Tesla may be the largest participant within the Electrical Automobile business however issues could also be about to vary with the introduction of Lucid, states Adarsh
There was a time when electrical autos had been thought of cumbersome. The expertise was nonetheless in its infancy, the battery was too large and ponderous, the value was too excessive…. total there have been simply too many drawbacks to an electrical automobile.
That’s when Elon Musk got here into the image. He launched us to Tesla, the ridiculously quick, fashionable and extremely practical electrical automobile that would give any sedan a run for its cash. And ever since, Tesla has grown from power to power, cementing its place because the market chief within the EV section. As of November 2022, its market cap is valued at $522.08 billion.
However that may be about to vary, with the sudden rise and recognition of Lucid Motors. Other than profitable over the market and the audience, the Lucid Air has additionally overwhelmed Tesla to a bunch of awards.
Earlier in 2022, the celebrated MotorTrend journal hailed the Lucid Air as a “high-performing, long-range, game-changing electrical sedan from a California startup” whereas awarding it its Automotive Of The 12 months award. And now, Lucid has one other feather in its cap after it was named the High Choose within the EV class by Automobiles.com.
Lucid vs Tesla
For those who had been to match Tesla’s well-known S Plaid, it will get overtaken in each class of comparability by Lucid’s Air Sapphire.
As you possibly can see, the Sapphire pips the Tesla in each class. In actual fact, its superior charging charge provides it 300 miles’ price of cost in solely 20 minutes which isn’t any match for the S Plaid.
The construct of the Sapphire can also be higher and it’s the superior dealing with that helped it pip the Tesla to the awards. You may argue that the Air Sapphire is priced at nearly twice what the Tesla prices.
However there are different fashions from Lucid which might be extra inexpensive. Take the Air Pure, as an illustration.
Once more, the Tesla isn’t any match compared with the Lucid and this time, the latter’s value additionally makes it extra inexpensive. So it’s fairly apparent why increasingly more prospects are leaning in the direction of Lucid.
What makes Lucid higher
At the moment, each EV producer is spending hundreds of thousands in a bid to give you the most effective batteries. The purpose is to determine batteries which might be light-weight, fast-charging and low cost. It’s because the battery is the deciding issue with regards to EVs. They dictate the charging velocity, curtail the vary per cost, and is the primary cause why EVs value a lot.
However the Lucid makes use of the identical LG Chem 21700 cells which have been utilized by Tesla’s Mannequin S, X, and three since 2017. So what makes Lucid a lot extra environment friendly?
As a result of they’ve optimized all the pieces else! Lucid has a novel everlasting magnet motor that’s extraordinarily environment friendly, immensely highly effective and extremely mild. They’ve wired the battery right into a 900-volt configuration relatively than the 375 volts like Tesla’s. This lets the battery cost faster, reduces losses within the drive prepare and in addition negates the thermal load on the cooling techniques, which will increase vary.
So even when the Lucid is utilizing comparatively older battery expertise, the remainder of the automobile is as excellent as it might get. And this isn’t by probability. There’s a cause why Lucid is a lot extra environment friendly.
And the explanation for that’s Peter Rawlinson. The British engineer had labored at Jaguar, Lotus and Corus Automotive earlier than becoming a member of Tesla in 2010. He was the automobile engineer who designed the Tesla Mannequin S. In 2012, Rawlinson left Tesla and a yr later joined Lucid as their Chief Technical Officer.
In 2019, he was appointed as Lucid’s Chief Government Officer and he has been principal in designing and launching their set of EVs. And as is clear of their efficiency, they’re clearly designed by somebody who had a hand in Tesla’s S Mannequin.
So in impact, Rawlinson is barely repeating his earlier success. Having designed the optimum EV as soon as, he’s doing it once more. However this time specializing in efficiency and effectivity as an alternative of choosing a superior battery pack.
Lucid’s present market is $13.91 billion. In stark comparability, Tesla’s valuation is 37 instances that. On paper, Lucid may be going through an uphill battle however out there, Rawlinson and Co. are catching up rapidly.
The final phrase
Within the third quarter of 2022, Lucid introduced that it had already delivered 1400 autos and had $199.5 million in preorders. These numbers nonetheless have an extended method to go in the event that they hope to match with Tesla’s however contemplating the truth that Lucid has solely been delivering vehicles since October 2021, that could be a meteoric rise.
Going by their tempo, Lucid Motors look set to present Tesla a run for its cash. In actual fact, Lucid’s efficiency to this point has earned it the nickname ‘Tesla Killer’.
Musk should be frightened….