Lucid will energy Aston Martin’s future EVs

Aston Martin plans to construct “ultra-luxury high-performance” EVs utilizing Lucid’s electrical motors, batteries and different know-how, Lucid introduced in a press launch. It is the primary deal for Lucid to provide components to different automakers — very like Rimac, which itself developed batteries and different parts for Aston Martin, together with Koenigsegg and others. Lucid just lately launched its personal debut electrical automobile, the Air, in a number of variations beginning at round $87,400. 

“The provision settlement with Lucid is a sport changer for the long run EV-led progress of Aston Martin,” mentioned Aston Martin government chairman Lawrence Stroll. “Primarily based on our technique and necessities, we chosen Lucid, having access to the trade’s highest efficiency and most revolutionary applied sciences for our future BEV merchandise.”

Aston Martin mentioned it chosen Lucid by a “aggressive course of” and can use Lucid’s proprietary electrical powertrain know-how, together with its ultra-high efficiency twin motor drive unit, battery know-how, and onboard “Wunderbox” charging unit. The know-how will enable for options like torque vectoring, warmth exchanger tech and a battery system upgraded for increased energy. 

In 2020, Aston Martin scrapped plans to fabricate an all-electric Rapide E, saying it would not launch any EVs till it is “financially steady.” Stroll, a Canadian billionaire who additionally owns the Aston Martin F1 group, took a 25 p.c possession in Aston Martin again in 2020. Mercedes-Benz, in the meantime, presently owns 9.4 p.c of Aston Martin, and beforehand mentioned it plans to extend that to twenty p.c by 2023. 

As a part of that deal, Mercedes-Benz granted Aston Martin entry to its hybrid and electrical powertrains, but it surely’s not clear how Lucid and Mercedes will work together. Aston Martin’s F1 group presently makes use of a Mercedes-Benz energy unit, although it plans to change to Honda in 2026. “Together with Mercedes-Benz, we now have two world-class suppliers [with Lucid] to help the interior improvement and investments we’re making to ship our electrification technique,” Stroll mentioned. 

Rimac has provided know-how, together with a light-weight battery system, to Aston Martin’s 1,160 HP Valkyrie hypercar. Again in 2015, Aston Martin joined forces with LeEco to construct an electrical model of the Rapide, however LeEco bowed out with its personal monetary points. To finish the circle, LeEco initially had a stake in Lucid, however founder Jia Yueting was compelled to promote it attributable to a liquidity disaster.