Everyone in the automotive industry knows that electrification is the way of the future. Just look at the Ford Mustang Mach-E with 1,400 horsepower screaming through some drifts or Elon Musk's Tesla models as they dominate drag strips. Lucid's VP of Design Derek Jenkins even said that the Saudi Monetary Wealth Fund is hedging its bets with a $1 billion investment into the EV market, a serious sign of the changing times. Now, Chevrolet has announced a new pilot program for a potential electric conversion crate engine that will be revealed for the first time in a restomodded K5 Blazer at the upcoming virtual SEMA360 eve
Thanks to all the space Lucid saves with click this innovative design, they have the chance to shape the vehicle in non-conventional ways. So while there's more space inside for people and things, the vehicle itself can maintain a smaller overall footprint. To demonstrate what that means for us automotive enthusiasts is that the Air – which is 195.5 inches long – should handle as well, if not better, than a similarly sized car such as the BMW M5 (194.6 inches) while being able to carry passengers in the comfort and luxury that could only be experienced in something like the 7 Series. That's well demonstrated in its Laguna Seca lap record . While we can be sure that very few Lucid owners will be tracking their cars, it's encouraging to see this new company keeping an eye planted on real driving performance as a part of their benchmark
But these aren't cheap cars. Even if Ryan dropped the autonomous driving software and 30 miles of range hoping to get the bare-bones, cheapest deal possible, he'd be looking at spending a couple hundred bucks more every month than on his GTI, which he's only driven about 17,000 miles over nearly three ye
The rear bed of the Blazer, meanwhile, now holds the 60-kWh battery pack—which really removes a lot of the daily functionality of the two-seater SUV-truck blend. But this project was built to show off the tech, so keeping the components visible may have been a higher priority than squeezing them into tight spa
The main goal of the Space Concept was to find out how small Lucid could make each of their drivetrain components without sacrificing power, performance, and luxury. Their internal goal was to be hyper-efficient in terms of packaging so that they could make better use of the space. To achieve this, they built the entire package from the ground up. No legacy off-the-shelf parts were used when creating the battery pack and drivetrain. Despite the smaller footprint, they've still managed to extract more than 1,000 horsepower from the vehicle that can apparently be exercised over and over again without needing a break. The performance doesn't stop there tho
When we walked into the Tesla shop, I immediately turned to check out the chassis and drivetrain "skateboard" layout. From the front engine and the rear suspension, I knew this couldn't be the Model 3 we'd be testing. The previous day, I'd gotten a chance to visit Lucid Motors' new Beverly Hills studio , where their own skateboard design was featured prominently. Lucid's motors are definitely smaller but their currently slated lineup of cars will cost multiples more than a Mode
UK based Zero EV specializes in EV conversions, setting out to prove just how great electric cars truly can be. Their goal with this Miata project was mainly to test out its EV setups on small, lightweight roadsters such as the Miatas and MGBs. They wanted to have all the fun and benefits of an EV without loosing any of the joyful characteristics of driving the original car. After all, it is a worthy reminder that the first Tesla, was a converted Lotus Eli
Perhaps one of the most American hobbies, the road-trip, has seen a vast boom this year as concerns over personal health and safety have risen. Offering excellent over the road options, the Air offers some 739 liters of luggage space in large part thanks to its compact drivetrain and battery package. Add to that the exceptional 517-mile range and it's becoming more and more clear that Lucid is serious about taking on big names such as Tesla, Porsche, and Riv
"We really approached it like the components are miniaturized, we pushed them away from the occupants, maximized interior space. That became an immediate opportunity. And then keeping the outside compact, agile, and sporty so it’s still like a sport sedan on the outside, full-sized luxury on the inside, with hypercar performance—and the cargo capacity of an SUV. So you have this really unique combination of attributes that doesn’t exist in the marketplace tod
In advance of the Lucid Air's planned 2021 deliveries, I recently spoke with VP of Design Derek Jenkins about designing a four-door hypercar EV, as well as the future of a startup that toes the line between emergent and establis
The Mazda MX-5 Miata has consistently been one of the best driving and most popular sports cars to ever hit production. It's small, light weight, perfect 50/50 weight distribution and high level of feedback make it an absolute dream to drive. For those who want a bit more out of their Miata, the aftermarket industry follows their popularity. With anything from various suspension upgrades to turbo LS engine swaps , the sky is the limit for the little roadster. One company, however, has decided to do something different and turn the popular sports car into the perfect driver's