The debut electric vehicle from former Tesla engineer faces delay

The first electric vehicle from Lucid Motors, the company set up by former Tesla chief engineer Peter Rawlinson, won’t be going ahead exactly as scheduled.

Due to uncertainty spurred on by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lucid Air electric vehicle is not entering production on schedule and is put on hold until later this year, Silicon Valley Business Journal reports.

Lucid Motors had planned to publicly unveil the vehicle at the Detroit Auto Show. However, the show got canceled late last week, as its venue became a Federal Emergency Management Administration building.

Despite the setback, Peter Rawlinson appears confident. The company currently has over 1,000 employees and continues its growth trajectory he told the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

The company‘s supply chain also remains committed and ready to start production, he added.

Rawlinson’s history with Tesla and the fact the Lucid Air EV is a battery-electric vehicle puts it in close competition with vehicles like the Tesla Model 3. However, current development models of the Lucid Air EV are said to have about twice the power of the Tesla Model 3.

According to Rawlinson, the Lucid Air tries to compete with brands known for more luxurious offerings like BMW, Audi, and Mercedes.

Lucid isn’t the only car company to be affected by the outbreak of coronavirus.

In order to meet production deadlines in the midst of supply chain problems, Tesla used old Autopilot hardware in its Chinese made Tesla Model 3s.

To support hospitals during the coronavirus outbreak, many automakers have pivoted to manufacturing ventilators and medical equipment.

electric-vehicle-lucid-air
Share

Thomas Burn is a blogger, digital marketing expert and working with Techlofy. Being a social media enthusiast, he believes in the power of writing.

624 views
Share via
Copy link