Do electric cars need a long range? This is the equation that manufacturers try to solve between the fact of offering enough autonomy without undermining the battery capacity and, as a result, the price of the car.
Peter Rawlinson, CEO of Lucid, is convinced that the ideal electric car does not need excessive autonomy. In a recent interview with our colleagues at Auto Express, the manager thinks so the growth of the electric car will depend on the cost of production and sales prices. And in order to get an affordable electric car, you will have to somehow “sacrifice” this continuous race for autonomy. and offer what people really need.
Objective small batteries
“Decreasing battery size will have the biggest impact on the mass market of electric vehicles”, he says. ” We could achieve six miles (about 10 km) per kWh, whereas today we have 4.6 (7.4 km). The electric car of the future will only need to drive 250 miles (400 km). We will not need cars capable of driving 800 km in 10 years. »
Therefore, less autonomy implies a smaller battery, which will lead to a decrease in the production cost and sales price.
Peter Rawlinson also believes that with future technological developments, manufacturers will be able to offer very affordable electric cars with very small 25 kWh batteries that will allow them to travel around 250 km on a single charge, all thanks to working around the battery, but not only because several elements affect this figure, starting with the overall thermal regulation of the car, as well as aerodynamics.
Lucid aims to compete with Tesla
At the same time, the leader admits that Lucid does not yet have the potential to develop an economy car, although this could change thanks to recent partnerships, including with Aston Martin and Saudi Arabia.
The American company offers very high-end models, including the Lucid Air, which starts at around $90,000 in the United States, and the SUV will also launch in 2024 with the Gravity project.
“After the Gravity, we’ll be looking at competitors like the Tesla Model 3 and the Y. We think the price will be around $50,000, maybe $48,000 or something like that. It’s too early to say, but that’s our goal. »
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Source: Auto Plus
Robert is an experienced journalist who has been covering the automobile industry for over a decade. He has a deep understanding of the latest technologies and trends in the industry and is known for his thorough and in-depth reporting.