Secretive startup Lucid Motors rolled up to the LA Auto Show on Tuesday, and the California-based company unveiled its impressive-looking new electric sedan while CTO Peter Rawlinson explained why electric cars were the future.
Even though Lucid Motors showed off the camouflaged car, they didn’t give away too many specific details. We do know, though, that the sedan’s battery is very, very powerful, and that the car is smaller than its peers, like the BMW 7-Series, because it doesn’t have an engine. It’s supposed to have a 300-mile range, and is expected to be fully autonomous once it’s released, according to Engadget.
Rawlinson, who was also the chief engineer on the Tesla Model S, didn’t reveal many specific details, but he did speak about the state of the electric car at large.
“Electric cars, inherently, are superior to those that are gasoline-powered,” Rawlinson stated. He highlighted four noteworthy areas of development in the automotive world: improved battery power, ride-sharing, connectivity, and autonomy.
“These four developments are happening at the same time, and, strangely, in the same part of the world,” he continued, saying that it made for “a very exciting time for [Lucid Motors].”
“One of the breakthroughs that we’ve made is a new kind of circuitry that is very tolerant to continuous use, rapid-charged, continuous cycling, for a 24-hour period,” Rawlinson explained, claiming that the development was “really is hand in the glove with requirements for shared mobility and shared autonomy.”
Rawlinson also addressed the infrastructure problem lurking around electric cars by expressing a belief that, although some of the specifics are lacking, for now, cities, on the whole, are naturally better equipped to deal with electric cars.
“There’s electricity available on tap in most places we look, particularly in urban environments,” he said, before comparing how much additional infrastructure is needed to refuel traditional gas-powered vehicles.
The LA Auto Show opens to the public on Friday, and if you’re in LA, it appears that you’ll be able to see the Lucid Motors car for yourself.
Nick Lucchesi contributed additional reporting for this piece.
