aware of the risks to which their investment will be subject.
As reviewed The New York Times, the 44-page document highlights that the company has no experience in mass production of vehicles, does not have a customer service network and relies heavily on Rawlinson.
Add to that the fact that more and more companies are betting on the electric car market, many of them with decades of large-scale production experience.
It remains to be seen if Lucid is capable of making the move from super-luxury vehicles to massive, low-cost models.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.