Lucid Motors unveils a first prototype of its Lunar robotaxi

During the Investor Day Investor Day held this Thursday, March 12, in New York City, Lucid Motors presented two mid-size electric SUVs, the Cosmos and the Earth. Both models are based on a completely new platform developed for the segment they belong to, thanks to which they will benefit from an 800V architecture and offer a range of over 300 miles (480 km).

This new platform will also be used for a third model that is so far completely unknown and does not even have a name yet. Some sources suggest, however, that this vehicle will be geared towards more adventurous off-road use, so it will likely have off-road capabilities.

The surprise of the night, in any case, was the Lucid Lunar, a prototype of a future robotaxi from the company, with no steering wheel or pedals, developed to compete head-to-head with the Cybercab from Tesla. Based on the same platform as the Cosmos and the Earth, the Lucid Lunar stands out for its more compact and aerodynamic design. Something essential for a vehicle like this.

Following in the footsteps of the Cybercab from Tesla

Just as Tesla did with the Cybercab, the engineers at Lucid Motors have sought to maximize the efficiency of this new vehicle during its development, while also trying to reduce operating costs as much as possible. During the presentation, the California-based company promised an efficiency of between 5.5 and 6 miles per kWh consumed. A figure considerably higher than the 3 or 4 miles per kWh offered by much of the electric vehicles currently available on the US market.

Achieving this extraordinary level of efficiency is no secret, however, and it is based on an optimized aerodynamic design with a very low drag coefficient, together with the fact that its battery has a smaller capacity than usual, since it is designed mainly for urban operation, which allows it to weigh less on the scale.

The Lunar also stands out for supporting ultra-rapid charging, which will allow it to recover more than 200 miles of range (about 320 km) in just 15 minutes. This will be possible thanks to its 800V architecture.

Although the Lunar is for now only a prototype, this model is part of Lucid Motors’ future strategy focused on the development of autonomous driving systems. The company is already working to integrate advanced levels of autonomous driving into its new vehicles and at the same time maintains an alliance with Uber and Nuro that aims to deploy a robotaxi service initially using the Gravity SUV for this purpose.